Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > General Efficiency Discussion
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 03-21-2016, 01:25 PM   #21 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ecky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 5,005

ND Miata - '15 Mazda MX-5 Special Package
90 day: 42.54 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,866
Thanked 2,501 Times in 1,547 Posts
You can install an aftermarket cruise control.

Your MPG will depend on your cruise speed. In mine, I can expect (very roughly) 100mpg at 50mph, 75mpg at 65mph, and 60mpg at 75mph.

EDIT: My economy has been low recently due to subzero winter weather, snow tires, slush and snow on the roads, etc.

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 03-21-2016, 01:46 PM   #22 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
He-man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Washington
Posts: 55

Rocket - '99 Chevrolet Corvette
90 day: 31.51 mpg (US)

Pooter - '01 Honda Insight
90 day: 66.9 mpg (US)
Thanks: 13
Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky View Post
You can install an aftermarket cruise control.

Your MPG will depend on your cruise speed. In mine, I can expect (very roughly) 100mpg at 50mph, 75mpg at 65mph, and 60mpg at 75mph.

EDIT: My economy has been low recently due to subzero winter weather, snow tires, slush and snow on the roads, etc.
What did you get before your mods?
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2016, 01:54 PM   #23 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ecky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 5,005

ND Miata - '15 Mazda MX-5 Special Package
90 day: 42.54 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,866
Thanked 2,501 Times in 1,547 Posts
Mine isn't very heavily modded, and I didn't thoroughly document its economy before I started tinkering, but I want to say that, with the A/C running and doing ~70-75 on the highway, I got around 50mpg on my trip home from buying it.

Slowing down a little bit on the highway has really resulted in more fuel saved than all of my mods put together. It's also a much more pleasant ride, as things get quieter at 60-65.
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2016, 04:38 PM   #24 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NoD~'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 469

Frogger - '00 Honda Insight Gas Only (unHybrid)
90 day: 68.51 mpg (US)
Thanks: 13
Thanked 247 Times in 133 Posts
Because this thread was entitled "Questions" (plural)... I have a question!

I've been eyeballing getting an Insight for the last year. I think I'm going to save up and get one as the wife and I would like to have a backup vehicle (but this would likely become my daily driver over my Neon). In my case, this is 99% City driving (rural area, so no real traffic to deal with.)

I'm comparing with and without the battery here... What kind of MPG difference are we talking? I know it's got variables, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth the $2k for a new battery pack or not. If not, I'd likely remove as much of the system as possible to reduce weight for better acceleration and MPG (as "umph" lacks w/o the IMA syste, so I hear).

That rings in another question: I know the battery pack can be removed if you put one of the circuit boards back in (I've seen this in passing), but what about the rest of the system? I don't mind a project if it pulls out some decent weight.

Thanx!
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2016, 05:28 PM   #25 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ecky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 5,005

ND Miata - '15 Mazda MX-5 Special Package
90 day: 42.54 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,866
Thanked 2,501 Times in 1,547 Posts
I don't think the battery is very heavy...? The cells are maybe 50-60lbs, and the entire module in the back of the car is maybe a bit over 100? So, less than a person in the passenger seat. However, recovering some of the space used by the battery systems could be nice. The battery area really has a LOT of dead space, and if you could pull that out, you'd gain a lot of cargo space.

In terms of fuel economy, I'd say very little - the IMA is more about making the car awesome than more efficient.

The economy argument:

When cruising on the highway, if you need to climb a mild incline or pass, the IMA system allows the engine to stay in a peak-BSFC RPM range, rather than needing to downshift, which DOES save fuel. Same with accelerating - you can keep the revs low and shift early while still accelerating at a reasonable rate, which saves fuel. On the flip side, any energy you use will need to be recharged later, and not all of it will be from regenerative braking; sometimes these cars will slowly background-charge while driving around to make up for an unequal amount of energy spent vs recovered in deceleration, and it's a little lossy converting from mechanical to electrical energy, putting that energy in a battery that has internal resistance and slowly self-discharges, and then converting from electrical, back to mechanical energy. Why have the IMA then? My argument is that you get the same economy of a 3 cylinder, with the acceleration of a 4 cylinder. When the IMA goes, you don't lose the economy, just the extra torque.

If you're frequently sitting at stop lights, auto-stop can potentially save you fuel, but a lot of hyper-milers will shut their engines off coasting up to and while sitting at a stoplight anyway. If you're not the type to shut your engine off frequently, the IMA could save you fuel in city driving.

Awesomeness: It's really cool to be able to kill the engine while coasting down a hill, and then when you drop it back in gear, have the engine spring back to life automatically from the IMA. It's awesome that when your wife/friend/whoever is driving the car and they stall it, the IMA motor brings the engine back to life, or they can even just mash the petal to the floor and accelerate anyway, even after stalling the engine. It's awesome to have all of the torque that the IMA brings, down at 0RPM - I find the Insight quite fun to drive, compared with other economy cars I've driven. It's really great to have a car that has a highly efficient electric motor in place of a lossy alternator - though you'll still have this feature even if you do an IMA delete.

I think you can have your battery refurbished for as little as $500. Sometimes all it needs is one or two cells, and sometimes you can get lucky enough to rejuvenate a weak or "dying" battery with a grid charger you built for $30 from LED power supplies you bought on eBay.

I'd much rather have an Insight with a working IMA than not, but it has little to do with economy.

EDIT: If you get one with a weak or dead battery, I wouldn't get a normal replacement, I'd do what rmay635703 has suggested:

Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703 View Post
I would recommend disabling the big battery if it doesn't come back after a grid charge and getting in on the situation below (next november)

Focus Group: Which Drop-In Lithium Cells to Use - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum

Reading the above has sort of stopped me in my tracks of replacing the stock battery with a 25ahr NiMH battery.

Ah well, good luck.

^ Getting a set of Nissan Leaf lithium cells in this car would allow for HOURS of continuous assist, and the ability to charge it up at home, rather than the ~10 minutes of continuous assist (tops) you would get with a replacement NiMH battery.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2016, 12:06 PM   #26 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NoD~'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: USA
Posts: 469

Frogger - '00 Honda Insight Gas Only (unHybrid)
90 day: 68.51 mpg (US)
Thanks: 13
Thanked 247 Times in 133 Posts
Thanks Ecky. I got the chance to test drive one a few weeks ago and it was pretty much what you said: Not necessary, but overall driving enjoyment and ease is much increased with it! I liked it as it was very similar in feel to my Neon in terms of the driving experience (minus the power... my Neon has a lot more go, as expected of double the engine size!) but the clutch, transmission, steering, seating, etc. was all familiar.

I liked it enough that I'm going to go look at another one today and hopefully purchase. I'll be in the Portland area in a few weeks and have already contacted Bumblebee to see about doing a pickup/exchange onsite (Would be using my Neon, but have the old IMA pack with me). So I'm obviously sold on the idea.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com