Hi everybody! I'm not a Hybrid owner yet (the Prius was a bit out of my price range) but I consider myself to be a bit more "green" conscious than the average Joe. Last summer I bought myself a used 2002 Accord Coupe with the ULEV 4-cyl and 5-speed manual. I've been training myself to drive it as efficiently as possible with pretty good results, considering the pure IC drivetrain. Winter really gets me down, as my average MPG is only in the 26-28 range in mixed driving. Warmer weather, all-season tires, and a spring tuneup ought to put me back in the 30-32mpg in town, 35-37mpg highway range that I recorded last summer. I have recorded the stats on every tank of gas since purchase so I figured I would start posting numbers on the database here, too.

A little about me. I graduated from college in '04 with a mechanical engineering degree. Two summers plus my senior year were dedicated to IC engine research. Aspects of that research included work on an optically accessible research engine with prototype gasoline direct-injection systems, development of a hydrogen fuel injection system for students at my school to use, and participation in the development of a new IC engine lab that my advisor has been building at my college. I'm no expert in the field but I truly enjoyed the work and learned quite a bit about the field. Since graduation I have been drifting in the nuke industry. I have an appreciation for nuclear energy but I can't say that it really gets the blood flowing like automotive research did. Really gotta figure out my future...

I better cut this post off before it gets any longer. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to adding whatever I can do the discussion!

Tim

 

Thanks for joining- sounds like you can contribute a good deal of nuts&bolts-type knowledge for everyone.

You're doing well in the Accord- read the tutorials here and get a feel for some techniques, 90% of which are applicable for non-hybrids too (hint: coasting). Just by driving gently you have solved a lot of the challenge already.

 

Welcome to GreenHybrid. Look up a member named Xcel. 1) he works in nuke plant, 2) he drives a pzev (non-hybrid) accord and his lifetime average is about 50mpg.

 

Good lord. 50MPG is unreal for a non-hybrid Accord...nay, any Accord! And his name is so familiar. Thanks for the heads-up!

And thanks for the warm welcome!

 

one word of caution- Xcel uses some extreme (to many) techniques that many write off as impractical. And they are certainly not for everyone, but man do they get results!