With my gas savings, I bought this! (2000 Honda Insight)

[cowmeat]

1) Put an engine kill switch in it (expand the auto-stop envelope). AKA "Calpod mod / Forced Auto Stop / FAS mod" at Insight Central.

2) Put the IMA-inhibit switch in it (so you can control when you want assist or not). AKA "clutch switch mod".

3) Learn how to keep it in maximum lean burn as much as possible while cruising. That's where the magic happens.

4) Pump up the tires & aeromod it to expand the lean burn envelope.

I'd like to start with the lean burn. I've heard many Honda guys talking about it on here, but I really don't know how to recognize it, unless you're doing it with your scangauges or something. Can I just search "lean burn" here and find a thread on it?
I'd like to start there, along with pumping up the tires of course, but my wife's already concerned about me modding it "it's the first really nice car you've ever had, why do you want to tear it up?" I'll have to ease the grill blocks, etc. . . .onto this one, can't just lay it out there like on the Black Widow!

[MetroMPG]

Adding 2 switches ain't tearin' it up!!

And particularly the kill switch will gain you more MPG than anything else. When you finally install it, you'll kick yourself for not having done it sooner. It preserves the car's Autostop logic/functionality, so the electric power steering remains active and the engine automatically restarts (quietly, via the IMA motor) simply by: 1) putting the shifter into any gear; 2) depleting brake vacuum; 3) pressing the accelerator. It's all very slick.

Lean burn: monitor the "instant" (bar graph) gauge when cruising at, say, 45 mph. You'll see it spike from roughly ~55-65? mpg up to ~75-100 mpg on a level road in warm weather. That's lean burn. You may also be able to "feel" the transition with a very slight engine stumble. Also, throttle response becomes noticeably "duller".

Prodding the throttle too sharply will cause it to drop out of lean burn. A/C load makes the lean burn envelope smaller too (you can hold lean burn at higher speeds with A/C off).

You can also program a ScanGauge (X-gauge) to simply show it to you, but I went with the factory gauge and seat of the pants mostly. I programmed the gauge to try it out, but by then I had already fine tuned the butt dyno to feel the difference.

[cowmeat]

Lean burn: monitor the "instant" (bar graph) gauge when cruising at, say, 45 mph. You'll see it spike from roughly ~55-65? mpg up to ~75-100 mpg on a level road in warm weather. That's lean burn. You may also be able to "feel" the transition with a very slight engine stumble. Also, throttle response becomes noticeably "duller".

The first paragraph scared me too much to think about yet!

As far as lean burn, I'd say I've already experienced it, the 75 mpg readout with the stumbling occasionally!

[MetroMPG]

Oh yeah, I'm sure you have.

Now you optimize it by training your right foot to "encourage" it to go into full lean burn (eg. sometimes backing off slightly on the throttle gets you in, then gently reapply pressure to maintain speed).

You can also watch for NOX purges under cruise, where the car periodically drops out of lean burn to catalyze the stored NOX by running richer for a few seconds. You can tickle the accelerator to get it back into lean burn sooner than just holding it steady and waiting.

Fun car to pilot. You're making me miss mine all over again.

With aero mods (tail) in lean burn on mostly level roads, I could cruise all day long at 100+ mpg US at ~50 mph.

[cowmeat]

Thanks for the info, and I'm hoping this car turns out to be as fun and challenging as the Black Widow has been! I'm sure it will wear off, but for right now, every morning I'm like "Yay!"

My dull commute that I have been driving for the last 18 years got fun again this year!

[MetroMPG]

I had mine for 2.x years, and driving it never got boring. The lengths the engineers were allowed to go to in that car were so far beyond the usual.

Anybody who considers him/herself a fuel economy enthusiast should absolutely have it on the list to drive or own one.

[dirtydave]

Let me know when you sell the ford I will buy it!

[Insight for life]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

EDIT: double-check. Are you sure I've got it wrong?

CALPOD was the originator of the engine-kill/FAS mod. I've seen it referred to as the "Calpod mod". But yes, I should have also used "Forced Auto Stop / FAS" in the description.

awh yes I realized that after I corrected you, I think we are both correct. I believe that the clutch switch is referred to as the Calpod switch, tho its true he was the originator of the kill switch for the insight.

[cowmeat]

Let me know when you sell the ford I will buy it!

Man, if you're crazy enough to want to drive it back to Baltimore I might just take you up on it.
If you're really interested and my kid can't take it, I'll let it go for 600 bucks. I have to give my kid first shot at it though, he begged me for months to sell it to him but ended up finding a Festiva of his own before I got the Turtle, so I don't think he's gonna be able to take mine.

Be advised: It does great at 55 mph for at least hour, but beyond that I have no idea, cause I've never driven it farther or faster than that since I have owned it. It has never let me down in over two years, and it still only has like 135,000 miles on it

I'll probably drive Black Widow tomorrow since it's been sitting there abandoned since Saturday, and I feel kinda bad since without it there's no way I would have ever been able to pay for the Turtle!

If my kid can't take Black Widow, I'll definitely give you guys here the first chance at it. It's no beauty, but it's saved me over five thousand bucks in gas since I have owned it, and it literally has been one of the most dependable cars I've ever owned (minus the AC)

[dirtydave]

Send me a PM first! I am serious! That was my first car I want another one!