I agree some of the extreme hypermilers are crazy, and like I said in the previous post drafting can be dangerous. But a lot of the other techniques are sound and safe. Just a matter of conserving momentum, and avoiding jack rabbit starts and stops. My biggest pet peave on driving (other than cell phones) has to be those who launch at the stop light just to jockey for one whole car position before hitting the next light. It makes absolutely no sense and is so wasteful.
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I need a new car. Help! Update: Bough an Insight. Update2: I love this car!
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I agree some of the extreme hypermilers are crazy, and like I said in the previous post drafting can be dangerous. But a lot of the other techniques are sound and safe. Just a matter of conserving momentum, and avoiding jack rabbit starts and stops. My biggest pet peave on driving (other than cell phones) has to be those who launch at the stop light just to jockey for one whole car position before hitting the next light. It makes absolutely no sense and is so wasteful.
fbrdphreak
Lifer
That is an amazing update Eli. Congrats!
Truck limit was 55, so we were only going 60.
Driving so conservatively has slowed me down, but I don't mind.. the money savings is worth it. And you're right, it is relaxing to not be in a hurry everywhere. Sometimes it still happens.
Honestly, I'm averaging 62.2mpg even while ragging on it a bit.
I usually do the 1-2-5 shift, or 1-4 depending. You can get better MPG if you aren't on it in 1st and 2nd, but then everyone behind you is just upset. lol
I didn't buy new tires, I just checked the tire pressure. I will need new tires soon, but I think that was the biggest contributing factor to my low MPG, they were only at like 30PSI.
With the tires at 40PSI, it sure does make the ride harsh. Its all good though.
thomsbrain
Lifer
Hey Eli, what was your thinking regarding battery replacement? That's my only hang-up right now. I heard that at least in CA, Honda extended the warranty to 10 years/150,000 miles, but you and I would pass that pretty quickly, and a $5000 repair bill after the warranty runs out would sure kill the idea of the car "paying for itself."
Well, statistically speaking they'll manage to make it through more green lights before they turn red than the other guys, so averaged over several stoplights they'll be somewhat faster than those who don't start out quickly. But yeah, it does kill your mileage and add wear to your vehicle.
Yeah, that's my only concern.
Running my battery through its paces, it's definitely not in as good of condition as I thought it was. I think its only about 2/3rds of full capacity now.
Frankly, I don't know. I'm hoping that my IMA light comes on and I can get a new battery installed before 150k rolls around. 😀 Then hopefully the new one would last another 100-150k. That would be the best scenario.
If not and my IMA light somehow manages to not come on in the next ~60,000 miles...
I'm good enough with electronics, I think I've read somewhere that you can rebuild the battery pack yourself for something like $600. Maybe even beef it up a bit. 😉 I've got plenty of time to research.. lol.
I can already feel the fuel savings. I mean damn, I used to spend ~36.something$/day on gas.
Now its down to like ~30$ every 2 days...
I need to build a new spreadsheet.
Heres the data for the Focus
brb..
thomsbrain
Lifer
Hmm, I'm not sure that's accurate.
On streets with timed lights, you can only get through as fast as the timers let you, so whether you zoom up and wait or just cruise through, it takes the same amount of time.
On non-timed streets, there are statistically identical chances of hitting a red light at each intersection. You still pass through the same number of lights, and it's always a crapshoot about whether or not it is green. If you do happen to get consecutive green lights, you'll pass that distance faster, obviously, but only if you get lucky, and driving faster didn't increase your chances of getting lucky. Keep in mind that for every light you just managed to make because you were already moving fast enough to squeeze through, there's another one at which you had to wait because you got there too soon.
drnickriviera
Platinum Member
Well I was commenting on the use of the word drifted instead of drafted, but I guess no one got it.
The warranty has since been extended to all 50 states under S.B. 06-057. Salvage title cars are excluded.
I'm not too concerned about the battery once my warranty runs out. Recently some members of the Insight Central forum have discovered that battery packs can be reconditioned and / or rebuilt. I will be reconditioning my pack in a few weeks. Also, If I ever have a subpack go bad, I'll buy a used pack for $300ish and strip it down for replacement subpacks (the Insight pack has 20 subpacks).
Worse case the car can be run without the NiMH battery, though performance suffers.
It might not sound like it, but your mileage seems a little low unless you are doing a lot of stop and go driving. The only things I can think of are:
1. What brand / model of tires do you have. The Bridgestone Potenzas are the OEM tire, and will get you 10 mpg more than anything else.
2. How cold is it on the Oregon Coast? My mileage has dropped this winter due to temperature and the winter blends. Doing a partial radiator block, or the hot air mod will help cold weather driving.
3. At 55 - 60mph I stay in 4th gear, and can easily net 80mpg, or into the 90's if the road is flat. 5th gear seems to lug too much at that speed and actually hurts my mileage. The long trip in my sig was 1200 miles of mountain driving with 5 - 8% grades and I still netted 73mpg with speeds ranging from 55 - 65 mph.
Yeah, I know my mileage is a little low. I'm hoping to get it into the 65ish range average.
The 62 figure is with a lot of city driving though, yes.
It has the Potenzas on the rear and Federal brand tires on the front. I'm going to pick up two new Potenzas ASAP, as it needs new tires anyway.
The 62 figure is with a lot of city driving though, yes.
It has the Potenzas on the rear and Federal brand tires on the front. I'm going to pick up two new Potenzas ASAP, as it needs new tires anyway.
slag
Lifer
I'm glad it works out for you. I could never own an insight though.
1. No room
2. No comfort/luxury
3. Ugly as sin
I'd rather pay extra and get 30 mpg than drive something like that which will kill you if you ever hit a deer or another vehicle and looks ugly as sin. I've had my share of "harsh ride cars" and I won't ever go back unless forced to.
The above views are just my personal opinion and should not reflect on the thread starter in any way.
1. No room
2. No comfort/luxury
3. Ugly as sin
I'd rather pay extra and get 30 mpg than drive something like that which will kill you if you ever hit a deer or another vehicle and looks ugly as sin. I've had my share of "harsh ride cars" and I won't ever go back unless forced to.
The above views are just my personal opinion and should not reflect on the thread starter in any way.
Arkaign
Lifer
(1)- It's been reviewed as quite comfortable, and I could sit comfortably in one at the dealership (I'm 6'3", and have a hard time fitting into Miatas and MR2s). But I can understand a preference for larger vehicles.
(2)- See above. The interior is well-reviewed.
(3)- It's odd. I wouldn't call it ugly. Aztec is ugly. But it's a free country (I think, at least).
And as far as safety :
NHTSA Ratings
Passenger: 4 stars
Driver: 4 stars
Side Impact Front: 4 stars
Side Impact Rear: Not Tested
FAR above average for a small car, and better than many larger cars. Of course, that doesn't help when a 3-ton Escalade on 24"s t-bones you, but we can't all be stuffed into ghey SUVs.
slag
Lifer
Oh, ive been in one. No room meant no room for wife and 3 kids like my Infiniti can hold, but then again, different demographic/market. My car has to be a DD as well as a family hauler when my wife's explorer is not around.
2. Going by what the op said, its a rough ride when tires are at 40 psi. My infiniti has a pretty smooth ride imho and has soft leather, climate control, heated seats/mirrors, rear sunshade, etc. Thats what i meant by comfort/luxury.
3. fair enough, i assumed incorrectly.
Timed lights, sure. But there are very few occassions when you're going through a timed section for your WHOLE commute. And if there is other traffic, that can cause your average to go down and you to start missing lights, unless you're moving faster that the timed speed in the clear sections. And the second you turn onto a side street or a different section, all that goes out the window.
As for the last bit, that's not how probability or averages work. If your moving average is higher, and you stand the same chances of waiting at any given red for the same amount of time as the other car, your overall average speed will still be higher...meaning you get there sooner. You said it yourself, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not it will be green...meaning that barely making it through one light does NOT mean you'll be waiting longer at the next. Just because I flipped a coin 50 times and it came up heads doesn't mean that the next flip HAS to be tails to make up the difference. It's still 50%.
There's certainly no contest in terms of luxury, ride, and room compared to your Infiniti...but considering how much driving the OP does, this car should save him metric assloads of money. High mileage cars make more and more sense the more driving someone does. Gas is still pretty cheap for the amount of driving most Americans do, so a standard sedan is fine for them. The SUVs, well...no comment on that.
Arkaign
Lifer
Well, not necessarily all suvs, or all situations that call for it. I just think that for a majority of SUV owners, it's just a fad / me-too wannabe situation.
Generally speaking, SUVs :
* - Degraded fuel economy
* - Heavier vehicle (less safe for other vehicles)
* - Higher vehicle (increased risk of rollover + decreased visibility of smaller cars/bikes around you + blocks the view for those cars/bikes)
* - Often less interior space/fuel economy/safety than a comparable minivan
* - Many of them have no 4WD/AWD, or 4WD/AWD only as an option, making the whole form factor counterintuitive
* - Often overpriced (consider a decently-equipped Chevy Fullsize truck vs. a Tahoe with the same options/drivetrain), you pay a huge amount of money for a bit of sheetmetal and a rear door.
* - Often owned by people who rarely cart anything around larger than a bag of groceries or a 20-pack of miller lite
I don't think SUVs should be outlawed, I think people should be free to spend their $$ on whatever they wish to buy, but I think that SUVs are more of a fashion/yuppie statement than a logical choice for at least 90% of the people who own them these days.
Think back 20-25 years ago. Out of the tens of millions of American families, even those with several children, people got along just fine without an SUV in most driveways. Station wagons, minivans, and family sedans were just fine. And the few people with SUVs usually had them for a *reason*. The guy driving the Grand Wagoneer took his family camping on the trails, or lived in a hillside cabin during the winter, or what have you. Or the guy with the wrangler liked to go mudding with his reserve buddies.
Generally speaking, SUVs :
* - Degraded fuel economy
* - Heavier vehicle (less safe for other vehicles)
* - Higher vehicle (increased risk of rollover + decreased visibility of smaller cars/bikes around you + blocks the view for those cars/bikes)
* - Often less interior space/fuel economy/safety than a comparable minivan
* - Many of them have no 4WD/AWD, or 4WD/AWD only as an option, making the whole form factor counterintuitive
* - Often overpriced (consider a decently-equipped Chevy Fullsize truck vs. a Tahoe with the same options/drivetrain), you pay a huge amount of money for a bit of sheetmetal and a rear door.
* - Often owned by people who rarely cart anything around larger than a bag of groceries or a 20-pack of miller lite
I don't think SUVs should be outlawed, I think people should be free to spend their $$ on whatever they wish to buy, but I think that SUVs are more of a fashion/yuppie statement than a logical choice for at least 90% of the people who own them these days.
Think back 20-25 years ago. Out of the tens of millions of American families, even those with several children, people got along just fine without an SUV in most driveways. Station wagons, minivans, and family sedans were just fine. And the few people with SUVs usually had them for a *reason*. The guy driving the Grand Wagoneer took his family camping on the trails, or lived in a hillside cabin during the winter, or what have you. Or the guy with the wrangler liked to go mudding with his reserve buddies.
Budmantom
Lifer
Most people that own gay SUVs under utilize them 99%+ of the time (like us) but when you need them there is no substitute, I know that I wish my wife had a Civic to drive instead of the gay SUV but it doesn't make financial sense to buy another car + pay extra for insurance and maintenance.
Sometimes you just need a good ol gay SUV.
thomsbrain
Lifer
let's keep this on topic, folks. plenty of other existing threads to continue the ceaseless SUV debate in.
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