[kookmyers]

Hi all.
it seems that wherever i go, i am always either accelerating or decelerating. i am constantly having to adjust the pressure on the gas pedal. i often feel what i can only attribute as the car going into lean burn mode ( i think) as my mpg goes way up but i almost instantly need to apply gas because i start losing speed. it is very annoying and i find myself commonly going 50-55 mph on the sandiego freeways just because of my mpg readout.
the car is pretty new to me (2000 5spd) and has a lifetime of around 50, 39k miles, and i am getting 63mpg average on this tank of gas. this will be the first full tank i have had it so that i can calculate the mpg without the computer.
i feel a jerky feeling sometimes and read many posts here about it. has something been resolved?

 

[james]

At least part of it is simply practice. Takes a little while to get the reactions into the foot, you know

Another factor is that the Insight will pick up speed very quickly on even a gentle downslope, and will likewise take a bit more throttle on slight inclines. Without the real-time fuel consumption display, you probably wouldn't notice, but would adjust speed automatically.

 

[Willie Williford]

Practice, practice, practice. Driving the Insight you will develop a different style. (The car teaches you how to drive)

If you are running in 5th gear, try shifting down to get the engine to run smoother. You will find your mileage will probably be the same and the IMA battery will stay charged up better. (my style)

Even after I installed the modifications to my Insight I found that I had to drive with a different style to reap the benefits.

Be patient, it will all work out.............Stay with the INSIGHTERS group and you can learn a lot.

PS:
Please put more information in your profile.

 

[Guest]

Hi Kookmyers:

___Give yourself some time behind the wheel as what you are describing sounds like the NOx purge/Lean Burn events. You will feel the “kick in the pants” effect when she hits NOx purge and you will feel the slight slow down (brakes are coming on effect) when entering lean burn. In each case, you will be able to handle the transition better with more experience is about all I can add.

___As for traveling at 55 mph, the Insight kind of tells me to do that as well

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:coe30unc][email protected][/email:coe30unc]

 

[Rick]

It sort of sounds like your not fully understanding how to enter lean burn and maintain it. What you do is back off the pedal until the instant mpg jumps to around the 125 mark. This will not be enough to maintain speed so after it jumps you ease your foot back in to it slightly and bring the bars back down to the 90-110 mpg range (each led is 5mpg). Hold your foot there, if it's flat road you should be able to maintain at least 60mph if not a few more and watch the mpg's rise as you drive.

Occasionally the car will enter nox purge where it drops back to rich burn for a short period. You can either back off the pedal to compensate or do what I do if there's no one in front of you, just keep your foot planted in the same spot and it will speed up for a few seconds then return to exactly where you were. You'll get the feel for it, I did the same thing when I first got my Insight.

Ohh, and welcome aboard.

 

[Tim Maddux]

Good tips so far. Nobody has said it yet, so I will add: check your tire pressure. Most dealers inflate to "standard" 32 psi all around or even a horrifying 28 psi (try 28 psi some time, your tires will look flat). Honda recommends 38psi in the front and 35psi in the rear, and many posters to these forums use 40-50psi or even more.

Also here are the fuel efficiency tips from the main site. It took me a few thousand miles before I got the hang of them all, so be patient. Some of them (like drafting a semi) are astoundingly effective, but I avoid it because of all the road debris that the trucks kick up:
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-quicktips.html
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-efficiency.html

 

[windmill]

Hi all.
it seems that wherever i go, i am always either accelerating or decelerating. i am constantly having to adjust the pressure on the gas pedal.

That is what I call a "modulating foot" technique, it even hurts my foot. That's why I want cruise control. But anyhow, it is normal system operation, even on flat roads like my country, the Netherlands.
When you are used to it, you don´t want to have anything else :wink:

Have fun !!