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Old 02-25-2011, 01:24 PM   #137 (permalink)
MN Driver
2000 Honda Insight
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 57
Thanks: 5
Thanked 13 Times in 11 Posts
To tack on a bit about your motorcycle on the front. ...I learned the hard way not to put a bike on the back of an aerodynamic car. By mounting a bicycle with 26" spoked tires on the back on my Insight and driving across the United States, I got gas tanks in the mid 30's MPG, worst I ever got. Best tank on the way home with the bike disassembled and in the car with me, 73MPG! With the same bike mounted on the back of a car that positioned the bike better over the trunk that had mediocre gas mileage, a 1995 Prizm(Toyota Corolla clone, although possibly slighty better aero), I got better gas mileage than the Insight and managed close to 40MPG for the round trip with the bike on the back while using power much more freely since I wasn't avoiding the use of IMA assist the whole time and maintaining higher speed climbing hills without leaving top gear.
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