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Fun Trip!

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Billy 
#1 ·
Hi friends; just returned. Drove from Seattle to Albuquerque, NM and back. The car ran perfectly; very comfortable, enjoyable. Route: Seattle, Yakima, Pendleton, Baker, Boise, Twin Falls, Ogden, Provo, Price, Hanksville, Mexican Hat, Shiprock, Farmington, Cuba, ABQ. Particularly, the red cliffs, rocks, canyons of Southern Utah were amazing!

Along the way @ brief stops, I got a very large amount of attention from curious folks. Many questions, many compliments. Some said the car is beautiful! Only one (teenage girl) said the car is ugly, because her boyfriend has a tuner-Civic with giant wheels, tall wing, and boom-boom stereo. For example, I pulled into a gas station/store in the tiny, rural, no-where town of Monticello, UT. Pickup trucks were the only other vehicles around. People gazed at my car like it was from outer space. Several came up & asked me questions --- it was quite a scene!

I carefully monitored my trip, saved fuel receipts, and used the GPS out of my airplane. (Insight speedometer error 1.7 percent high) I came up with: total miles: 2542 ; Gallons of regular: 27.86 ; MPG: 91.22 ; Driving hours: 43.7 ; Average outside temperature: 74 F
Often the speed limit was 55. Overall, I drove between 52 and 70 mph, with maybe 61 being average.

I want to emphasize: 1) LEAN BURN is a fantastic technology. It accounts for about 21 extra MPG! 2) most of us don't realize that the car takes a huge hit in MPG while recharging the 144 volt battery pack after climbing a hill. It's not worth it. Therefore, it is more efficient to carefully ease off the gas, NOT use IMA if possible. The ONLY "free lunch" in using lots of assist, is if the back side of the hill is extremely steep & long, allowing easy charging. 3) ANYONE, I believe, can be a hyper-miler with a 5-speed Insight, if they just learn the stuff, put more air in the tires, and have the patience to drive gently. Billy.......
 
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#3 ·
You are exactly right. On downhill grades just letting your foot off the gas feels like a "jake brake" on a truck, and really slows the car as the pack is charging quickly. Brake pad wear is nill. Sometimes, if I know the downhill is lengthy, I use the technique I learned from Wayne (Excel). I shut the engine off, then turn the ignition back on (reboot) and coast. But caution, do NOT turn the key off all the way and lock the steering wheel !!
 
#4 ·
If your planning on tyrying the long coasting downhill technique I recomend reviewing this thread on the topic:

General Discussion, Coasting
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=2694

There are several cautions, precautions and insurance policies ( :p ) needed before you start :!:

HTH! :)
 
#5 ·
Yeah, thanks. I can imagine someone shutting down the engine and turning the key back to "lock steering"................while travelling downhill at 60mph!
 
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