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Old 06-26-2011, 10:53 PM   #81 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,534

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 57.73 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,082
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It's legal

Back from an impromptu sailing trip , first order of business was getting plates and insurance on the UFO.

It's legal!

And on a drive today to a cottage I've done many times in the heavily modified Firefly that would have returned about 70-75 mpg (US), I netted 98 mpg US (2.4 L/100 km) in this unmodified Insight.

(That's not entirely true: it's currently modified, in the sense that the hybrid system is disabled - main switch thrown on the battery pack).

Main driving technique used: driving with load, on quiet rural roads, at moderate speeds. Average was likely ~70 km/h (44 mph). Engine-off coasting to stops and some turns.

To get that kind of mileage from the Firefly, I would have had to pulse and glide the entire distance, and at a considerably slower average speed.

After I get a few hundred unmodified kilometers on the car to get a baseline... let the mods begin!

Lean burn stumble?

The violent "herky jerky" problem remains cured.

But I believe the transition to lean burn mode is still fairly evident: The instant fuel consumption drops noticeably on the FCD (fuel consumption display); throttle response becomes somewhat deadened and uneven; and there are occasional "stumbles" from the engine.

Anyone care to comment if this is normal? It would be interesting to have driven a brand new Insight to compare.

__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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