Is this normal MPG

[GreenWheels]

Sounds like a good start, from my experience. I bought a 2000 5spd in 2007 with 72K miles on it. The lifetime mpg then was 51.3 - it came from California where I imagine one cannot take full advantage of hyper-mileing. Since then I've driven 65K miles and managed 72.8 mpg. In New Mexico, I can ease over hills, and minimize stop-n-go. And I only weigh 180... Good luck; you'll have more fun squeezing miles out of this ultimate 'high performance' (mpg) car!

[dsteele713]

Originally Posted by Eli

That sounds perfect.

The Insight has a steep learning curve. The more you drive it like a regular car, the lower your mileage will be. Just keep experimenting, it sounds like you're well on your way to being an expert Insight driver!

You should be able to hold the MPG higher and maintain speed though, on flat ground. Try holding it at 80-90MPG instead of bringing it down to ~75mpg. That's right on the edge of lean burn. Since the MPG over a trip is an average, you have to make up for the hills that bring your MPG down.

For example, to average ~80MPG, you'll have to have stretches at 100MPG+ to make up for the low times. It should be possible to cruise along at 45-50mph at 100MPG without much trouble if everything is in order. If you can't, you may need to clean your EGR plate.

I've seen several posts advising newbies to clean their plate if they're getting disappointing mileage. How much of an effect does a dirty EGR plate actually have?

[aisbell]

Originally Posted by dsteele713

I've seen several posts advising newbies to clean their plate if they're getting disappointing mileage. How much of an effect does a dirty EGR plate actually have?

My sense is that a dirty EGR plate is responsible for bucking at constant load rather than poor fuel efficiency. So if your car doesn't buck, I doubt that cleaning the EGR plate would have any noticeable effect. Am I wrong?

[GreenWheels]

What is 'EGR?' How does one clean an EGR plate?

Thanx,

Skip

[Eli]

Originally Posted by aisbell

My sense is that a dirty EGR plate is responsible for bucking at constant load rather than poor fuel efficiency. So if your car doesn't buck, I doubt that cleaning the EGR plate would have any noticeable effect. Am I wrong?

I believe that the bucking happens only when the EGR plate is completely clogged.

But overall, your impression was the same as mine... It's just kind of an inference I've made, having driven different Insights a bit now.

Insight #3 has a noticeably different lean burn profile than Insight #1, dispite having almost 70,000 more miles. It just has much more power at higher FCD MPG when in lean burn.

It could be that the higher mileage engine is just in better shape, I am not sure. The one thing I do know, however, is that the EGR plate in #3 has been recently cleaned, while it has never been cleaned in Insight #1.

I guess I need to get around to cleaning the plate on #1 to confirm my suspicions.