Honda Car Forum

Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> Another thing about hybrids. In the winter, when you want heat, and you are
> driving in the city, the engine comes on with the battery fully charged just
> to warm your toes and windshield. Mpg plummets to about 20, just like my
> Jeep.

The engine in the Honda hybrid runs almost any time the car is moving.
Winter makes no difference with that. In order for lack of heat to cause
the engine in the Civic to start from an idle stop... I don't think it
does, but I've never tested that. I don't recall it ever starting
unexpectedly.

Idle stop does not work if the defroster is on, so the engine will
run when the car is stopped, but it should still get better MPG under any
conditions than the 20MPG your Jeep gets on the highway. In order to drive
the MPG on a Honda Civic Hybrid to the 20's, you'd have to be stopped
more than moving, with the engine idling, for a very long time.

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

What mileage do you get? I went like 149 miles in my Civic HX, and I put a
little over three gallons in it. I live in the mountains too.

Earle

<dold@90.usenet.us.com> wrote in message news:f2crdu$ast$3@blue.rahul.net...
> Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> > Another thing about hybrids. In the winter, when you want heat, and you
are
> > driving in the city, the engine comes on with the battery fully charged
just
> > to warm your toes and windshield. Mpg plummets to about 20, just like
my
> > Jeep.
>
> The engine in the Honda hybrid runs almost any time the car is moving.
> Winter makes no difference with that. In order for lack of heat to cause
> the engine in the Civic to start from an idle stop... I don't think it
> does, but I've never tested that. I don't recall it ever starting
> unexpectedly.
>
> Idle stop does not work if the defroster is on, so the engine will
> run when the car is stopped, but it should still get better MPG under any
> conditions than the 20MPG your Jeep gets on the highway. In order to
drive
> the MPG on a Honda Civic Hybrid to the 20's, you'd have to be stopped
> more than moving, with the engine idling, for a very long time.
>
> --
> Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> What mileage do you get? I went like 149 miles in my Civic HX, and I put a
> little over three gallons in it. I live in the mountains too.

"like 149" and "a little over 3 gallons" might be 42mpg.
Anything less than several repeated trips of full tanks of gas doesn't
really mean much. What do you get over 1000 miles? For the life of the
car?

I get around 60mpg at 50 mph on rural roads.
On Interstate 5 at 80 mph with the A/C on, 42 mpg.

Typical freeway travel is 50-52; overall around here, no freeways, plenty
of hills, 45-47mpg.

The Civic HX is only a two door, so I wasn't interested in that body.
Do you have a 5 speed or the CVT automatic?
The CVT is only rated at 40mpg highway in 2004.

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

Manual. It looks like the same ball park, but you're doing better at 60
than I am. I get better than my neighbors with Subarus anyway. I have a
diary, but the price hasn't gotten high enough to count pennies, just yet.
60 mpg at 50 isn't bad, but I wonder if the regenerative braking in the
mountains really works. I have to go up, and down, and up, and down to get
to the grocery store 50 miles away.

Cheers,

Earle

<dold@90.usenet.us.com> wrote in message news:f2d2u2$kpp$1@blue.rahul.net...
> Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> > What mileage do you get? I went like 149 miles in my Civic HX, and I
put a
> > little over three gallons in it. I live in the mountains too.
>
> "like 149" and "a little over 3 gallons" might be 42mpg.
> Anything less than several repeated trips of full tanks of gas doesn't
> really mean much. What do you get over 1000 miles? For the life of the
> car?
>
> I get around 60mpg at 50 mph on rural roads.
> On Interstate 5 at 80 mph with the A/C on, 42 mpg.
>
> Typical freeway travel is 50-52; overall around here, no freeways, plenty
> of hills, 45-47mpg.
>
> The Civic HX is only a two door, so I wasn't interested in that body.
> Do you have a 5 speed or the CVT automatic?
> The CVT is only rated at 40mpg highway in 2004.
>
> --
> Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

That was 145 miles, 3.145 gallons for 46.1 mpg. The trip was from Aztec, NM
to Durango, CO to Silverton, CO and back to Durango. Aztec is at about
6,000 feet of altitude, Durango is 7,000 something, and Silverton is 9,138.
I crossed four mountain passes over 10,000 feet, well I crossed two of them
twice. That's not too shabby. A considerable amount of this time was spent
going downhill. I wonder how the regenerative braking and the weight of the
batteries affects all that.

One also has to consider the South Park factor. With the HX I don't feel a
compulsion to move to San Francisco and I don't enjoy the smell of my own
farts. If you don't watch Comedy Central you won't get this one.

Cheers,

Earle

"Earle Horton" <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote in message
news:464a137a$0$28261$a82e2bb9@reader.athenanews.c om...
> Manual. It looks like the same ball park, but you're doing better at 60
> than I am. I get better than my neighbors with Subarus anyway. I have a
> diary, but the price hasn't gotten high enough to count pennies, just yet.
> 60 mpg at 50 isn't bad, but I wonder if the regenerative braking in the
> mountains really works. I have to go up, and down, and up, and down to
get
> to the grocery store 50 miles away.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Earle
>
> <dold@90.usenet.us.com> wrote in message
news:f2d2u2$kpp$1@blue.rahul.net...
> > Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> > > What mileage do you get? I went like 149 miles in my Civic HX, and I
> put a
> > > little over three gallons in it. I live in the mountains too.
> >
> > "like 149" and "a little over 3 gallons" might be 42mpg.
> > Anything less than several repeated trips of full tanks of gas doesn't
> > really mean much. What do you get over 1000 miles? For the life of the
> > car?
> >
> > I get around 60mpg at 50 mph on rural roads.
> > On Interstate 5 at 80 mph with the A/C on, 42 mpg.
> >
> > Typical freeway travel is 50-52; overall around here, no freeways,
plenty
> > of hills, 45-47mpg.
> >
> > The Civic HX is only a two door, so I wasn't interested in that body.
> > Do you have a 5 speed or the CVT automatic?
> > The CVT is only rated at 40mpg highway in 2004.
> >
> > --
> > Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5
>
>

"Earle Horton" <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote in message
news:464a2821$0$28228$a82e2bb9@reader.athenanews.c om...
> That was 145 miles, 3.145 gallons for 46.1 mpg. The trip was from Aztec,
> NM
> to Durango, CO to Silverton, CO and back to Durango. Aztec is at about
> 6,000 feet of altitude, Durango is 7,000 something, and Silverton is
> 9,138.
> I crossed four mountain passes over 10,000 feet, well I crossed two of
> them
> twice. That's not too shabby. A considerable amount of this time was
> spent
> going downhill. I wonder how the regenerative braking and the weight of
> the
> batteries affects all that.
>
> One also has to consider the South Park factor. With the HX I don't feel
> a
> compulsion to move to San Francisco and I don't enjoy the smell of my own
> farts. If you don't watch Comedy Central you won't get this one.

Ah, the Toyonda Pious... the farts were a nice touch.

>
> Cheers,
>
> Earle
>
> "Earle Horton" <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote in message
> news:464a137a$0$28261$a82e2bb9@reader.athenanews.c om...
>> Manual. It looks like the same ball park, but you're doing better at 60
>> than I am. I get better than my neighbors with Subarus anyway. I have a
>> diary, but the price hasn't gotten high enough to count pennies, just
>> yet.
>> 60 mpg at 50 isn't bad, but I wonder if the regenerative braking in the
>> mountains really works. I have to go up, and down, and up, and down to
> get
>> to the grocery store 50 miles away.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Earle
>>
>> <dold@90.usenet.us.com> wrote in message
> news:f2d2u2$kpp$1@blue.rahul.net...
>> > Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
>> > > What mileage do you get? I went like 149 miles in my Civic HX, and I
>> put a
>> > > little over three gallons in it. I live in the mountains too.
>> >
>> > "like 149" and "a little over 3 gallons" might be 42mpg.
>> > Anything less than several repeated trips of full tanks of gas doesn't
>> > really mean much. What do you get over 1000 miles? For the life of
>> > the
>> > car?
>> >
>> > I get around 60mpg at 50 mph on rural roads.
>> > On Interstate 5 at 80 mph with the A/C on, 42 mpg.
>> >
>> > Typical freeway travel is 50-52; overall around here, no freeways,
> plenty
>> > of hills, 45-47mpg.
>> >
>> > The Civic HX is only a two door, so I wasn't interested in that body.
>> > Do you have a 5 speed or the CVT automatic?
>> > The CVT is only rated at 40mpg highway in 2004.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5
>>
>>
>
>

Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> Manual. It looks like the same ball park, but you're doing better at 60
> than I am. I get better than my neighbors with Subarus anyway. I have a
> diary, but the price hasn't gotten high enough to count pennies, just yet.
> 60 mpg at 50 isn't bad, but I wonder if the regenerative braking in the
> mountains really works. I have to go up, and down, and up, and down to get
> to the grocery store 50 miles away.

Up and down will regen fine. The battery tends to "fill" on long grades,
and the regen no longer works, so you are left with just compression
braking (deliberately disabled by idle-cylinder VTEC) and brakes, but it
doesn't take much acceleration to get the regen working again.

I tend to hold speed without brakes better than most cars on downslopes of
a few miles.

I've heard, and believe it would be true for me, that Civic hybrids with the
CVT get better mileage than the 5 speeds, because people don't keep the RPM
low enough with the manual transmission. 60mph is about 2100 RPM.
Accelerating casually from 0-30 in the city the engine might not exceed
1500RPM. No lugging.


--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

Earle Horton <earle@angloburgues.usa> wrote:
> That was 145 miles, 3.145 gallons for 46.1 mpg. The trip was from Aztec, NM

One fillup of 3 gallons has too much room for operator error or thermal
differences. I got 28MPG in my Mazda Rx-2 once. 160 miles, 5.7 gallons.
It never happened again, although I am _sure_ I did that fillup correctly
.... or not.

> If you don't watch Comedy Central you won't get this one.

I watch Comedy Central, but I missed that show.

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5