I have been doing so well. I have driven the car on my normal 80 mile round trip commute and have gotten the average MPG up as high as 52.9. I was sooo close to getting 53 that I could taste it. Then, along comes the last leg of my commute home, a nice LONG hill. Goodbye 53 MPG, hello 52.7.

Any pointers for getting up hills at the posted speed limit while still keeping some of my fuel economy?

I am pretty sure I have nearly reached the peak MPG that my commute will allow me to get, I just want to see what I can really get without drafting semi-trucks and coasting down hills. No offense to those who choose this route for extended MPG, I just find it to be a sacrifice in safety for the sake of a couple of MPG.

Also, for those who recall my air filter thread, I have been in contact with the good folks at K&N to see what we can come up with. I have volunteered to prototype/test one of their filters for the HCH II and will report any finding whether they are good or not. I have yet to hear back regarding the prototype/test proposal though so we shall see.

 

The hill I live on alone (one of many I drive over) costs me almost 10% per tank as I have a fairly short commute, and a very rough hill climb (lots of stops). The main thing I woudl suggest for maintaining reasonable peeds on the hill is to begin to accelerate briskly before you reach the hill, then hold the throttle position steady or very gradually ease off. On the flat stretch before you begin the climb, the motor should kick in hard for just a second, enough to pick up some speed. Then, as you're climbing, RPM should stay fairly constant, but the CVT will lower the ratio, and you'll slowly lose speed until you reach the top. This is much better than trying to maintain the same speed by adjusting the throttle on the way up, as you will probably end up winding out the engine to some inefficient RPM. This method should keep the engine running at a more efficient load. You will find you lose speed on the steeper parts, but pick some back up on shallower sections. You may need to "feather" the gas pedal to get the CVT to adjust the ratios as this goes on.

 

Hills cost, Either mpg or speed. In my Civic ex I drive with load but manage it. I dont let it pull me down to nothing. So I do try and keep a very slow and positive acclerate to maintain some speed. Then on the down side as the car starts picking speed back off I ever so slightly ease off the gas pedal. Or go to a FAS.

Hills just take a toll... And you will pay the toll if you dont work them.

Good luck with the filter.

psy

 

My entire commute is moderately hilly. Most of it is rolling hills that I gather speed going down one side and let that speed carry me up the next one. This has proven pretty effective as I can maintain 100 MPG (according to the guage) while increasing speed significantly (from 60/65 to 70/75) while going down hill and if my foot stays in the exact same position, I can usually make it to the top of the next one without getting below 50 MPG. But this hill does not have the advantage of coming off of a down hill run.

I guess I will just have to live with it. I was just so excited about the prospect of seeing 53 MPG that it really got to me this time as opposed to the other times where I figure I should just take the good with the bad.

As they say, life is full of little disappointments

 

Tylers65,

If you really want to reach that 53. You may have to make some sacrifices. Before that though try the following:
1. Increase tire pressure slightly
2. Lose any excess weight eg. golf clubs, wife (just kidding)
3. Cheat a bit more (MPH going down hills)

If this doesn't help you could try slowing down 5 MPH.

I have found that besides driving techniques and weather (rain & temperature) - the speed you drive makes a big difference in your MPG. I used to get in the low 40's in the winter. Now I'm getting tanks of 55-58 MPG. I'm coasting more, and the temps are higher. Good luck!

 

When climbing hills I try to keep the instantaneous mpg readings to around 25/30. Like the other drivers have suggested, feather the gas pedal and try to find that "happy" medium. I find that on steeper hills that it is simply better to get the car into a lower gear, get the rpm's up, and then feather back on the gas. That gets me the power to climb and still maintain 25/30 while going uphill. At least that is balanced by the 75/100 mpg on the descent. I also tell myself that getting 25/30 mpg while going up a hill is better than most cars will ever get!
Good luck in your pursuit of 53mpg. Maybe I'll get there someday!

 

I have already increased my tire pressure from the 37 PSI it had when I got it to 42 PSI. The max is 44 PSI.

There is no extra weight to lose in the car as it is empty except for me and I only weigh 165 LBS with not a lot of room for weight loss.

In Washington State, the average driving speed on the freeway is between 70 and 75. I already feel like I am taking my life into my own hands by travelling at 60. If I slow down 5 MPH, I would likely start getting shot at by these idiots around here.

I was finally able to get to the magic 53 MPG that I desired. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get it above that. It would seem I have reached the limit (for the time being). I seem to do better in the afternoon than in the morning so we shall see if I can breach 53 and get better.

 

Yeah you just have to let your speed drop to as low as you can tolerate.

Hills suck.

 

The annoying thing is that when I get the RPMs high and then ease off the pedal, I get several bars of regen even though I'm still climbing a steep hill. It's the worst time to get regen. I'd rather deplete the battery charge as much as possible (within the battery preservation limits) going uphill, because I know there will be plenty of regen opportunity when I come back down.

 

I too have noticed this issue. So far (and I am still trying to get the hang of this car) I counter the random uphill regen with giving the car a little more gas. In my mind, I would rather lose MPG in what I feel to be a productive way than to lose speed and MPG so the batteries can be charged when they really did not need it in the first place.

So far, I cannot complain though as I am getting 53 MPG. I really should not complain at all when I see others getting 44 MPG or there abouts. Heck, when I bought the car, I calculated what my monthly savings would be based on only getting 48 MPG as I did not want to give myself a false sense of security.