Best CVT Lifetime MPG
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You know about the lifetime mpg database, right?
http://www.insightcentral.net/registry. ... stLifetime
Right now it lists David Barber with 15k miles and 64.1 mpg at the top of the CVT list.
http://www.insightcentral.net/registry. ... stLifetime
Right now it lists David Barber with 15k miles and 64.1 mpg at the top of the CVT list.
G
Guest
·Lots of people here, including myself, inflate to high 40's to about 50 psi. The tires handle it fine, and they wear more evenly. That should be good for a few mpg's. It widens the lean burn window on a 5 spd, so it may have less of an impact on a CVT due to lack of lean burn. But it'll help.
You may want to drop the pressure in the winter if you live in an area that gets snow/ice.
You may want to drop the pressure in the winter if you live in an area that gets snow/ice.
Resist said:
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228 Posts
My 2001 CVT had 31,200 miles when I got it and an LMPG of 51.7. Now, after 5,000 miles, my "Personal" LMPG is 60.1 (calculated on 'Trip B' which I reset when I got it) and the LMPG is up to 52.6. I don’t know what kind of oil was in it before, but I switched to Mobil 1 0W20. I also cleaned the EGR Valve and Fuel Injectors, and put in a K&N Filter. And I run 45 psi.
CVT lifetime mileage
Since i have had the car the mileage has been very good. I have about 4800 miles on the car and am running with a LMPG of 57.1 mpg. The best i have gotten for only a few moments was 57.3. It is really hard to get above the factory recommended LMPG. I commute to work which is about 46miles round trip (all freeway). I travel between 65-70 mph with spurts above 70mph. On one gas tank up i have gotten 58.1 mpg. I am trying to achieve 60mpg from one tank of gas. Hopefully i can get that. I have heard with more mileage put on the car the gas mileage will even get better! :lol:
Since i have had the car the mileage has been very good. I have about 4800 miles on the car and am running with a LMPG of 57.1 mpg. The best i have gotten for only a few moments was 57.3. It is really hard to get above the factory recommended LMPG. I commute to work which is about 46miles round trip (all freeway). I travel between 65-70 mph with spurts above 70mph. On one gas tank up i have gotten 58.1 mpg. I am trying to achieve 60mpg from one tank of gas. Hopefully i can get that. I have heard with more mileage put on the car the gas mileage will even get better! :lol:
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1,220 Posts
LMPG: 52.7
After almost 2 years of use, 15,000+ miles. Note: we drive this vehicle <6,000+ mi./year, but the above total includes a 1-week Rocky Mountains trip of +4,500 miles to break it in a few months after we got it...
...and we don't really drive for max mileage, or at least My Beloved doesn't, it's her car and I bought it for her because she thought it looked "coool." She drives it like it's a Civic, and that's just fine with me...
...but when I drive it, I normally get 62-67mpg tanks. Only mod: 50 psi at each corner since first week of use. :mrgreen:
After almost 2 years of use, 15,000+ miles. Note: we drive this vehicle <6,000+ mi./year, but the above total includes a 1-week Rocky Mountains trip of +4,500 miles to break it in a few months after we got it...
...and we don't really drive for max mileage, or at least My Beloved doesn't, it's her car and I bought it for her because she thought it looked "coool." She drives it like it's a Civic, and that's just fine with me...
...but when I drive it, I normally get 62-67mpg tanks. Only mod: 50 psi at each corner since first week of use. :mrgreen:
Hi All. New to forum, but have had my CVT insight since August of 02. I bought it new and have driven the same route 4 times a week since then. I go from Bakersfield to LAX and back (thru Gorman). After 40K of going up and down the grapevine, my lifetime mileage is 55.4 and the battery cycles from full to mostly discharged, back to full at exactly the same points on every trip. I drive 65/70 mph, 40 psi on all 4 and keep the car clean and waxed. Highest mileage seen on a single leg was 61.8, but usually shows 56.5 to 59.5. So far, no big problems.
Cold, cold, cold
It's been extremely cold where I live lately -- as low as five degrees in the morning, with highs in the low twenties (Farenheit). This had a big impact on my gas mileage.
I blocked my radiator again (I'd tried once before an odd way that didn't work), and found very shortly that it had a really nice impact on my mileage while not creating any discernable effect on max engine temperature -- just how fast it gets there. I stuck a large chunk of cut-out cardboard in front of the radiator, covering all but the top one inch. There's even a nice ledge to park the board on! It kind of makes the front look a little funny if you peek at the "smile", but it works well. Plus factor for me is that the heater warms sooo much faster. I used to be at least six miles into my commute before the thermostat was at six bars, now it's down to about 3 (the first leg of my trip in the morning is all downhill, so there's not much gas getting burned). I wonder whether it would continue to be safe driving if I covered up that top 1" of radiator too, and just relied on wind leakage to provide air...
Anyway, just that one mod (plus a gentle right foot) kicked my personal MPG since I bought the car up from 54.9 to 57.1. My daily commute is about 40 miles each way. The first leg is down a slight downhill for 12 miles, then 20 miles of flat, then 8 miles uphill a bit again. In a way it's nice, because first thing in the morning my car does that "forced charge to warm up the batteries" thing almost every day lately, and when it's only about 70% up anyway, I avoid the symptoms of "full battery, no more please".
The fastest speed on my commute is 65MPH on freeway for the last 15 miles or so. The first and second legs are both 60MPH the whole way, usually down to about 50MPH for several miles at a time due to traffic, and with some stop-and-go right before I merge onto the 65MPH freeway. I've been really impressed that the EPA estimate (if I block my radiator in the winter) is so dead-on with reasonably careful driving.
That mileage was almost all at factory-stock pressures, and my lifetime MPG has not budged yet from 54.9 at 24,800 miles when I bought the car. I rolled over 27,000 today. My wife prefers to drive my car into town because she loves the gas mileage and sporty, in-control feeling versus our big 1994 Mercury Villager van.
I just re-inflated the tires to 50psi on each corner because, although it's been bitterly cold and foggy, it looks like it's breaking today, and I'm eager to see what my mileage will be like in the morning. My wife also has a bit of an insensitive foot for the Insight, so when I get it back from her my per-tank mileage is generally down a few MPG Just filled up, so it will be fun seeing how well she does on the video game tonight as she drives to a meeting! She told me she'll try to play for a high score like I do from now on...
So, to sum up:
Lifetime MPG: 54.9 @ 27,000 miles (though I've only had it for 2,200 of that), car always driven in cold climates (Spokane, WA and Tooele, UT). Primarily driven in the city prior to my purchase, primarily driven on highway at slower highway speeds since I bought it. Except for my wife, who drives on roads where people routinely do 80-90MPH...
Personal lifetime MPG since I bought it used: Now 57.1 with radiator block at stock tire pressure. I suspect my personal will be somewhere around 61-62 as I slowly bring up the LMPG. Or maybe I should just reset the LMPG now
Goal MPG: 60 MPG. I think with more practice, and harder tires, 60 LMPG is an achievable goal over the next 100,000 miles. Some people get over 60, but in a cold climate with lots of ice, snow, and slush on the road frequently, unless I decide to reset the LMPG, I consider getting over 60 really unlikely for me.
OK, maybe I should just put all this stuff in the Lifetime MPG database
It's been extremely cold where I live lately -- as low as five degrees in the morning, with highs in the low twenties (Farenheit). This had a big impact on my gas mileage.
I blocked my radiator again (I'd tried once before an odd way that didn't work), and found very shortly that it had a really nice impact on my mileage while not creating any discernable effect on max engine temperature -- just how fast it gets there. I stuck a large chunk of cut-out cardboard in front of the radiator, covering all but the top one inch. There's even a nice ledge to park the board on! It kind of makes the front look a little funny if you peek at the "smile", but it works well. Plus factor for me is that the heater warms sooo much faster. I used to be at least six miles into my commute before the thermostat was at six bars, now it's down to about 3 (the first leg of my trip in the morning is all downhill, so there's not much gas getting burned). I wonder whether it would continue to be safe driving if I covered up that top 1" of radiator too, and just relied on wind leakage to provide air...
Anyway, just that one mod (plus a gentle right foot) kicked my personal MPG since I bought the car up from 54.9 to 57.1. My daily commute is about 40 miles each way. The first leg is down a slight downhill for 12 miles, then 20 miles of flat, then 8 miles uphill a bit again. In a way it's nice, because first thing in the morning my car does that "forced charge to warm up the batteries" thing almost every day lately, and when it's only about 70% up anyway, I avoid the symptoms of "full battery, no more please".
The fastest speed on my commute is 65MPH on freeway for the last 15 miles or so. The first and second legs are both 60MPH the whole way, usually down to about 50MPH for several miles at a time due to traffic, and with some stop-and-go right before I merge onto the 65MPH freeway. I've been really impressed that the EPA estimate (if I block my radiator in the winter) is so dead-on with reasonably careful driving.
That mileage was almost all at factory-stock pressures, and my lifetime MPG has not budged yet from 54.9 at 24,800 miles when I bought the car. I rolled over 27,000 today. My wife prefers to drive my car into town because she loves the gas mileage and sporty, in-control feeling versus our big 1994 Mercury Villager van.
I just re-inflated the tires to 50psi on each corner because, although it's been bitterly cold and foggy, it looks like it's breaking today, and I'm eager to see what my mileage will be like in the morning. My wife also has a bit of an insensitive foot for the Insight, so when I get it back from her my per-tank mileage is generally down a few MPG
Just filled up, so it will be fun seeing how well she does on the video game tonight as she drives to a meeting! She told me she'll try to play for a high score like I do from now on...So, to sum up:
Lifetime MPG: 54.9 @ 27,000 miles (though I've only had it for 2,200 of that), car always driven in cold climates (Spokane, WA and Tooele, UT). Primarily driven in the city prior to my purchase, primarily driven on highway at slower highway speeds since I bought it. Except for my wife, who drives on roads where people routinely do 80-90MPH...
Personal lifetime MPG since I bought it used: Now 57.1 with radiator block at stock tire pressure. I suspect my personal will be somewhere around 61-62 as I slowly bring up the LMPG. Or maybe I should just reset the LMPG now
Goal MPG: 60 MPG. I think with more practice, and harder tires, 60 LMPG is an achievable goal over the next 100,000 miles. Some people get over 60, but in a cold climate with lots of ice, snow, and slush on the road frequently, unless I decide to reset the LMPG, I consider getting over 60 really unlikely for me.
OK, maybe I should just put all this stuff in the Lifetime MPG database
I purchased my latest insight in Feb 2002. It had 1000 miles on it when I got it. I now have the lifetime up to 57.5 and my personal is 59.6 on the tripmeter is set when I purchased the car. I was over 60 but since winter started I have dropped. I get about 5mpg less in the winter so hopefully I won't drop my lifetime to much until it warms up this spring. I think I can evetually get close to 60 on the lifetime. I had a 2000 5 speed before this with a lifetime of 67.
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61 Posts
Couple things, guys...
First off -- who made the mileage statistics chart? I was actually thinking about making one for my site to be used for any of the hybirds.
Secondly -- I'm glad to see that the mileage of the 2004 Prius is really gaining on the Insight. For those who don't know, the 04 is capable of delivering anywhere between 40 and 60 in average conditions, but 50-55 is not extremely uncommon, though 45-50 is probably expected. Either way, for a car half the size, where are the gallons going? [note: half in jest]
First off -- who made the mileage statistics chart? I was actually thinking about making one for my site to be used for any of the hybirds.
Secondly -- I'm glad to see that the mileage of the 2004 Prius is really gaining on the Insight. For those who don't know, the 04 is capable of delivering anywhere between 40 and 60 in average conditions, but 50-55 is not extremely uncommon, though 45-50 is probably expected. Either way, for a car half the size, where are the gallons going?
[note: half in jest]Half the size?.....try two thirds.
One thousand engineers at Toyota worked for 5 years to increase the Prius efficiency by 15 percent (Toyota's figures) and to make it as fast as the first generation Insight. If Honda put a 60 HP IMA in the Insight I expect it would accellerate a little faster too. :wink:
Synergy drive depends on electric motors. Although the planetary gears are almost 100 percent efficient, transfer of power between the Synergy electric motors and battery is not, and the motors must be used continuously to achieve the variable ratio of the synergy drive. An ICE with IMA and a manual transmission will always be lighter and more efficient than Synergy for highway applications. Synergy is inherently more efficient than IMA for stop and go driving.
One thousand engineers at Toyota worked for 5 years to increase the Prius efficiency by 15 percent (Toyota's figures) and to make it as fast as the first generation Insight. If Honda put a 60 HP IMA in the Insight I expect it would accellerate a little faster too. :wink:
Synergy drive depends on electric motors. Although the planetary gears are almost 100 percent efficient, transfer of power between the Synergy electric motors and battery is not, and the motors must be used continuously to achieve the variable ratio of the synergy drive. An ICE with IMA and a manual transmission will always be lighter and more efficient than Synergy for highway applications. Synergy is inherently more efficient than IMA for stop and go driving.
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61 Posts
I was talking half in jest, remember. I concede that the Insight is supreme in some areas
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61 Posts
Resist, right! I was afraid if I said the Insight was not going to have a 2005 model (which it may not) then I'd get flamed
I was afraid if I said the Insight was not going to have a 2005 model (which it may not) then I'd get flamed
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96 Posts
My lifetime is 53.1mpg for my CVT @ 73,000. I do live in NJ so the conditions suck in the winter (wet and cold). I will note that I took a 7,500 mile trip through the south west last summer and averaged 62mpg, New Mexico being the best cause they have so many hard concrete highways.
I do wish I got a manual tho
BTW, my dad just got a 2004 Prius and it is not as efficient as my CVT. I have a very hard time getting good highway mileage with it. I also have a very difficult time recognizing situations that will improve MPGs because the fuel efficiency can be all over the place. Honda's design seems to be more linear as far as effeciency goes. Prius will go from 60mpg to 12mpg to 45mpg in seconds. Plus I find the Prius uses the battery much more. My dad is a horribly inefficient driver and get's around 44mpg. I've only been able to get it up to 52mpg. With that said, the car is great but I still prefer mine.
-BT
I do wish I got a manual tho
BTW, my dad just got a 2004 Prius and it is not as efficient as my CVT. I have a very hard time getting good highway mileage with it. I also have a very difficult time recognizing situations that will improve MPGs because the fuel efficiency can be all over the place. Honda's design seems to be more linear as far as effeciency goes. Prius will go from 60mpg to 12mpg to 45mpg in seconds. Plus I find the Prius uses the battery much more. My dad is a horribly inefficient driver and get's around 44mpg. I've only been able to get it up to 52mpg. With that said, the car is great but I still prefer mine.
-BT
54.5 mpg for a 451 mile drive
Hi,
I just went up to Salinas CA yesterday to pick up my "New Insight" a 2003 CVT with 9K on it. It took me a little bit to figure out how to feather the throttle, but eventually using what I learned here I was able to get the gas mileage up.
54.5 MPG for a 451 mile highway drive, US101 South to Interstate 405 to Interstate 5 south.
I really learned a lot on this site, and will hope to help others learn what a great little car this is!
Rick
Hi,
I just went up to Salinas CA yesterday to pick up my "New Insight" a 2003 CVT with 9K on it. It took me a little bit to figure out how to feather the throttle, but eventually using what I learned here I was able to get the gas mileage up.
54.5 MPG for a 451 mile highway drive, US101 South to Interstate 405 to Interstate 5 south.
I really learned a lot on this site, and will hope to help others learn what a great little car this is!
Rick
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