Playing with technique
 

Started trying something a little different today to see what I could get on the over time display, so far, I'm liking this one. :D

http://i57.tinypic.com/5pw6r.jpg

Good job. :thumbup: Experiment with acceleration. :thumbup: Many gen 2 insight owners have discovered you can be more aggressive up to 2500 rpms before vtec kick sin and still get great fuel economy.

Acceleration is where I was/am having the biggest issue figuring out. The when, how much, etc etc. It's a pain to find a good spot. And of course, I made the mistake to comment on how nice the weather was when I left home(65 and nothing but sun)...because 20 minutes later, downpour. XD

Yup, accelerate with gas and coast with electric to extend your glides.

Not much opportunity for glide as this is all highway (and a Prius which wants the engine turning above 41). Below 41 where I can P&G I've got a pretty good average of around 85-90 but almost all my driving is highway. I drive about 170 miles 4 days a week, so getting my SHM down is of high importance.

What is your highway posted limit and average traffic speed? For example 55/65? Go accelerate to 65, then apply light throttle to assist in coasting down to 55 or even 50 depending on traffic and repeat. This is what the lean burn guys do to get triple digit mpg. Of course they hover around 50 mph.

I know people say the car exits use of the electric motor and goes to gas at certain speeds, but it does cut off the engine under light load at and above highway speeds.

May help to use the rpm feature and start setting rpm limits for gas usage when accelerating. The insight has a big honking one in the center of the dash and I try to stay below 2500 or just before vtec kicks in yo. :thumbup:

Limit is 55 and barely any traffic, so going above is a good way to get a ticket as you can't blend in with the flow :P.

Best I've seen from anyone in the Gen 3 is around 75 (average). But yes, that is what I do. Accelerate up to about 57, then hold rpm around 1080 until down to 50 or so, then back up to speed. I'm still trying to find the best speed to accelerate at. So far, no guide I can find has supplied this particular info except for a blog that bases it on %pedal depression. o.o

In that case just set the cruse control for 45 mph and enjoy the ride. :thumbup:

The gen 2 insight seems to get best mpg between 45 and 55. I set the cruse for 56 in 55 zone if traffic is light. If its little to no traffic I go slower 45-52. If traffic is heavy I go with the flow. :turtle:

Bah! Sounds like cheating. :P

Its repeatable. If you set the cruse control and reset the odo and just steer the car for x amount of space. Then make a mod or change and repeat.

Most of my mod testing was done this way.

Oh, man. If I had a flat highway and little traffic, 45mph steady state is where my car just effortlessly floats along. I'd get 80 miles per gallon average.

The presence of traffic is the single most complicating factor of hypermiling. I know what I'm going to do, it's contending with whatever the hell all these other people are going to do that makes things hard.

Your hch gets 80 mpg at 45mph? :thumbup:

On the flat, that's about what the mileage meter says. So it's probably something more along the lines of a real-world 70-75, the meter is pretty optimistic.

God knows if I don't have to hold a higher speed, that modest pace is where most of my cars feel happiest, just loafing along with my foot barely grazing the accelerator pedal. There's a long, straight valley here where I can cover about five miles - it's the longest nearly-flat road I know of around here - where I can drive up the car's moving average mpg almost without trying, the speed limit is 45mph on the entire length of road and it's straight enough that anyone wanting to go faster will have plenty of opportunity to swing around me, so I don't feel pressured to appease the faster masses.

Unfortunately I don't live on that road and it's nowhere near any of my usual trips, so it's only for Sunday afternoons.

Well, if its got lean burn you should be easily able to push triple digits. Most of the gen 1 insight guys can get impressive mpg with careful use of the ima system, but even more with lean burn.

Ive fooled around with the gen 2 insight and it seems best mpg is from not using the ima system and like using cruse control for constant speed.

Very well stated!
I hope you don't mind if I add that to my signature. :thumbup:

Actually I have to replace one of the O2 sensors, I have the CEL on right now and I'm not getting lean burn at all. So the decent numbers I've whistled up these past few tanks have just been from technique. Gotta get the heat shield off the cat so I can put a real wrench on the sensor, the silly split-socket just spreads and starts to round the corners. Can't have that!