Took the plunge

[Formula413]

After much deliberation about what to replace my Escort with, and consideration of several similar cars with similarly mediocre FE, I decided it was time to step it up a notch. So I bought this:



It's a 2003 Civic hybrid. 5 speed manual, 68,000 miles and change. Just got it on the road this week. It's hard to tell how good it is doing on FE. The onboard trip computer seems to be pretty optimistic. It shows 41 mpg so far, while my uncalibrated SGII shows 33, all city driving. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get the SGII dialed in before they start feeding us winter blend and I'll have to recalibrate again.

There's a lot to learn when it comes to driving a hybrid with a manual transmission. I would have to say that a CVT auto is probably the best tranny for a hybrid, but I was really stuck on having a stick. I'm working on finding the best way to use regen. What seems to work well is to decelerate in higher gears, rather than downshifting for engine braking, and regen starts as soon as the accelerator is lifted, then comes on strong when the brake pedal is applied. You can feel a sudden lurch forward as regen stops when the RPMs get too low. I'm also trying to figure out what the best way to accelerate is in this car. I'm not sure if it's better to use high throttle angles and short shift or let it wind out a little more and try to use less assist. The shift light on the dash seems to ask for pretty low RPMs, and the super tall gearing makes that pretty easy. On the other hand, this would not be a good car to teach someone to drive a manual with, you have to slip the clutch quite a bit to get moving.

I've got a highway trip coming up next weekend so I'll be able to get an idea of what this thing can really do pretty soon. If anyone has any tips for how to get the most out of this car I'm all ears.

[bwilson4web]

User reports from Fuel Economy

49.0 MPG (7 users)
47.6 MPG (7 users)

It looks like you're in for a treat.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

[jamesqf]

My experience (with an Insight) is that the SGII's mpg & fuel consumption figures are at best halfway decent approximations. At worst, there's no correlation whatsoever between the car's gauge and what the SGII shows - and in the long run the car display was a pretty close match to the number I got by figuring miles driven divided by gallons in.

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by Formula413

If anyone has any tips for how to get the most out of this car I'm all ears.

First, congratulations! Stick-shifted hybrids have great potential to be ultra-thrifty machines, and fun to drive.

Second, are those HCH wheels? I'm used to seeing cheese-grater wheels on HCH's. No matter, you could/should get a set of Insight wheels with Insight tires come spring, because there is no better LRR tire in that size.

I highly recommend an IMA inhibit switch, which is an easy install. If you turn off the IMA assist when you don't need it, you can completely avoid having the car charge the battery while you're cruising. Such a switch would allow wide throttle, low RPM without the assist kicking in all the time. Since the energy conversion efficiency of motor->battery->motor is poor, it's better to avoid it if you can.

Set up the ScanGauge to monitor for lean burn - IAT, °FWT, TPS, LBN. With the weather we've been having lately, my Insight would not enter lean burn on my commute without its hot air intake. You can see my build thread for more info on the intake.

I find the Insight burns so little gas, that it doesn't have a lot of waste heat to spare. When I turn my heater on full, the coolant temperatures start to drop, even while cruising at 60mph. It's pretty fun to watch, but it means you'll want to wear a hat for better fuel economy.

Got any mods planned?

[Formula413]

Thanks for the tips. Where can I find the values to make the "LBN" X Gauge? And what will I be looking at on the display? Or is it just an A/F gauge? What are the parameters for lean burn engaging?

Also, I didn't see anything in your build thread about how to wire the IMA inhibit switch, sounds like an excellent idea. There's been a few times when I saw the charging display light up while cruising, and I'm thinking "but there's a hill up ahead"...

As far as mods go, I don't really plan on much. I want to focus more on technique to maximize FE. I might look into a partial grill block and WAI for the winter. And as for the wheels, this may be somewhat blasphemous, but I plan to get bigger wheels and tires to improve handling and road feel. I really like a car with good reflexes, and 70 series tires are not ideal in that respect. I'm willing to take the hit that slightly wider tires and heavier wheels will produce.

[cfg83]

Formula413 -

Great Job! Those must be hard to find.

CarloSW2

[Christ]

Can I have your Escort? I just tried to buy one, but apparently, they didn't like my offer, so they gave it to charity. I assume they were in it for the tax deduction.

They were asking $395 with some decent rust and in need of a clutch, and it was a '95 Wagon with decent interior... I offered $200 cash on a "stay at home" transaction. (I don't need them to be at the notary for the title transfer.) And they emailed me back and said they were donating it. O well!

SO anyway - Nice Hybrid... looking forward to mileage on par with Prius owners!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

I find the Insight burns so little gas, that it doesn't have a lot of waste heat to spare. When I turn my heater on full, the coolant temperatures start to drop, even while cruising at 60mph.

Especially true when you have mountains, and when you've parked at the top of one to go skiing. It does NOT warm up on the downhill :-(

Even here (where it never gets really cold like Buffalo), I run with about half radiator block from fall to spring. A piece of coroplast cut to size slips between radiator & A/C radiator, and pops in & out in a few seconds.

[MetroMPG]

Congrats on the purchase, Formula. Looking forward to your experience with it.

You Insight guys: sounds like you need a cabin-actuated or automated adjustable grille block with a 100% blocked option.

It's also possible to cool the 993 cc Suzuki engines in the Metro/clones below normal operating temperature using the heater in the winter.

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Even here (where it never gets really cold like Buffalo)...

Made me laugh. In my mind, Buffalo doesn't get "really cold", but it's all relative.

@MetroMPG: I currently have a manually variable grille block, with duct tape blocking a variable amount of the grille. Something operated from the driver's seat would be nicer, though, and I'll see what I can do.

@Formula:

->TXD: 686AF10115
->RXF: 044105150000
->RXD: 2808
->Mth : 000100020000
->NAM: LBN

NOTES: (For lean burn equipped hondas)
If the value for LBN = 0 you are in lean burn.
If the value is higher than zero, you are not in lean burn.

As for the IMA inhibit switch, all you need is a toggle switch that closes the circuit between the wires of the clutch switch. Throw the switch, and the car thinks you've got the clutch in, so it won't do regen or assist.