[moses]

Hello,

After dithering for months over buying a high-efficiency vehicle I finally decided on the highest of them all. I'm traveling to Texas from my home in Pennsylvania for work and have placed a deposit on a 2001 red 5-spd with 63,500 miles in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. I thought I would be second-guessing myself pretty badly over a car I don't really need, but I find I'm pretty excited about getting there and picking it up.

From the PPI I had done I have learned that the Owner's Manual is missing. I learned a lot from the excellent (and appreciated) KB and Encyclopedia here but I would still like to have, if they exist in the wild, a pdf of the original manual, or maybe a printed copy. Any advice?

And is there any other advice, especially from owners in the 6ft 5in height zone, that anybody would care to share with the new guy?

thanks,

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Congratulations on your purchase. I am 6ft 2in and have room to spare in the Insight cabin; you should be fine but you may need to get used to getting in or out (plus watch your head) as the Insight is relatively low to the ground.

You should be able to get an Owners Manual from one of the three usual sources - eBay, Honda parts websites or your local Honda dealership. HTH.

 

[highwater]

Welcome

6'3" here, no problem. I would say, that traveling that far, you might want to check into the sound deadening mods. My commute is only 84 miles, and sound abatement is on my to do list.

Enjoy the new ride :!:

Randall

 

[Dougie]

My experience is that the noise is almost entirely due to the tires--there is very little wind noise. It depends strongly on the road surface. My commute has one part on an old road and one on a new road and the sound level difference is pretty obvious.

 

[highwater]

Yes, I agree with Dougie about the noise. I should have clarified a bit more. Its road noise that I was refering to. I run a bit higher pressure in the OEM tires and that contributes even further. About half of my commute is rougher surface than the other half, which is nice smooth asphalt. Actually the smooth asphalt is not too bad.

Again, welcome moses
Randall

 

[moses]

Thanks.

I've been thinking about the noise issue. I remember driving my hatchback for a while without the carpeting in the back and really being surprised at the noise level. I'll have a look at adding some noise damping when I get the car. On the other hand, the back of the car will be full of junk which should help the noise at least.

I'm most concerned about my right leg on the long drive back from TX to PA. If you have big feet, in cars with light throttle springs you're actually holding your right foot up and when your knee is bent the continuous tension can get pretty painful on the shin and knee, at least for me. A cruise control is nice but I doubt I would get much use from it except on this one long trip so I don't want to install one.

The height of the car shouldn't be a problem, it's taller and has more ground clearance than the one I'm driving now.

 

[highwater]

moses,

Search the forum for "throttle lock" or "manual throttle" or "hand throttle" or also use the word cable with the above. There are some of our members that have done this and it helps with the right leg thing.

Randall

 

[Dougie]

Also be aware of the need to not block the battery vents, two in the back compartment and one behind the passenger seat...

 

[jdpenn]

I'm most concerned about my right leg on the long drive back from TX to PA. If you have big feet, in cars with light throttle springs you're actually holding your right foot up and when your knee is bent the continuous tension can get pretty painful on the shin and knee, at least for me. A cruise control is nice but I doubt I would get much use from it except on this one long trip so I don't want to install one.

Congrats on getting an Insight. I found that you can kind of 'lock' or snag the sole of your right shoe slightly under the brake pedal while pressing on the gas pedal and cruising on the highway. This prevents your right foot from becoming fatigued, and it is also a poor mans cruise control. You will also find that this helps keep you in lean burn mode. Have a great trip.

 

[Fred]

Congrats on getting an Insight. I found that you can kind of 'lock' or snag the sole of your right shoe slightly under the brake pedal while pressing on the gas pedal and cruising on the highway. This prevents your right foot from becoming fatigued, and it is also a poor mans cruise control. You will also find that this helps keep you in lean burn mode. Have a great trip.

Nice Tip! Thanks! Was supposed to pick my car up today but a paperwork snag hit over the weekend (FedEx didn't deliver on time) so if all goes well, tomorrow afternoon I'll have a chance to try that "... snag the sole" trick you mentioned when I drive it home.

Fred