Sounds like you are making some great progress! I think that the 35-45mph thing mainly applies to the Prius when trying to "Pulse and Glide" (P&G). That is the speed range that was used in the marathon last summer, IIRC. Personally, I would just stick to the lowest speed that you can drive without holding up traffic in the right lane. As you practice and the car loosens up you should see even more improvement.

Supposedly there is a way to get the Civic into a sort of "freewheeling" mode where the engine is still spinning but sealed, allowing you to glide without burning any fuel. I'm going to have to defer to the experts on that one, though, since that kind of information is over my head.

 

Well, I've figured out how to maintain a constant MPG on my meter, but when I reach a hill, I notice quite a significant decrase in speed... but I figured it all even'd out, until I was doing 48mph up hill and people were flippin me off and such :-p

Gotta love Connecticut drivers.

 

Ha. That's funny considering I'm in CT as well. I find more impatient and rude drivers here than anywhere else I've driven. (All over the US.) Driving 60-65 on the highways isn't much trouble, but the secondary roads in the Hartford area are hell. I do my best to maintain the speed limit or greater when people are behind me but I still get harassed every couple of weeks by someone who decides I'm not accelerating fast enough. CT presents a "special" challenge for those who don't like to stomp on it.

 

I'm in CT as well - and I have no trouble getting 52 mpg average (my best tank was 54 mpg). The tires are at about 37 psi. It took some practice - but you don't have to go slow or have people honk at you. LOL! You can do about 70 on the highway and still get over 50mpg - it's all about keeping the momentum. Don't make too many lane changes and don't try to pass people too quickly - just be patient and make smooth fluid movements.

 

You've probably read already that wind resistance / drag take over as the biggest influence on your car after 40 MPH. It takes large chunks of energy to change from 50-60, 60-65, 65-70, etc. I hear you on being stuck at a certain speed - not much to do about that except what you are doing. If traffic thins out enough, treat yourself to some 55 MPH stretches if you can. I don't see that 35-45 is terribly practical on a highway - I think folks are fortunate if they can get away with it.

As already mentioned, don't discount break-in, tires in particular. It took about 1000 miles for my new tires to start rolling well.

Good luck to you.

 

I have to agree. I get about40 around town, 45 on the highway, traveling 75 mph on the hwy. I typically have A/C on about half the time. But I notice a big difference in fuel economy based on how I drive. I don't use the CC for the most part, and instead DWL unless traffic is heavy -- makes a difference of about 2-3 mpg for doing the DWL approach.

I coast more, don't accelerate briskly from a stop unless I have to, and am much less likely to give it the gas up a hill to keep it at a constant speed. I'm sure these new "habits" account for a significant part of the fuel savings. Too bad I had to sell my Turbo Beetle Convertible to buy the HCHII or I could test these habits on the old car!

Aneil

 

One of the things you will notice is that you shoudl naturally get better at handling mileage on the hills by paying attention to the trip meters. On the way home, I have to drive up a big hill with lots of turns, and lots of stops on it. This alone costs me about 10% of my fuel economy. The key is that on the way up the hill, I will simply let go of the gas and roll up to stops rather than braking. When going up the hills, what I do is hold a steady throttle position, and let my speed increase on the shallower grades, and decrease on the steeper portions. I've just gotten used to exactly what throttle positions to hold at various stages completely by habit, and that alone can save tons on hills by minimizing speed variations due to changing throttle positoin a lot.

Another thing to do on more open roads is if you're approaching a hill and oyu have some room to spare, accelerate in advance to 5 or so MPH faster than you plan to hold on the hill, then hold the same throttle position during the climb -- this will build up extra momentum, and you will lose speed gradually until you reach your target speed, where it will hold. This is a lot more economical than getting to a hill, and mashing the gas once you've already lost some speed on the way up, as it keeps the engine RPMs in a more steady band the whole time instead of winding it out.

Also, though I don't have a lot of city driving on my regular commute (most of my commute is 70mph highway driving aand low-speed hill climbing...), when I do, I get excellent milegae by paying attention to traffic signals. If I suspsect a stale green will turn red, I'll coast until I get to it, even from a very long way back. This way, instead of needing to stop and re-accelerate, I'll still have about 25mph worth of momentum when the light turns green. This saves tons of fuel and takes no additional time.

I can't tell you how many times I've had peopel pass me when I'm coasting to a stale green, then seem then slam on the brakes at the red light, only to re-pass them when the light turns green just as I roll by. Some of the lights are sensor-driven around here as well, meaning the main thoroughfaires will always remain green unless cars are actually waiting to go through on a cross-street. I always coast to those and actually like it when peopel get impatient and pass me, as they trip the sensor before I arrive and I don't need to stop.