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Old 04-02-2017, 11:19 AM   #2 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,515

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

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 52.48 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,062
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Hey - congrats! I haven't even seen one on the road yet.

(... Or maybe I have and I just didn't notice it. I think that was part of Kia's intention with the design of it.)

I would air up the tires to start.

Do you know if it came with a block/coolant heater? You don't get full hybrid functions until the engine is warm, so that's a mod that helps even more than with a conventional vehicle.

Your driving style will arguably have an oversized impact on fuel economy in a full hybrid vs. a regular vehicle.

Most new hybrid owners mistakenly focus on trying to keep the vehicle in EV (electric drive only) mode as much & as long as possible. But that's not the route to best MPG. Instead, you should focus on how & when the engine stops when the vehicle is in motion so you can maximize engine-off coasting opportunities.

Generally, the main time you want to be TRYING to use EV mode is in very low speed operation (eg. creeping through a parking lot) or if you need to, say, move the car in the driveway onto the street or some short distance hop like that.

The rest of the time, use the engine (ICE) to accelerate fairly briskly. Use the car's ICE-off coasting mode as much & early as possible toward stops/turns/other transitions.

EG: let's say you're going from a stop to a stop sign a few blocks away. Best approach is to accelerate briskly enough to fire up the engine to build speed, then back off the throttle as soon as possible to stop the ICE and coast toward the stop (traffic permitting), probably grabbing a bit of regenerative braking near the stop sign.

It's steep learning curve time! Good for you. Should be fun.
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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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