I've been watching the recent Prius II mpg marathon here and on various forums this past weekend, and have been inspired to take extra care in my own driving. The FE display on my current tank, which I started on Saturday 08/06 is reporting 60.0mpg after 53 miles. Ya. I got stuck in a line of traffic going uphill to a stop sign after a train track.

I'd like to propose that some group of people try the same stunt with a Civic hybrid... fill 'er up and hypermile her 'til she quits.

I doubt they'd get anywhere near the results that the Prius folks got, since "pulse and glide" isn't really compatible with the IMA system, and its equivalent (the "reboot" method) is illegal as far as I know.

Thoughts? I'd be a willing participant, if the time and place were right. I'd love to try this somewhere near Austin. Unfortunately, I live in central Texas, the land of many hills and worse, impatient urban Texans in their SUVs and crew cabs.

 

No experience with an HCH, but if it is in the southeast and i dont have school stuff to deal with i'll run support. Steve (hot_georgia) lives in the area as well and is very acomplished. I know Tom and I have discussed a mod that will allow a CVT HCH to implement a semi-forced P&G, though it would probably be better to try in a mostly
unmodified car.

 

I'm up for it. I didn't get enough last weekend and it is time for us to show what the HCH can do. Although I have my doubts about 110 mpg in an HCH, I did 90 mpg for 2 laps on the Prius marathon course without too much effort, but my battery was low afterward. I think we need an HCH with an oversize 12 volt. I am also exploring a mod that would allow me to reboot without turning the key/ignition switch. I think that will be helpful.

I love central Texas, that might be just the place. But Virginia is a little far. Maybe some place more central to the Southeast would be better. I am open to suggestions.

 

I know that Alabama has wonderful open roads, but then i dont live there so i wouldnt be able to scout for a course. Perhaps Altanta area would be central enough? Steve and I could keep on the lookout for possible courses

 

Alabama or Georgia would be good. I think last weekend's marathon showed me the advantages of staging it near the home of one of the participants, so we should keep that in mind. We should also give some thought about what the course should consist of. For that matter, once we know what an appropriate course would consist of, I bet we could find a suitable place almost anywhere.

Also, since I have proven that the HCH tank will hold at least 16.027 gallons (that is what I once put in, and it had not yet run out), and that it can do 90 mpg over the Prius marathon course, I think our target should also be at least 100 mpg for a whole tank. That means 1600+ miles. That will take some time, probably a lot longer than the Prius marathon's 48 hours.

 

I agree, hopefully Steve will pipe in...he may know of a good place. Would be kind of funny to do it in Arcade, GA though, its the best known speed trap in the state...now what would those cops be thinking? lol

 

I'm off starting Sept 11 for a week. If you guys can do it around then in the mid south somewhere I'm in.

 

LOL I-10 from the Texas LA. border to San Antonio is pretty darn flat!Kevin

 

Do we do it in an HCH with CVT or MT? My vote is MT, but I may be biased since that is what I choose to drive. We also need to decide what the course characteristics should be. Length to turn-around, number of stop lights, terrain, etc. Flat is good, but too flat may be bad. Pulse up a slight grade is not too bad, but gliding down a slight grade is much better than on the flat.

We should also borrow the Super MID from Dan Kroushl in Pittsburgh if it can work in an HCH. It would be good to help us track our progress with more precision, but then again, the HCH instrumentation is better for this than the Prius instrumentation for a number of reasons.

Also, if this is going to happen, somebody needs to host it and find the right stretch of road near their home. It worked out very well that there was a hotel (nothing to right home about, but adequate) on the course that we used as our base of operations and for changing drivers. I know of a great stretch of road near my house, relatively flat (yes, some hills, but nothing worse than the hills the Prius marathon ran on, and fewer of them), 4 lanes and no traffic lights for a 15 mile stretch, relatively light traffic and a 55 mph speed limit the whole way, a Walmart/Sheetz at one end and a Food Lion shopping center at the other end, but no hotel. There are some hotels/motels about 4 miles from the Walmart/Sheetz end, and my house is about 5 miles from the Food Lion end, so we could make do here.

Maybe I will take a test run and see what the HCH can really do here when pushed. I think I have never run it right after fillup to see how absolutely high my mpgs could be on this stretch.

Are you guys game to come to Fredericksburg, Virginia?

 

I really like the idea of doing it in a well known speed trap.