New Gen2 Insight owner
 

Hi guys. Just bought a 2010 Gen2 Insight and am eager to get into some eco mods!

If anyone knows of any good threads/ sites/ articles specific to modifying this car please let me know!

Dave

Welcome, Dave.

What type of driving do you typically do?

Most people here will suggest first adjusting the nut behind the wheel (driving techniques), raising your tire pressure, and then drag-reducing modifications.

Hi metro.

I drive 50% town (30mph limits) and 50% national speed limit roads(60mph in England). I live in a rural area, so nice congestion free roads almost everywhere.

Generally I don't go above 50mph and I am able to achieve the manufacturers economy figures in my current car, so I probably have the fundamentals of eco driving sorted (paid lose attention to them in the past but will study more closely).

Tires is not something I've watched until now shockingly, but they'll be at manufacturers max from now on:thumbup:

Thanks!

Dave

driving tip: injector/engine-off coasting
 

Lucky you -- country road cruising is just about the best environment for good MPG. If you were achieving the Euro ratings in your previous car, you're already doing much better than the average driver.

One technique you will want to master for a good bump in economy is engine-off coasting. I am going to assume the Insight's set-up is similar to the Civic hybrid (my parents got one recently) in these pointers...

1) On releasing the throttle, you should see the "instant" fuel economy go to zero L/100 km (or some high MPG reading if you're using that scale -- not sure what the max MPG display value is).

2) Coasting regen will kick in.

3) Extend the length of the coast by gently pressing the accelerator a little bit to cancel the regen. Fuel injection will remain off (indicated by 0 L/100 km on the instant gauge) provided you don't jab the accelerator and cause the engine to fire up again.

4) You can even add a little assist to draw out the coast further while leaving the engine off. But resist the urge to do this because you're quickly using up battery charge which will have to be replaced later, often by forced charging (which drags down your fuel economy).

5) Get in the habit of engine/injection-off coasting (rather than rushing in and braking) as much as practical when approaching stops, turns, speed zone changes, etc. You should see a nice bump in economy.

Hello Dave, welcome fellow Insighter ;)

The site for modding is this one, for other Insight related data I recommend InsightCentral.net.

Mods I've done and that I can recommend are:
- Raising tire pressure to 42 / 40 PSI front/rear (but tire dependent, so do get a feel for your own best setting.

- Block the lower grill
- Get HIDs for low beams (the projector lenses have very little stray light and seem weak with the OEM halogens) and LEDs for city and license plate lights.
I've got LEDS too in the map, entry and boot lights. The 7 Watt LED grids for the latter two don't save me any fuel but are big fun and a huge convenience compared to the OEM glowpits.

I had the occasional warm brake which I cured with brake pad return springs.
The Insight has them already on the leading edge of the pads, mine has them on both sides now.
The transition from engine braking/regenereting to disk braking at about 10 mph seems more smooth since I got them.

I had the wheel alignment set to neutral, got Honda Green Oil and some tweeks left and right but cannot say that amounted to much.

Most of all the nut behind the steering wheel got adjusted; I seldom speed beyond 55 mph, almost always in the slow lane, usually at 2-3 seconds behind a rig or such.

But most of all, enjoy your car :)
Cheers, Bart

Bart - can you confirm the injection/engine-off coasting method I just described is the same in the Insight as in the Civic?

Merci! Darin.

Hi Darin - Yes, that is exactly like it works.
Though I like to get a bit of regen as it helps with getting away once you get going again without being punished with a mild regen once at speed.

All in all the Insight can put the extra power to good use, the fuller the battery the nicer it is to drive. I am seriously considering building my own portable PHEV booster pack, I will start a thread when I got things sorted out.

Thanks to both. That sounds very interesting.

I'm taking delivery of my insight on Wednesday so I'm not familiar with driving it yet. But i'll definitely be testing that technique out and installing mods:thumbup:

Im assuming I have to manually turn off the engine? I didn't know assist would be available under that condition.

Dave

The engine will cut the fuel (DFCO) and either keep the valves closed all the time or keep them open all the time (the opinion on that is mixed) to lower friction.

You don't need to turn off the engine; in fact you shouldn't.
The CVT will drag with the engine off too. And there is no bump start, you'd need to key on again, it needs to be in Neutral for that.
(tip- you can start the car in Neutral. So you can key off at the lights if AutoStop does not last long enough. Don't forget to switch back to D once you restart to get going!)

You could put it in neutral and do the engine off glide thing, but it coasts quite well in DFCO neutralizing regen with light accelerator pedal pressure.
It definitely uses less fuel either at constant speed or P(ulse)&G(lide)-ing with DFCO compared to P&Gíng in neutral with engine on; not surprisingly as even at a constant throttle at 38 mph/1100 RPM it uses just about twice as much fuel per time than when idling...!

I've given up on P&G, the Insight does as well without.

Great. Got it.

A few years ago I tried neutral gear coasting in my 1.6 tdi sw for a few weeks. It worked very well, but that has a fair amount of engine brake and only a 5th gear, no 6th.

I'm itching to see what I can get out of Insight. I have a 30 mile mixed route which I can return a reliable 59mpg on my current car (a few above the Euro rating) so I'll test it out on Wed eve. My model Insight is rated at 61.2, so let the battle commence! (granted I won't be accustomed to the car just yet)