[Guest]

Hi Rick:

___Are you interested in helping me beat the French guys world record in the Peugeot Diesel for range in my Insight next week? I just filled her up w/ 13.895 gallons and she is ready to take his record down … At an average of 105 mpg, she is good for at least 1,470 miles + the 10 or 20 miles worth of fuel she had left before I filled her. I plan on traveling at ~ 45 mph which is faster then the French guy because I will be traveling on Illinois Interstates (his real world driving my @$$) and will take the RE92’s to 60 #’s for the attempt. With head winds no stronger then 4 mph, I can average ~ 107 - 109 mpg as that has been my last (5) 96 mile segments back and forth to work. I simply would like another hyper miler along because of the long duration involved so we can trade off every few hours … If not, I will try and begin the record run on my own w/ a 96 mile drive to work and maybe 200 or so miles a night after I get off. It won’t be completed in < 33 hours in this manner of course but hopefully I can reach the distance in 4 to 6 days or so … The route I am planning on if I had your assistance would include a start from my home at ~ 04:00 AM (whatever date depending on best projected wind and weather conditions) to beat all traffic in and around Chicago on the way out and the way back 2X as described. From here, we would take I94 to I294 and on to I55 down to Effingham, IL.. From there we would turn back for the return trip. This round trip distance is ~ 720 miles. In other words, 2 rounds trips + a few miles of local Interstate would knock out the 1,470 miles.

___You can read about his world record here. Given the temperatures I have been driving in Illinois as of late, I can pull the radiator block and warm air intake next week and not lose a thing … hopefully. I don’t know how to make it an “official” world record but I know what the Insight is capable of as of late and this record can be broken with a little luck from the weather over a 35 or so hour period. Any rain and we would have to stop because she will drop under 100 mpg quickly as I found out during 2 segments of my last tank.

___Let me know if you are interested in taking the challenge anytime between 06/26 to 07/01 as I do have to eventually drive her back and forth to work like normal.

___Thanks in advance.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:2az6efd6][email protected][/email:2az6efd6]

 

[Rick Reece]

Wayne,
Unfortunately I am not available. I am teaching in Charlottesville this week and next week have to get all my materials in order for a month long class in Europe. Just think if you break the record with a 105 mpg or better average its really going to improve you lmpg.
I would like participate in a Honda sponsered cross country road ralley. I figure a good trip would be New York to Seattle and back or DC to LA and back. Honda could limit driving to 10-12 hours a day and have authorized fueling stops at various dealerships. I think it would be a lot of fun and they would definitely know how to comply with record attempts. Good luck on your run. Have fun, RIck

 

[Guest]

Hi Rick:

___I replied to you over at GreenHybrid.com so this might be a duplicate post if you have read both?

___Are you sure you couldn’t get away for a few days this weekend before your trip to Europe? I could pick you up at O’Hare on a moments notice and I won’t be taking the little beauty to work tomorrow given the rain forecast? I have training this week myself with a test on Thursday and Fire Training on Friday. After that, I am off the weekend and could take any day off the following week? Saturday’s are the least congested on the Illinois Tollways and Interstates but most of my attempt itinerary is far from the direct Chicagoland traffic congestion so it won’t matter for 85% of the attempts distance.

___If not, I am sure you understand why I would like you and your hyper mileage experience along for the ride

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:dd7fi6oe][email protected][/email:dd7fi6oe]

 

[Corey872]

Good luck with your attempt!

My .02-

- Find out what ever it would take to make the record "official" - perhaps have a Guinness representative as a witness?

- Call the local papers and start a little media stir "Local Insight Owner Seeks World Record Mileage"

- May not hurt to see if there is a separate category for diesel and gas...maybe you could break them both?

- Make up a sign for the Insight "World Record MPG Attempt" lest people think "There is another one of those !$^%&* slow battery cars"

Again, good luck - let us know how it turns out!

 

[Guest]

Hi Corey872:

___Thank you for the encouragement! I don’t know what the regular SI ICE distance is other then those super mpg comps with a 10,000 mpg runs needed to win. Those are not mass produced or even streetable vehicles by any means. I only know about the Diesel Peugeot driven by the French guy, his wife?, and the Guinness individual. Right now, I know the Insight can beat him in the temperatures I have been driving in as of the last month given my last tank which was achieved while driving back and forth to work …

___My last tank had Trip A at 105.2 mpg over 1153.1 miles and my fuel was at 0 bars for almost 80 miles. Now I have 3 extra gallons on board courtesy of the Vapor Recovery HW … My last 3 tanks have been north of 100 so I think I have the experience and the Insight is running in its optimal temperatures and is in great condition other then the small crack in the windscreen

___Anyways, she is sitting in the drive with 14 + gallons and ready to blast off. I kind of know how Willie must feel before one of his around the country tours with the Little Red Rocket. About all I can add is that our little beauties sure are efficient little fuel mizers!

___Rick, I hope you reconsider as this might be the opportunity of a lifetime!

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:2cvndjei][email protected][/email:2cvndjei]

 

[Rick Reece]

Hi Wayne,
Just logged in while waiting for my maps to load for Charlottesville. Sounds tempting but I just have too many things to take care of this time. Be sure and take along a thermos. Have fun, Rick

 

[Tim Maddux]

Good luck with the attempt! Take pictures?

Judging from the article it looks like it's already too late to challenge the record "officially," since Guiness was on hand for the tank fill-up and subsequently sealed the tank. However we'll still accept your results here.

 

[Yves M.]

Hi Xcel,

That is xtrem MPG you had. It is not a simple thing to acheve. Félicitation!!

For an other tread, I read that two have had 103 MPG averages (Australia and Thailand):
http://www.insightman.com/data1/thailand.htm
http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/ecars/Hond ... sight.html

So with the extra gas you theoritically could. GOOD LUCK !!
May the Wind be in your back.
_________________

 

[Willie Williford]

Draft car

Good luck Wayne. You should have done it when I was back there meeting with MPG RICK.

I would have gladly helped you with the project....... :twisted:

 

[Guest]

Hi All:

___Thank you all for the encouragement. I am scheduling my run starting possibly Friday night but more then likely, early Saturday morning. Forecasts are showing a clear weekend with 60’s north and 80’s far south across Illinois. Wind is still up in the air however? It is going to rain all week here in the Chicago area so I will be driving the Corolla until its time to hit the road

___I will bring the digital camera but I am going to remove my normal camping, overnight, spare set of clothing, tools, and emergency gear for the attempt. I would remove the passenger seat, right side view mirror, rear wiper, and spare tire (ala Billy), but then it wouldn’t be a stock Insight unfortunately. Boy do I wish I could lose 50 pounds over in the next 4 days I added a Velcro throttle strap to reduce fatigue (ala Chisight) but I have never used one so we shall see how it works out? I did press up the tires to 60 #’s all around last night so I pray I won’t have a blow out on the run. Now if I can just get relatively calm winds over those 2 to 3 days? Hopefully with a high few hundred miles a day instead of back and forth to work like the last tank I should hit it. Believe me, my fingers and toes are crossed on this one! The wife is pissed however as she has plenty of other things she wants me to do …

___Now as far as breaks and snacks … I love Pepsi, bottled water, and snickers bars but was thinking more along the lines of a McDonald’s stop every 8 or so hours. That and a relief break about every 3 to 4 at the various rest stops along the route. I am a little old (41 years young to be exact) to hold it much longer then that … Any tips in regards too dry snacks and or other nutritious morsels to indulge on during my lengthy time out on the highway? I will have my 8 Qt. cooler loaded with ice for the run as well so hopefully I can fill it up at the McDonalds or wherever else along the way I might happen to take a break. I actually use the cooler as my own version of personal A/C when it gets into the high 70’s and above.

___Willy, have you and Guillermo thought about getting together for a Cannonball run next year? I was looking for tires for the Corolla the other day and saw Firestone actually entered a team driving a Subaru WRX IIRC into this event. It covers like 5,500 miles over 9 days starting and ending in Bloomington, Indiana. You can see the results and find out more on the Firestone site. Lots of full blown racing automobiles of course but I bet these guys would never imagine an Insight with two enthusiasts aboard receiving 55 + mpg across the entire distance!

___Thanks again.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:121jd4y3][email protected][/email:121jd4y3]

 

[Yves M.]

Hi Xcel,

You wrote:
"It is going to rain all week here in the Chicago"
and
"Now if I can just get relatively calm winds over those 2 to 3 days"

I thought that I could do something similar to you 2 years ago. From Montreal to Toronto and back to Montreal and back to Toron.....
AND using the WIND. But I did not do it as it takes too much time.

When it rains the wind is mostly from the East so I would go to Toronto
and when it is sunny it is mostly from the West so direction of Montreal
A 40 KM/H wind in the back of a 60KM/H Insight gets more than 130 MPG

I beleive that someone in the up mentionned 103 MPG average used the wind. And if you use it you will gain much in MPG

Maybe you can use this

 

[Guest]

Hi Yves:

___Wind will hurt one way and help in the other so I am hoping for relatively calm winds (< 8 mph) like most of my 11 commutes back and forth to work last week. I am also doing 2 round trips so as to end up right where I started. I just hope for very light to no winds and a roadway clear of traffic is all.

___Thanks for the links earlier.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:3t09gnrn][email protected][/email:3t09gnrn]

 

[Tim Maddux]

No emergency gear? Bring a cell phone for sure... if you don't have one get one of the prepaid ones.

 

[Guest]

Hi Tim:

___Yes, I will have a cell phone. I could probably lose that amount of weight by Saturday if I could just lay off those darn Mini-Snicker’s my wife bought for the kids yesterday … Don’t tell her I have had a few or I will be in big trouble

___All kidding aside, tonight I dumped the tools, sleeping bag, pillow, camp mat, first aid kit, spare oil and filter, air pressure gauge, multi-meter, window scraper, binder enclosed Insight Encyclopedia and purchase information, spare set of clothes, (1) pair of the (2) pair of gloves I carry, winter cap, large flashlight (I left the MiniMag in the glove box), and some out dated paperwork. The only items left are my insurance card, Owners manual, floor and rear cargo mats since they quiet the Insight down quite a bit, Husco armrest, Insight dead pedal, I-Pass tollway transponder, Acura neck pillow, my Vuarnet’s and their case, as well as my small flashlight and gloves as listed above.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:xg6ep2al][email protected][/email:xg6ep2al]

 

[dan]

Hi Wayne-

Good Luck! Know that the thoughts and wishes of your unseen fans are with you. ...

It looks like you’ve planned it all out well. I have 2 thoughts for your consideration:

A can of “fix-a-flat” (non explosive of course) might be worth its weight. Then again, at 60psi there might not be much of a flat to fix (and it doesn’t sound like you need to get anywhere real fast). :lol:

Chocolate covered espresso beans; my fave for the long haul. Tasty and legal too! Go easy on ‘em though! They do not substitute for real food.

Break a record!

 

[Guest]

Hi Dan:

___I am not much of a bean fan but what do you think about the crunchy Oat type Granola bars? I used to consume them like nobodies business ~ 10 + years ago but have not really purchased them since? I will probably end up with 10 or so P&J’s, some peaches and bananas, as well as 4 or 5 cans of Pepsi’s and 3 or so large bottles of water. That should suffice for a 16 + hour ordeal on day 1?

___As for Fix a Flat, I still have the spare loaded although that would kill off the attempt. You are right, at 60 #’s, I don’t think there would be much more then rubber dust

___It is going to be a bit cold starting out Saturday morning (in the high 50’s) but hopefully by the time I hit Springfield, IL. I should be in the low 70’s at ~ 10:00 AM? I would hope for a little bit more heat and humidity as the mileage really climbs in 75 – 85 degree temps and > 60% RH. Weather forecasts are still saying no rain for Friday all the way through the weekend but Illinois can be fickle in this regard at this time of year. I also don’t know what the wind speeds and directions are going to be like and if they are anything like todays, I will have to abort as it was an ~ 10 mph headwind to at least South of Joliet on I55 this morning (04:45 AM to 06:45 AM). On the way the way back this afternoon however was excellent given a 15 + mph tailwind and the Corolla has never seen a better tank as I have driven this week. Our Insight’s really do teach us to drive everything else properly, don’t they

___I still wish Rick was coming with so we could do a non-stop. If all goes according to plan, I should be back home at ~ 11:00 PM Saturday night for at least 4.5 + hours of sleep before heading out Sunday morning to do the same drive all over again.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:1xlm6k6e][email protected][/email:1xlm6k6e]

 

[dan]

Hi Wayne-

Granola? What’s that? Never heard of such a thing. Must be something popular out there in the Midwest. Is it legal? :lol: Personally, I prefer power bars (but my friends think I am crazy).

I thought I had read that you ditched the donut, scratch the canned tire.

Don’t forget the Guinness: for when you get home, for good luck! :wink:

May the wind be with you.

 

[b1shmu63]

I can see the headlines in the International Insight News......"Granola Guy Gets Going, Gains Guinness". Good luck.

 

[dan]

Hi Wayne-

I thought about you today. Give us a report on Monday or whenever you have caught up on your sleep!

B1- You sound like a professional news writer!

 

[Guest]

Hi Dan:

___I just got back from Day #1’s ride a few minutes ago … Here is the first thumbnail anyway. By all appearances, if I can maintain a 101 mpg average over the next 800 or so miles, I should be able to topple that French Diesel Peugeot’s distance record. I dropped my first bar on the fuel gauge at around 523 miles so my fingers are crossed.

___Here is a link to a few more details and a downloadable pic of the gauge cluster including SOC and fuel remaining instead of just the thumbnail as img’ed below: http://greenhybrid.com/discuss/index.php?download=78

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:2o190knt][email protected][/email:2o190knt]