Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Pancake
use the hybrid portion as little as possible (I know that probably sounds backwards). You also want to stay in lean burn as much as possible.
A few things to check mechanically - make sure you're running the right oil - 0w20; if they are still available (haven't checked in a while), get a set of the Bridgestones like the ones that the HCHs were originally equipped with (lowest rolling resistance tire you're gonna find for that car - not the most grip, you probably run winter tires up there anyway); check the front brakes (or your mechanic, whatever) the pads are probably fine but rust can make them stick; check under the engine, the belly tray is probably missing, $40 from the dealer or make your own, either way it improves aerodynamics.
Sorry, not trying to overwhelm you, feel free to ask if you have any questions about hypermiling this car. Mine has 214,000 miles on it and its life time average is around 60 MPG.
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Gotcha- I'm fairly mechanical. Brakes look/seem fine, only 0w20 synthetic has been used. I know the previous owner personally, who used the car for a courier service. It has 224k miles now and had 76k last year. The abstaining from the assist makes sense as I'm sure it's not in lean burn when that happens. But I live in the St. Croix River valley and always have to go up a huge long hill to go to town. I know that kills a good amount of mpg right there.
I do run dedicated snow tires up here on all my cars, except the Audi which I store winters (awd, I know, it's just too nice to let it rust). And the car has some all season Michelins with ~75% left so I'm going to run those in the summer until they burn up.
In the VX, I could easily tell/feel when it was in lean burn, I can't tell on the HCH. Is there an aftermarket display/test light I can wire up to show me?
Also, I'm thinking a shifter mounted kill switch looks like a good idea (should have done it on the vx, never did because I never really did get the o2 heater working right, engine temp dropped immediately and kept me out of lean burn), and I'm strongly considering getting a grid harness/charger/drainer to preserve battery reliability.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to post.