One of the oldest and most discussed topics is "are hybrids worth it?".

Back to the initial post, use the regular grade. Then expect to learn a lot of the nuiances to improve your FE by 15-20% over the next few months. Yes, you can drive a hybrid like a conventional car, but you can learn quite a few tricks to get better FE. For that matter, you can improve FE in a conventional vehicle the same way most of the time, but most people don't bother.

Saw a Cold War movie with the drill instructor telling the airman that their airplanes were merely a tool - they would be the difference in victory or defeat. A hybrid is a tool, albeit an improved one for getting improved fuel economy. It's up to the driver to make the differenct.

 

I've just discovered how air temp seems to make a big difference in mileage. I have a 2006 Magnetic Pearl Civic Hybrid. I live in Connecticut and bought the car in mid January. Been calculating 38-39 MPG when I fill the tank-----400-425 miles on the trip meter, the mileage meter pretty much agrees. Usually put in 10.6 gallons or so. It's only been in the last week or so that the air temps have climbed out of their wintry levels to something that can be considered warm. 50's to low 60's, instead of the 5-40 degrees we've had since I bought the car. And already I've seen an increase in MPG of 5-10! Been averaging mid 40's to low 50's instead of mid 30's to low 40's. This even with having the heater on.Or the defrosters. Believe me, in winter in a northern climate, they are all needed! It's not just that I am using the heater less, the actual air temp does seem to make a difference.

 

Have I been getting mega MPG. Nope, not yet. But Timothy (I always name my cars, lol) only has 2000 miles on him. I buy gas every 14 days, and it sure is sweet! And I thought I had it good with my ancient 1995 Civic DX with 137000 miles on it that I filled every 8-9 days.

 

Thanks, Eric! I thought maybe I was losing my mind.

Elan,
lol! I'm not sure drag racing would even do it. Maybe dragging an anchor, like the ?Shell? commerical. Well, enough on CR.

 

So I've been paying a little more attention to my instant mileage gauge and finessing it to get better mileage, using glide-to-stop and pulse and glide mostly, and my average FE since I filled up last time is now 42.3 mpg. So you're all right, driving habits are the big thing.

I think that my goal is to get 45mpg average out of a tank, and then I'll probably go back to more conventional driving methods. I'm not an activist out to save every drip of that darn foreign oil that I can, but I am certainly entertained by a challenge, and I think 45mpg average for a tank is a good challenge.

Thanks again everyone for your repsonses!

 

Want to add - some of the hybrid tricks will save you gas even if you don't hypermile!

 

Well, CR is not that far off from what my daughter experiences in her non-hybrid Civic. Admittedly she is a college student, and her very short trips do great damage to her MPG; but she doesn't really race around, just drives like the average college student.

And in her 2000 Honda Civic EX automatic, she gets low 20s in the city. Sometimes, even below 20.

Just another data point. (and BTW, the car is in perfect working order and has 60k miles, in case anyone was wondering).

 

Even here in Texas there are extremes and the mileage follows it exactly. On a cold day, with a head wind, my mileage will drop to the upper 30's. It usually averages around 50 mpg (48 mpg at the pump). Fortunatly those days are few and far between

Partly cloudy and 80F today.

Bob

 

No, if you notice undue knocking and pinging using 87 octane on a new car designed for 87 octane, take it back to the dealer and have them repair or replace the vehicle. There should be NO undue knocking and pinging. If there is, something is terribly wrong.

 

Exactly. Today's cars have electronic ignitions and computer controls. If you run lower octane the computer will adjust the mix and retard the spark so it doesn't knock or ping. Any car less than 5 years old shouldn't knock or ping.