My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
#21
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Yes indeed, I would actually be quite happy to be getting 44MPG at this point! I'm going to give it some time, and hopefully things improve. In the meantime I'm going to try experimenting with the cruise control and see what kind of results I get with that. One thing I noticed with my car though, which may possibly be the source of the problem, is that I hardly see the Assist meter on the IMA gauge do much. When I brake and release the accelerator, I usually see the Charge meter in action, which usually can get quite a few bars, but I've never seen the assist meter go above maybe 15% (about 3 bars or so), and it's hardly ever active at all. Is this abnormal and a cause for concern?
#22
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Originally Posted by TheOcean
Yes indeed, but I've never seen the assist meter go above maybe 15% (about 3 bars or so), and it's hardly ever active at all. Is this abnormal and a cause for concern?
#23
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Actually I just went out for a drive and I take that back... while it's not very active, the Assist does kick in at over 15% depending on how hard I accelerate
#24
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
I live in Anaheim Hills... with an emphasis on "hills". I find the hills really kill mileage. With 100 miles accumulated on trip meter A, and 43.0 mpg showing... the one hill up to my place sucked it down to 41.9. Over 1 mpg drop in one stinkin' mile of hill. Of course, I end up going DOWN that hill, too, but I don't get the full 1.1 MPG back.... maybe .4 or .5 is all. Oh well.
Also, the hills should actually negatively impact hybrids less than standard vehicles as they recover some charge on the way down (moreso on gradual hills). On very steep hills though that might not be the case as it may push the small engines out of their efficient "band" on the way up, without offering ample distance to recharge on the way back down.
When I drove initially, not paying any attention to mileage in my '03, I averaged about 39mpg overall. At similar (slightly slower) average speeds, I was able to improve that to 48mpg with practice - a 20% improvement. Driving in the slow lane on the freeways, and taking my accelerations extremely slow, I got into the 50s (without the hill I would have nearly cracked 60).
but I've never seen the assist meter go above maybe 15% (about 3 bars or so), and it's hardly ever active at all. Is this abnormal and a cause for concern?
The computer may also limit IMA activity due to very cold weather, but usually that will affect charging more than assist. When braking from anything over 25mph, you should see maxiumum regen. If you get full regen, but the car is still reluctant to give full assist even with very hard throttle and a high indicated State of Charge, the battery might be improperly calibrated (though why this would be on a new car is puzzling).
Last edited by Double-Trinity; 04-15-2006 at 03:49 PM.
#25
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Originally Posted by TheOcean
The weather has been on and off, but for the most part I've been driving in warm conditions since I got the car. I try to accelerate softly and gradually... still getting used to optimizing my technique for utlizing this hybrid. I usually watch the instantaneous MPG meter, allow it to go up towards 100, lightly accelerate and let it drop down a little, then release and let it reach as close to 100 again. For the most part I try to coast as much as possible. Auto-Stop seems to work most of the time, but not always (about 85% of the time?). I'm still getting used to driving the HCHII, but I'm not sure how to work together with the Charge-Assist meter to optimize gas mileage... anyone have any additional tips? Is the Cruise control really that much more effecient and would it help with the gas milegae?
Are you sure you're not driving with the parking brake on??
As everyone has said, your charge/assist sounds fine. The fact that you are only getting a few bars of assist tells us that you are accelerating gently. Your FCD sounds like it's doing what it should be.
Tell us this; what is your average trip distance? What has a typical temperature been during an average trip? Have you tried resetting Trip B (or Trip A) for single trips? If so, how long are the trips and what is it telling you? Do you see it increase towards the end of the trip (after the engine warms up?) Have you checked your tire pressure? What is it? Does anything else seem out of whack - really odd noises, bumps, grinds, etc.? I'm fishing now....
btw, if you haven't seen this yet, it is a MUST READ:
https://www.greenhybrid.com/learn/ar...fficiency.html
Last edited by toast64; 04-15-2006 at 04:55 PM. Reason: A few corrections, one addition
#26
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Originally Posted by toast64
Are you sure you're not driving with the parking brake on??
#27
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Originally Posted by TheOcean
I also just recently checked my tire pressure, which I never thought of doing b/c I figured it would come with the right pressure from the factory since it's a new car (got it with 10 miles), and it turns out they were majorly overinflated! They were at 46psi, while the tires max rating is 44, and optimal pressure is stated as 32. I deflated them to 32-33, hopefully I should see some improvement now.
Please read the threads here about optimal tire inflation. Higher is better, up to your personal comfort level of course, and I have seen 46 as a recommended figure for this car. If anything you're likely to see worse mileage now, not better.
#28
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
Originally Posted by tarabell
Uh oh. The duck just came down, as Groucho used to say.
Please read the threads here about optimal tire inflation. Higher is better, up to your personal comfort level of course, and I have seen 46 as a recommended figure for this car. If anything you're likely to see worse mileage now, not better.
Please read the threads here about optimal tire inflation. Higher is better, up to your personal comfort level of course, and I have seen 46 as a recommended figure for this car. If anything you're likely to see worse mileage now, not better.
#29
Re: My 06 Civic Hybrid getting horrendous mileage!
I read through the thread again and I couldn't find any information about how long your average trip is, TheOcean. Can you tell us a little about your daily driving habits (assuming I'm not just being thick and missed that part)? To give you an idea of how important that is, today I drove less than 2 miles on my lunch break (which I hate doing) and logged barely 20mpg in my Accord. The morning 5 mile commute was not even 29mpg and that was a struggle. On my longer (100mi+) highway trips, the same car is capable of 40mpg and above.