Hi Delta_Flyer:

___I think you are describing an IMA “reset”, not what we commonly refer to as a “Reboot”.

Battery SoC Reset Procedure

___A reboot as Lakedude is intimately familiar with is just a portion of a hypermileage technique known as a “Forced Autostop”. At speed, drop your automobile into neutral, when the idle stabilizes, turn the key back to shut down the ICE and forward again after a second or so to “reboot” the cars electronics but do not restart it. This brings the electrics back on line with the ICE off. Run in this ICE coast free mode with your displays keeping track of FE, miles traveled, odometer updating, NAVI position, whatever etc. until you again need propulsion. At that time, you restart the ICE, engage the transmission, and apply accelerator until you hit the target speed of your choosing.

___In all cars I have performed a “Forced Autostop” in, they have had vacuum to run the power brakes for upwards of 5 minutes. Some less then others but by that time, you should be traveling so slow that power brake assist is not needed. If you were in an ICE off - coast free mode when coming down a mountain for example, I would be a bit concerned as to the length of time I was in this condition attempting to apply brakes every so often to control speed. Power brakes can come in very handy in that condition as you can well imagine!

___Solardad, try this out for your own education. At the top of a long hill, reset one of your trip meters and coast ICE off to the bottom. You should show 120 mpg in the display when stopped at the bottom. Thanks Tbaleno for letting me know the HCH’s display maximum. Now start your car and let it idle while still stopped at the bottom of the hill. Watch what happens when the FE algorithm sees less then 120 mpg over whatever distance you just free coasted. The FCD will fall from 120 mpg like a stone! Afterwards, you will realize what even an idling ICE vs. ICE off can do to ones overall FE.

___Vader, if you by chance happened to see someone heading up from behind at fast enough speed to hit you from behind, your best evasion tactic is to the maintenance lane as you are more then likely toast if you think the decision to accelerate, the act of pushing the pedal, and then accelerating away is going to save you from a vehicle traveling far faster then you are … The safest bet is to always head for the maintenance lane under power or not. 3X’s in the Insight with the ICE running if that helps. The other was while sitting at a stop light when a drunk creamed the wife and I from behind at 50 + mph … The 87 Mercury Sable did not fair to well but it gave its life for ours!

___AZCivic, once this technique becomes second nature, you will not be thinking about anything but driving to avoid the crazies. Do you have to think about pushing the accelerator, brake, or shifting gears to avoid the crazies when you drive now? Same thing except the key is involved. It is up to you if you want to use it or not during your daily routine.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

If anyone saw the video tips I uploaded can see the first 13-15 miles of basically staircased uphills. This same road at 3:00AM is completely abandoned. I've been doing more reboot experimenting on this and other stretches of road and is one explanation of my increased MPG. I found that I can roll freely for at least 6 miles across various places. Average speed in reboot is around 40MPH, max is about 48-50 and a couple of brief hill crests down between 25-30MPH.
The most I've had to deal with is the occasional pussum (They're called possums down here you know) wandering the road.

I can reboot and roll a few more miles right to my subdivision entrance.
If my car is not moving and the AutoStop does not activate in 10 seconds I reboot, day or night.
If anyone were to ride with me on my way home surely they'd find the technique rater odd, but cirtainly not dangerous by any means.

Sure, just like everything else could be used dangerously like skating down a mountainside but I don't hear that from any of us here.

 

When I have tried this in the past (and again tonight) on my CVT HCH, I have noticed that if you reboot and then try to start the car back up going about 20MPH (lets say you anticipated a stop light and were coasting and it changes to green before you get to it) the electric motor (or transmission) definatley drags. The car is in neutral when coasting and starting, but when I turn the key the car drops a few MPH like I was in gear (vs neutral) slowing down.

Has any one else noticed this? Is it only applicable to the CVT and not the MT?

 

Yes, I wouldn't restart going above 40MPH in a HCH CVT which is one reason I limit my speed.

 

I haven't noticed, but I'll be on the look out and let you know if I notice the same thing.

 

Well I was mainly referring to the distraction of having to look at the tach to rev-match the engine before engaging the clutch again. Yes, I realize it just takes a moment and isn't exactly difficult, but it does add a small additional step. Still, I tried maximum coasting tonight on my drive back from the corner gas station.

Normally putting through my neighborhood at 25mph in 3rd or 4th gear I'll see around 40-50mpg on the instant display on my ScanGauge and average 28-35mpg or so for the trip from the gas station to my driveway. Well, I decided to go for max FE and maximum coasting. Even with having to sit (and idle the engine) for a good 20 seconds at a red light waiting to make the left turn into my neighborhood, once I got to go, I ran it through the gears as quick as I could and got up to 30mph in maybe 300 feet or so.

I then coasted four tenths of a mile on the very, very slight downhill curved road back to my house. That's with one left turn and one right turn along the way too, both of which had no traffic at the time I pulled through. I did it with the engine at idle, so it's still pulling about 0.1 gallon/hour, but the bottom line was that I made it to my driveway still coasting at a little under 15mph. The ScanGauge showed 45.1mpg for that trip; about a 40-50% increase over what I normally manage! I was amazed by how far you can coast at very low speed with a minimal assisting slope. Even with leaving the engine on, this is a nice little trick to add to my bag. Now if we could just get some non-A/C weather here I'd be excited to see what I can do with all I've learned since last April.

 

Hi AZCivic:

___Now we’ve created a monster! Congrats on the excellent FE you received. I knew it was only a matter of time! Just wait until it cools off in Phoenix this winter and you will be killing all of us

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

I think Vader has a good point. I use the "reboot" all the time but not in a lot of traffic. If you are not comfortable with the technique you should not use it. It is even more dangerous in a non-hybrid car because you lose PS. It is a hypermiler fringe technique and I wouldn't want the average John Q Public driver using the idea and getting hurt.

As far as the ability to surge goes.....My Civic does not have much power in taller the taller gears so any surge would require a downshift. Since you need to be putting the car in a different gear anyway it would be just as fast to select the correct gear from neutral and instantly push start the car as it would to downshift out of 5th with a running car. During a "reboot" the ignition switch is left "ON" so the car starts up instantly if you put it in gear.

 

Hi Lakedude:

___At any speed > 10 mph, PS is not necessary in the least in a hybrid or non-hybrid automobile. Maybe a large truck but not in an Accord, Camry, Civic, Corolla, Ranger, etc. Been there, done that

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net