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Hybrid Tips Optimizing mileage

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  • eaaeaa Member Posts: 32
    I have a 2003 Honda civic hybrid with CVT transmission. I get 60+ mpg most of the time. The EPA rates it as 49/48.
    I drive moderate, don't go over the speed limits and anticipate stops so I can use gentle braking to regen power into my battery instead of wear out the brakes.
    The most important thing I do to get high mpg is let up on the accelerator until I see the mpg instant gauge go to 60-80 mpg or higher. I still keep the same speed but the mpg is great in this ZEN mode.
    The CVT tranny is great and does much better with this method than cruise control or driving like an egg is under my foot. I think it makes the CVT act like overdrive. It's great and fun to see how much I can save.
    On a Prius I get 70+ and an Insight is 100+ with a similar method. The insight has a manual 5 speed and I'd jump to the highest gear to get top mpg.
    jim
  • kinsley1mkinsley1m Member Posts: 1
    How do you accelerate with the mpg i.g. at 60-80? I lose speed whenever the meter is that high. I'm getting 53-57 mpg (or so says the meter). But never 60+.
  • hot_georgiahot_georgia Member Posts: 51
    I can't say for others but only what I do, and have gotten pretty good.
    Last summer averaged around 65MPG, last winter upper 50's.
    My longest single tank went for 941 miles for 69.2MPG calculated.
    2004 HCH CVT

    I posted some tips a while back and perhaps might help if brought forward again:
    misterme, "Hybrid Tips: Optimizing mileage" #323, 30 Sep 2005 11:03 am

    BTW most of these fuel-saving tips can be applied to what-ever you drive.
    Our Grand Caravan for example went from 16-17MPG to as high as 28. My wife drives it though and still gets low-mid 20's.

    A Lincoln Navigator driver brought his SUV up to 28.3MPG using those tips:
    heyjewel, "Lincoln Navigator" #1482, 28 Oct 2005 5:45 pm
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    3.9 L/100km is equivalent to (a) 60 mpgUS and (b) 72 mpgUK.

    (a) 235 / 3.9 = 60.3 mpgUS. To convert between L/100km and mpgUS, you divide whichever value you have into 235 to get the other value.

    (b) 282 / 3.9 = 72.3 mpgUK. To convert between L/100km and mpgUK, you divide whichever value you have into 282 to get the other value.

    Example . An American claims 60 mpg in his Prius. What is the equivalent L/100km? 235/60 = 3.9 L/100km.
  • wvgasguywvgasguy Member Posts: 1,405
    I just bought a Camry Hybrid and on the first tank got 38.63 mpg. My wife was getting 35.5 and with a little understanding I can constitantly get over 38.

    However unless the absolute highest MPG's is your goal you can enjoy driving and not look at the gage and still do better than 99% of the vehicles on the road.

    At 20,000 miles a year and $3 gas, going from 55 mpg to 60 mpg only saves you about $7 per month. The quest for the ultimate MPG is probably not worth the effort. You're not saving the world's energy significantly in the 5 mpg shift when you consider the F150 beside you burning at 12 mpg's.
  • poodlgalpoodlgal Member Posts: 13
    I'd like to alert you all to an event in Madison, WI on July 22, 2006. Hybridfest is an event being organized by a non-profit group of hybrid lovers & users. Its objective is to raise awareness about hybrids and to encourage the public to learn more, try cars, and meet other owners. There will be contests, speakers, and test drives and you can find more info on the web if you search "hybridfest" (users are technically not supposed to post links in the forums). It should be fun and a great way to learn more whether you are thinking of getting a hybrid or an experienced owner! Please come if you are anywhere nearby or want to visit our lovely city this summer!
  • wvgasguywvgasguy Member Posts: 1,405
    Update, on a trip to Mom's for Mothers day I let my wife drive again while I napped. When I woke up she was doing 80 on the Interstate in the hills of WV. She was getting 36mpg. I calculated when I got home that she used about 1/2 gallon more on the trip than I would have if I had gotten 38.5 (which I had been averaging). I didn't fill up and tonight when we went out to eat we drove around a little bit and soon had the tank average back up to 37. It's nice to know that on a trip I won't have to baby this to get decent milage. I usually drive about 80 on trips but have been taking it easy as I tried for the max mpg's. I'll get over this obsession soon and turn the display to something else once I'm convinced that I probably won't do any less than 36mpg's. At 1150 miles I'm still over the 38 mark for all miles driven.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A national finance magazine is looking to interview current hybrid owners who purchased a hybrid within the past year or two. The reporter is wanting to know if you have been satisfied or not with the gas savings you’ve been receiving. Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Saturday, June 10, 2006 by 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET containing your daytime contact information and the make and model of your hybrid vehicle.

    Thanks,
    Chintan Talati
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds.com
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