Hi Tim:
___A bit OT and should be in a separate tips and tricks mileage thread but here goes …
___What I have found that helps my mpg from initial start and take off when cold is to let my Insight idle cruise whilst in second and then third gear up to ~ 25 mph. Since we were back into the teens and twenty’s again the past few days

, my Insight likes to idle at ~ 1,500 RPM for a few minutes from initial start. Once I have her moving from second, I just use this fast warm up idle to get my instantaneous into the 55 - 75 mpg range and she will usually accelerate and then hold speed while warming up and still give a decent readout over that first 1 mile or two. I can usually reach the highway (~ 1.5 miles) with a 55 - 60 mpg readout in these colder temperatures and have some momentum (~ 25 mph) to assist in getting me up to 50 - 55 mph or so.
___Another thing that seems to help is that when I reach home after a drive, I always back into my driveway which is ~ 150’ with an ~ 5 degree down slope toward the road. This costs me some fuel to back in but the Insight is well warmed up given it is after a long drive and it doesn’t use much fuel for that 150’ or so. From the Insight’s parked position with her nose facing downhill toward the road, I can coast out of the parked position and hit the road @ ~ 9 mph when I start/light off the Insight and shift immediately into second gear to start this fast idle cruise. I know it’s not much but it might help you gain some of that lost mileage due to the highway acceleration if you do have a sloped drive yourself … I do not use the Accelerator to the Floor in First, Second, and the shift to Fifth technique anymore myself but accelerate ever so gradually to attempt to maintain the instantaneous in the 65 mpg + range in third, fourth, and then fifth until I am up to hwy speed …
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:47tqfcti]
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