Heya,
I have had my '04 Insight for about a year and a half but just found this forum. I have a bunch of questions.

1) Despite some talk on this and other forums about the 2006 Insight, my dealer insist there will not be a 2006 Insight. I have looked online and search the Honda website for any credible info on the 2006 Insight. Honda has made announcements regarding the 2006 Civic, but not any of it's other cars. Anyone have any credible info one way or the other?

If there is not going to be a 2006 Insight I am going to buy an extra set of tires. I don't even want to think what replacement parts might cost, especially third party specialized one like those Bridgestone Potenza tires they need.

2) The vast majority of the time I am driving, my batteries are full. Now, it seems to me that the batteries always being full probably isn't optimal. How can they take more charge is they are always full? Is there some setting that can be tweaked?

3) I had the horrid factory speakers taken out and replaces with good ones, by Eclipse Audio. They were good at first, but I have having trouble keeping them in balance. I am getting some buzzing in the treble. Anyone else had problems with the speakers?

4) I live in Oregon, land of rain and not being able to pump my own gas. The manual says to not ever top off your tank. I don't think that' actually good for any car. Anyone know if it especially bad for the Insight? Almost every place here tops off as much as they can, even if you tell them not to. I have finally managed to train one place not to. How concerned should I really be?

5) Speaking of Oregon and rain, I have have my tired siped to increase traction. I have always abused all my cars horribly and they need a minimum amount of traction to handle me. (Siping is putting cuts in the tire to break up the tread to increase traction and life of the tire) The extra traction makes a huge difference to me when driving at highway speeds around curves in the rain. It has been said to me that my messing with the tire will drop my fuel effeciency. My current rate is 46.1, but I drive alot, drive fast, run the AC alot and have a tendency to use the care to carry heavy loads like building materials. Personally, I will take the extra traction over a small percent of fuel effeciency. Does anyone know if it really makes a difference?

Thanks,
Rathany

 

Hi Rathany:

___I will try and help …

1. I wouldn’t wait in line at my local Honda dealer to order one if I were you. You might be dead and buried by the time one arrives … Honda has not said they will kill it off but chances are that a 6 year old thoroughbred hybrid selling in the hundreds per year and losing tens of thousands per copy will not be on top of Honda’s “refresh” list let alone their “let it continue” list.

2. 19 bars is optimal imho. It shows you are using the pack minimally which is not only excellent for your FE, it should also improve your packs longevity. Some have mentioned that an exercise maybe 2X’s per year is best but that is up to you. In terms most can understand, go climb a mountain in third, fourth, or fifth until you see 10 bars and then back the hell off and bring her back to her more normal 19 bars once to twice a year. I wouldn’t do it but many have posted that this is the optimal way to exercise a hybrid pack like the Insight’s when it is not really used, let alone stressed.

3. The Insight’s head unit and speakers truly suck and I am being kind It would be best if you swapped out the whole mess. Do not go overboard with AMP draw either as it is supplied from the Pack to the 12V via inverter. It can cost you a small amount of FE but it’s the continuous draw I would be concerned about over the years. Tbaleno’s has a kick @$$ setup in his HCH and has installed a 12 V gauge viewable from the driver position. You can watch the V drop off just like your FE would drop when sitting at idle on a short non-warmed up drive in mid-winter

4. I have been topping off for years even though it’s supposed to cost you your first born. I still have my first born intact and have never had a problem I also always drove her to the limits of range so a fill was really a fill. I wouldn’t be too concerned because those attendants in Oregon are never going to ever get into your Insight’s vapor recovery HW with their std. fill techniques. The pump shutoff will hold you from ever receiving a true top off.

5. A 46 lmpg? Are you serious? Siping helps with traction but a different tire is probably what you are looking for instead. The RE92’s are great LRR tires but are not anything one would describe as road holding capable in the dry and especially in the wet. Your FE will tank even further if you swap to a higher traction tire but if your pushing the Insight’s road holding on roads with cliffs and ravines, I would be using something completely different!

___Question for you … How do you hold a 19 bar SoC given you must be into the IMA mightily at each and every acceleration to have a 46 lmpg?

___Given your locale, you might want to hook up with Kayakwill. He is a very astute and knowledgeable about the Insight and has a few 100 mpg segments under his belt. I hope he can pass you a few pointers …

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Heya Wayne,
Ok, I think I understood most of that after consulting the glossary.
My battery is rarely ever a bar down. I don't know why. It always seemed to me that it should drop sometimes. As I said, if it's always fully charged how can it absord all the excess power from the engine?
I'd like to get it looked at by someone who actually knows hybrids. The dealer I bought from didn't know much about hybrids or thier "constant velocity transmissions". (His words, not mine) When I took it back to the same dealership for an oil change the service department's response was "You want me to work on what? Why don't you take it to whoever sold it to you?"
I don't know if the 46.1 is lifetime or current. I need to re-read the car's manual.
I talked to several places about alternate tires for the Insight, but 2 Les Schwabs and the Dealer told me there is only one tire the Insight can use. My current traction is good. I don't want to swap tires right now unless the siping is having a huge impact, but I doubt it since the MPG when I bought it read less than 50 and is usually around 48. I really think I have some sort of battery issue, but am at a loss for how to adress it. I took my car to the other major area Honda dealership for an oil change and service and they found nothing wrong with the car.

As for IMA, I am rarely over 1/3 of the bars when accelerating. I don't know if that's alot. I find that Su acclerates better if I don't floor it. (Su is my car's name, short for Sulev). I start with light pressure on the pedal and increase as she picks up speed.

I do want a good sound system in there, but not at the cost of hurting FE. My upgraded speakers have the same draw as the factory ones, but they did need to take out material from inside my door to make tham fit.

I'll ask Kayakwill to see if he knows a good place to service an Insight. There are at least 6 other Insight owners in this town. 2 other Blue '04s, a Red '04, a Green '03 or earlier, and a Silver '05.

Thanks for your help.

 

Hi Rathany,

At first I thought -- how odd. You won't add audio that might affect FE, but are a terror going around corners and slash your tyres. Then I remembered how my wife looks for grips when a corner is approaching, and the kids yell "weeeeeeeeeeeeeee" !

Cheers -- Eric