Hot rod first gen Insight
 

Don't really know how I feel about this one, he did an amazing job at least. The part that bothers me most is that he claims 48 mpg and I only have managed 53.5 with the dead IMA! Maybe my idea for an Si gear set swap into the twin that needs a tranny rebuild isn't that bad after all....

Honda K Powered Insight - Environmental Blasphemy - Honda Tuning Magazine

Cool car- too bad the author felt the need to spend so much time disrespecting conservation. :rolleyes:

It looks good, goes fast, and gets better MPG than all cars other than the Prius. Seems pretty cool to me.

Except that the better way of doing it is to turbo the Insight's engine.

I wonder how it would do with P&G and tires at max sidewall. (War_Wagon might have to hang his head in shame)

I have read hondatuning on occasion over the years.
There wrighters and editors seem to maintain a middle school level of maturity.

Neat project. Execution looks super slick, better than factory. Too bad the writer uses such a disrespectful tone talking about "treehuggers."

We're high performance drivers. It's just that the typical more-is-better crowd doesn't perceive it as such - we're not loud or fast, but we wrangle more motion per ounce of fuel than anyone else. It's a different kind of high performance...more along the lines of the NASA kind, than the NASCAR kind.

A Insight on steroids,200hp & under 2000lbs = :eek::)
Very cool car,the ultimate sleeper must look very asleep,and this one does to the ninth degree.
I also find it odd how the car pits itself against eco aware people,after all it gets 48mpg and is a very fast sports car,everyone has got to like that..silly author.

PPC (a car tuning mag in the UK) were looking to buy a Prius to put a V8 into it. They hate Priuses and anything to do with FE.

I stopped reading it.

There are what, 11,000 insights out there? and with a 5 speed should get around 70mpg so 48mpg is pretty bad, altho this is not the first and I am sure it will not be the last.

i want to see that electric power steering system

10,000 miles/year @ 70 mpg = 143 gallons
10,000 miles/year @ 48 mpg = 208 gallons
208-143=65 gallons/year difference, or 1.25 gallon/week premium for all that performance.

I'd say if you have an interest in that level of performance, the fuel cost premium is very, very affordable.

OT, slightly - does anyone know what the 3cyl TDI Insight gets FE wise - if it is still running ?

I agree, that's the cheapest to run fast car I have ever seen. I imagine if the driver actually made the effort to get some good FE numbers out of it it would be in the 50+ range. Neat car, but poor attitude from the guy that built it.

I'd say poor attitude from the guy that wrote about it.

I don't read into write ups. All articles are written for specific readers for those magazines. I have read my fair share on the other side bashing the SUV's, Horse power lovers, and the such. It is best to just read them for the information and go on with life.

I would really like to see what numbers this car would do with an hypermiler driver!

I agree again. Magazines are written to be sold, so they will have whatever bias sells them to their target market. Good source of ideas, pictures, and other's creativity, not so good for anything deeper than that.

I see nothing wrong with that Insight. Different tastes translates into different undertakings.

Some purists might get offended, but the Insight ain't no classic car, yet...

They found the lightest weight, aluminum body, stock vehicle and stuffed in a reasonable, high-power engine. Their only alternative would be to find a 'kit car' with a reasonable body and though they exist, they are not stock like the Insight. By using the Insight body, they simply avoided the pain and agony of dealing with 'kit cars' that are more like a 'pig in a poke' than serious offerings.

Perhaps some of our recent Insight owners might contact them to see if the left-over, Insight parts are still available. It is a lot easier to rebuild a spare Insight engine and battery system than to deal with one already in the car.

Bob Wilson

HAHAHAHA this was posted on a the other forums I read. it made me think of this thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j89gC...ature=youtu.be

Ha ha I would totally drive that around!

A totally cost effective replacement, instead of having the cost of Batts and Motor.
If my motor dies this is something I would think about, or how about a 1.5 lean burn Vtec-E swap.