Tested: MPG/fuel economy VS. speed, 2000 Honda Insight, 1.0L lean burn, 5-spd

[Blue Angel]

Originally Posted by HyperMileQC

I like to go between 65 & 80 km/h on the highway, so I could go at 65 when flat like the 401

I hope you're kidding! Going 65-80 km/h on the 401 is going to cause a collision. No amount of fuel you save in your car will be worth getting hurt or hurting someone else.

If you want to drive 65 km/h please find a route that is appropriate for that speed. Don't bother telling me that it's technically legal to do 60 on the 401, that won't matter to you after your car gets rear-ended by someone doing 100.

If you're driving on public roads you should be prepared to drive the speed limit. Going 20-35 LESS than the posted limit will endanger you and everyone else around you, many of whom are going slightly OVER the limit. Roads are safest when everyone is going the same speed.

[2000neon]

I routinely drive at 90 on the 401 between Kitchener and Mississauga. No problems at all, in fact, there's a surprising amount of other vehicles at that speed as well. When I first started slowing down on the highway I thought 95 or 90 would be a death wish, now that's the speed that I always drive, it's amazing how often I find others doing similar speeds or even slower (trucks and cars).

[MetroMPG]

Greater speed differentials leading to collisions is understood to be a fact.

But the risk obviously depends on context.

There are times, places & densities where it's clearly safer to go with the flow and other times when not doing so isn't a big deal. (I'm talking about 10 km/h ... 6 mph ... under, here.)

[jamesqf]

One thing you miss out on is just how sensitive the Insight can be to various almost imperceptible factors - a slight uphill or downhill slope, a change in road surface, head or tailwinds, for all I know the magnetism of local rocks or the phase of the moon. For instance, there's one stretch of road (Calif 70 between Chilcoot & Beckworth) where I never get much more than about 60 mpg, even though it is dead flat and not obviously different from other roads where I'll often be in lean burn getting >100 mpg.

[echo-francis]

Originally Posted by Blue Angel

I hope you're kidding! Going 65-80 km/h on the 401 is going to cause a collision. No amount of fuel you save in your car will be worth getting hurt or hurting someone else.

If you want to drive 65 km/h please find a route that is appropriate for that speed. Don't bother telling me that it's technically legal to do 60 on the 401, that won't matter to you after your car gets rear-ended by someone doing 100.

If you're driving on public roads you should be prepared to drive the speed limit. Going 20-35 LESS than the posted limit will endanger you and everyone else around you, many of whom are going slightly OVER the limit. Roads are safest when everyone is going the same speed.

I allways drive 70-80km/h on the highway and i did many long trips on the 17,417,401 (ontario) 15,20,40,50,132 (quebec) and nothing special happened to me

[MetroMPG]

jamesqf - agreed: it goes without saying that your mileage may vary. When you're burning this little fuel, and reporting the results in MPG (which has drawbacks), very small changes can have big effects on the numbers.

FYI, that's why these runs were done with IMA switched off. This is "engine-only", level road cruising fuel economy. No assist, no background charging, etc.

[MetroMPG]

Guys: since all parties have put in their 2 cents on the highway speed issue, let's please drop it. I'd like to keep this thread on topic. Thanks!

[Blue Angel]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I'd like to keep this thread on topic. Thanks!

Apologies - it was not my intention to throw this thread off track, but looking back I should have seen it coming...

Back on topic, I had NO IDEA the Insight was so miserly with fuel, very impressive! A friend of mine has a newer Insight, a 2010 I think, and I doubt he sees anywhere near that kind of mileage. I'll have to ask him. He's catching a ride with me to Mont Tremblant tomorrow after work, which will be his first ride in my Eco.

[MetroMPG]

No problem - threads go OT all the time. It's just the way things go. But! This is MY THREAD! So I wanted to try to steer things back. Protective of my babies, I am.

The gen. 1 Insight remains the most efficient internal combustion car ever sold in Canada/US. (Not sure about elsewhere.) It's the efficiency nerd's Bugatti Veyron. The 2nd gen car is quite a ways off.

Have fun at Tremblant. My exotic snowboarding adventure approaches too: I'm heading to Fortune on Friday.

[SpeedyCorky]

great thread, awesome mods and MPG numbers!

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