[Hegel]

Ok, so today I was stopped at a red light and when it turned green the car that was behind and to the right of me just accelerated like a bat out of hell and quickly cut into my lane and took off.

Pretty normal driving any day of the week considering that I live in south Florida, but what ended up freaking me out was that the car was an Insight! (Just in case: it was a blue Insight, with University of Florida plate and plate holder, and I'm pretty sure the interiors were grey (which would make it pre-2004, correct?))

So here's my question to the CVT drivers, what acceleration technique works best for you all? I drive a manual transmission and from my experience accelerating at full throttle and getting tons of assist doesn't save me as much gas in city driving...

Ok well, if this is a stupid question take it easy on me, I'm still a "driver in training" :wink:

 

[jbrasure]

I did a test several months ago. I took my Insight for a drive late at night when there was almost no traffic. Then I drove a 4 mile course around town. The first time around I accelerated briskly at every light. The second time around I accelerated just enough to kick in the electric assist, but no more.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but accelerating slower got much better gas mileage. It was something like 5 MPG better.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

I think its a very good question.

See:

http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-efficiency.html

and the specific tip further down on the page:

"TIP: Use full-throttle acceleration"

It's counter intuitive, a bit tricky to implement, has long term IMA service life implications, and YMMV (wildly) since there are so many factors involved in hyper MPG.

The IMA service life issue is based on the fact that the more frequently _any_ rechargeable battery is cycled the faster its "used up". Full throttle accelerations also cause a corresponding high IMA assist. Yes, Honda has added several limits to how the IMA battery is managed to extend its life. See:

Recals, Forced Charge, IMA Battery & thermal mgmt - long
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750

for more than you probably want to know about the IMA battery system.

The city drive cycle is when the full throttle accelerations with _RAPID_ up shifting (see the link above) will help MPG the most (5 speeds only). Its not going to be as big an MPG factor as simply limiting top speed. And since almost everything works against hyper MPG its going to be difficult discerning any difference this one factor will make.

From Jbrasure's experience it appears that a CVT's "shift equivalent" response is not aggressive enough to maximize the MPG efficiency of the technique. But more testing would paint a clearer picture.

The IMA battery issue alone is my reason for not adapting the style. Tire and clutch wear (also applies to the start clutch of a CVT) are other cost factors that increase with a long term pattern of full throttle acceleration. IMO I don't think there's enough MPG increase with the technique to offset the additional wear & tear costs.

HTH!

 

[Richard]

Thanks Trekker!

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. The rapid acceleration method may work for the manual Insight, but it just didn't seem right for the CVT.

Okay, I'm a new Insight driver (just over 1,000 miles, 51.2 ave mpg), and I'm still low on the learning curve. Now I'm reading about "pulse and glide" which makes more sense to me, and is (apparently) being reflected in what I see on the bar graph.

I'm also new to the CVT (or any automatic, for that matter) but bought the CVT upon, ah . . . "suggestion" from my wife. On the subjec of getting the most per gallon of gas, is there any specific place on the website for "High Milage Tips for CVT Owners?"

If so, please advise.

Rick
2006 Red CVT
Whittier, CA

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Rick,

:arrow: YOU ARE HERE



Most of the 5 spd tips apply to the CVT, although "lean burn" techniques only apply to a 5 spd.

Pulse & Glide is a technique that requires engine off coasting without regard for traffic or commute time. Search the MPG section of the forums for the techniques. They've been extensively discussed. The IC knowledge base is also a good source (links at the top of every page).

http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/index.html

HTH!

 

[jbrasure]

Here are some good tips for better gas mileage on your CVT while on the highway (where most of my experience is):

1) Drive slower. This will have the biggest impact on your mileage.

2) Avoid using the AC, and if you do use it, make sure you use Econ mode.

3) When you go down hills, let up on the gas enough to peg your MPG guage at the max, but try not to go into regen mode. Naturally, if you're going too fast then feel free to let up on the gas completely and go into regen mode.

4) Keep your tires well inflated. I keep mine between 40 and 45.

There are other things you can do, but I think those are the biggies.

Oh, and I have one comment about city driving. Lots of short trips will DESTROY your good gas mileage. Try to combine several trips into one.

James

 

[Richard]

Thanks for all the tips!

I work in Los Angeles, so my commute is about half surface streets (stop and go), and half freeway (nice drive in the morning; too much stop and go in the evening).

I've noticed that my mpg goes up, as does the battery charge, on the freeway, whereas the milage stays the same (or occasionally dips), and I use the assist a lot more on the surface streets.

I haven't checked the tire pressure, it's just whatever they put in at Norm Reeves Honda (if they even checked it), or what was put in while my Insight was still in Japan, minus normal loss. Guess I better check!

Yes, I do drive slower now! At least while I'm in my Insight. I drove my Miata this weekend; and I'm not so slow when I drive it. Overall, the Insight inspires much more responsible and mature driving (Wow, that doesn't sound like much fun ).

Well, it is fun, but in a different way. But why am I telling all you? You already know that!

Best Regs,
Rick
2006 Red CVT

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Well, it is fun, but in a different way. But why am I telling all you? You already know that!

 

[Hegel]

Thanks for the replies

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post!

After driving my MT Insight for a little over 8 months, I can finally say that I figured out how to drive the car and get above the listed MPG estimates in both city and highway driving (thanks lean burn mode!).

After spotting that speedy CVT Insight the other day I was really curious how CVT drivers went about getting good gas mileage. Thanks for all the replies everybody!