That's why I said "out of" gas guzzler status. I've had several corvettes including a 6-speed LS1 and the final drive ratio and 1-4 skip shift (CAGS) are how Chevy helps it stay relatively fuel efficient. On the highway, they can be good on gas. In the city, however, your mileage really drops if you don't use the 1-4 skip shift. If you aren't going around 1900 RPM in first, it'll force you into 4th gear and the only reason is for fuel efficiency because this is a very annoying feature -- one that is usually owner disabled by installing a CAGS eliminator.
As with anything, your mileage may vary.

 

I agree with many things on this thread. Here's what I've found that helps me with my mpg (5-speed):

1) I agree with anuckols. If you upshift to the highest gear when not asking too much from the engine, you'll get better mpg, and the car will just lope along.
2) Use the hacks for the ability to turn off the A/C and enable economy mode (auto-stop) when in defrost mode.
3) Keep your tires inflated to at least 38 psi.
4) Rain will definitely cause more friction to overcome, lowering your mpg.
5) Wind plays an important role. Remember, a 10 mph headwind means your car feels like it's going 70 mph when the speedo reads 60; that will deacrease your mpg.
6) Of course, try to maximize regen when you can, and come to a stop slowly in traffic; if you can play it right (and there's not a lot of people behind you), you can sometimes still be moving when the traffic starts moving in front of you.
7) *Keep the car in lean-burn as long as possible.* This is a big key. In the 5-speed, it goes something like this: you're going up a slight grade on the highway. The FCD shows 40 mpg. Let off the gas a little until the FCD reads 60. Slowly press the gas, and if the car is warmed up (and the outside temp is above 50 or so), the assist will kick in, even with the FCD at 50-56 mpg. I can actually slowly accelerate up the hill, using less gas than before (at 40 mpg), until the car must leave lean-burn to burn off the excess bad gasses that build-up in lean-burn mode. Then I repeat the process. This can be done at any time, but it's more noticeable on uphill grades.
8) If you're accelerating, watch the FCD a few times. See when the assist kicks in, and whether or not the FCD continues to decrease as the assist increases. This is where the game is played for me. If the FCD doesn't decrease much or at all while the assist increases, you're using more battery to accelerate. This is acceptable to a point. The question is, how much battery will I use, and will I be able to replace it with braking (regen) or a downhill grade? Why not use the electric assist when you can, when you know you can replace it (and it's not costing you more gas to use it)? When this is mastered, you can truly maximize the relationship between the gas engine and the electric motor. Of course, the game changes depending on your location and the traffic. Therefore, I know from my almost 2 years of experience what gear/speed I can use more electric assist. The question I ask myself while I'm driving is -- will I have time to replenish what I'm using? If not, I'll drop a gear and use the gas now rather than later, saving the battery for a time when it'll do more good.
9) Don't carry more weight in the car than you have to. (Specifically the trunk)
10) If it's possible, anticipate hills and valleys. If the traffic allows, let the car speed up a little on the downhill, so you can use some of that momentum on the uphill. Cruise control doesn't do this, so I frequently find that I do better than the cruise control in the mpg area.
11) In the winter, when the outside air temp is below 40 and the car is warm, turn off the heater fan when coming to a stop. The car will then enter auto-stop.

These are a few of the things that I do that help my mpg. Check my tank data; you'll see it helps. Anyone else?

Mark

 

Mark,
I like the explanation in #7, about lean burn. It's one of those techniques I use driving my 5 speed Insight, but sometimes is hard to explain to others.

 

One of the most frustrating things with CVT is that Assist only comes on below 40MPG. I'll be burning 45MPG up a small incline with 95% full battery not being used.
It usuall comes on at 38MPG and sometimes I can carry it up to 40 but not always.

On some hills I'll have assist "locked" in at 38MPG and seemingly should be able to ride all the way up in that condition without a problem.
But suddenly the CVT will adjust to a VERY low gear evidenced by an "aircraft engine windup" sound and RPM's rise to about 3K.
All at the same time the Assist will drop out and MPG drops to about 34.

So there I am in mid- hill with NO Assist and burning 34MPG and I'm slowing down. While just previously happily going at 40MPG with assist.
If I add acceleration then SOME assist comes on at about 30MPG.
This happens on larger hills but sometimes happens on smaller hills too.

Honda has checked this issue and says it is normal.
Not sure if just another Honda "I don't know" or if it's really normal.
I've pretty much gotten around the issue by hitting the base of hills faster.

For that reason I'll be sorry until 10 years from now that I didn't get the 5-speed.
2014 is the year my old HCH will retire.
Thanks
Steve

 

Steve,

This may be a difference between the 5-speed and the CVT. I believe you are experiencing lean-burn. It seems to me that you're in lean-burn mode when you get your 45 mpg on the hill, and when you get your assist at 40. Then, as the gases build up, your CVT comes out of lean burn to purge the system. This would be when you drop to 30 or so. After 5-10 seconds, you should be able to let up on the gas a little, and enter lean-burn mode again. It's a cycle.

The 5-speed seems to be more efficient in this area possibly. I, too, find that I normally get assist around 40. But if I press the accelerator slowly, I can sometimes get assist at higher-than-40 mpgs, particularly on hills.

Maybe a tire pressure or alignment issue as well?

Mark

 

Mark and Steve,

I, too, only get electrical assist below 40 mpg (my HCH is a
CVT as well). I've tried other things on both steep and gradual
hills such as pressing on the gas "forcefully" when my mpg is
above 40 mpg or so. At this point, I get the electrical assist
quickly, the FCD stays where it is for only a fraction of a second,
then immediately drops to below 40 mpg.

On gradual climbs, the assist utilization is about 1/4 while the FCD
is around 35 to 40 mpg. On steep climbs, if I try to stay speed
limit (60 mph in some cases), I end up with the FCD showing
around 20 mpg. At this point the assist is in either 1/2 or full utilization.

Lately, I've gone ahead and forced full assist on steep climbs
since it doesn't affect MPG in this state. Whether I use 1/2 or
full assist, the FCD stays at 20mpg on these steep hills at 60mph.

I figure if the FCD doesn't change on these steep Colorado hills,
I might as well use the electric motor as much as possible and
regain my mpg (and battery charge) on the next downhill. I
don't know if my theory is good or not, though. Any comments?

jinno

 

I completely agree on your last point, jinno, which was tip #8 in my list, I believe. You stated it a bit clearer, however.

Regarding the lean-burn and when the assist starts to kick in, that may have to do with RPM and gear selection differences between the 5 speed and CVT.

Obviously, in the 5 speed, you choose which gear ratio you want to use. The 5 speed, I believe, has a higher top gear than the CVT. Therefore, I can't get as much torque in 5th as the CVT at 60 mph. When I press the gas, the electric motor could help out more, because the gas engine isn't in its peak power range, unlike the CVT, which tries to keep the gas engine running at rpm's that keep it in the power range.

The computer, then, must sense this, thus the differences as to when you get the assist.

Mark

 

Thanks for the replies on the CVT shifting habits.
It was one of those Honda service rep's "Everything is working normally"
but still leaves you wondering.

Well...even though it is working normally I still wish I had
the control that a 5 speed offers!
Guess I shouldn't complain too much as our cars get booh-koos better
MPG than almost everything else on the road.
Thanks again
Steve

 

I bought a 2004 HCH in October. I've been disappointed with the fuel economy for two reasons. 1) EPA ratings suggest that the HCH should get at least 41 mpg and I'm only getting a fairly consistent 37.5 (with not quite 5,000 miles). 2) I have always gotten better than EPA ratings with every car I've owned. Granted, all my previous cars were standards and the HCH is CVT (my bad knee can't handle the clutch anymore). Still, I expected the CVT to do better than a traditional automatic, and I expected the EPA ratings to be based on the type of transmission installed. So I should be doing better.

OTOH, I've read many tips here that I need to try. ("Game gauge" -- cute, guys ) I live in a MD suburb of DC and drive a mix of local and "highway" roads. I'm going to a wedding in Ohio over Memorial Day weekend, however, so I'll see what kind of "pure" highway mpg I get.

I've noticed two major effects on mpg: cruise control (good) and a/c (horrible). No surprises there. BTW, the a/c fan stays on and the engine goes on standby at a stop, if econ is also on; the cooling noticeably dimishes, however. I've also noticed that my manual calculation of mpg/tank is always lower than the FCD indicates, sometimes by as much as 20%. (I do use Trip A for miles per tank and B for miles per trip.) (I acquired the habit of tracking mpl (liter) in Germany, in the '70s, during the 1st oil crisis.)

I'm puzzled by the comments about "warming up the engine"; when is this necessary and how "warm" is warmed up? Obviously, it's not as necessary in warm weather (summers here seem to be as bad as Chicago, Houston and Indiana), but the dealer dismissed the "old fashioned" notion of idling for awhile before driving off, and I didn't find any mention of it in the manual.

Thanks, y'all Hank

 

TLH,
Thanks for your post.
I admit that I take this MPG to the extreme and get consistant 53 to almost 64MPG.
Yes it is a game that I play and the guage plays a major part.

Today I just filled my tank and wanted to see what the car would "normally" do.
I turned both my trip meters off and hopped onto the freeway and set the cruise control
at the speed limit of 70MPH.
This freeway is long 1-3 mile 2K ft inclines and short downhills.
After 10 miles the average FCD was only 48!

So I shut that crazy cruise control off and by the end of my trip landed at 56MPG.
Cruise control was burning an extra 8MPG.
(I'm not going to do that again if I can help it!)
Just a friendly suggestion:
If you are getting better MPG using the cruise control then perhaps some driviing
modifications may help.

You might also have the dealer check front end alignment.
I also run my tires at a higher PSI.

Thanks
Steve