Anyone know if there's an 1st gen Insight speed vs. MPG graph?

[MetroMPG]

I'd be very surprised if someone hasn't done one, but with the gen 2 out, Googling Insight 1 stuff has become more problematic. I couldn't turn one up.

Anyone seen one?

[SVOboy]

Darin's doing my work for me

[jamesqf]

The problem you might face is that the Insight is very inconsistent: small headwinds, almost imperceptable slopes, even changes in the pavement, and similar things can change mpg by as much as 50%. For instance, the trip in to my lab is about 17 miles, almost all freeway or 4-lane highway, with an elevation change of about 300 ft. On a warm day, I'll usually register 90+ mpg going in, but am lucky to get 65 mpg on the way back. I can see a gain in mpg just by driving with the wheels close to the lane markings, rather than in the center of the lane where wear has made the pavement rougher.

I think most of this is caused by the lean burn. When you're in the right load/temp/rpm/phase of moon range for it to kick in, you get much better mpg.

[SVOboy]

Do you have a monitor for lean burn? I know it'll be touchier than on my current VX engine, but if I can pull 65 even in a headwind I'll be happy (especially if the other way is 90 mpg!)

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

The problem you might face is that the Insight is very inconsistent

Ah. Well my interest is in seeing baseline figures in as-controlled-as-possible conditions, such as I did with my dad's Corolla: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...atic-6710.html

- runs over a range of increasing speed on as flat a road as possible, in light winds, no traffic

- bi-directional averages

I realize it would only apply to flat road, no wind/traffic conditions, but it would at least give you an idea of what the car is capable of in ideal circumstances.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Do you have a monitor for lean burn?

The only monitor I have is the instantaneous mpg readout: if I'm driving along and suddenly it jumps from 65-70 to 90-120, I figure it switched into lean burn.

[SVOboy]

Good point. I forgot the cluster had instantaneous since I haven't installed mine yet

[discovery]

I read somewhere that the lean burn on insight can go up to 1:27 air:fuel regular car A/F is 1:14.7

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Anyone know if there's an 1st gen Insight speed vs. MPG graph?

I don't know of any, and I've looked hard for one. I guess I'll have to make one.

[jime57]

I'm a bit late to respond, but over on CleanMPG the undisputed master of MPG is a guy named Sean, aka "RighLaneCruiser." His lifetime average MPG is above 90MPG. Anyone who can get those numbers over a lifetime must know something. When I asked him about the optimum cruising speed he told me that it was 36-37 MPH, 5th gear, lean burn, level road. I have since done some driving of my Insight in that range and I can confirm that the economy is pretty impressive under those conditions. On a recent trip to the area of Eunice, LA, absolutely flat rice growing country, I was getting 100-125 MPH on country roads, depending on .25 degree or less up/down grades and on road texture. It is only possible to pull around 80-85 mpg on the highway in the 50-55 MPH range. I realize that this anecdotal and not a carefully controlled experiment, which I think is impossible given the extreme sensitivity of the car.

BTW, lean burn is displayed on a ScanGauge with special programming of the X-gauge feature. Go to CleanMPG and search for "lean burn" and "X-gauge." Several folks have listed the code, but I don't have it handy. As someone else noted, it is also detectable by the sudden jump in the fuel consumption display to numbers greater than 75 MPG(assuming engine warmup).