Thanks Eric.
I have a new 04 HCH CVT. (Not the Insight)

It replaced a 1994 Dodge Spirit 4cyl with 160K miles that got max 23MPG.
The car was wrecked and repaired twice, the repaint was old and peeling off,
inside was dirty, stalled out, loud exhaust etc etc. You get the picture.

90% of the time I drove it 80-85MPG in the Left lane trying to get past the car ahead. Generally got 16-18MPG. Tried to slow down to curve my gasoline bill but that only lasted a couple of weeks. It was just too boring.

I knew I'd have to replace my old car soon and wanted to help my gasoline bill.
The replacement had to be really extra nice, not a cheap Focus, Echo etc.
Being a husband and father of 3 small kids and my past driving habbits I knew if I got a regular ICE car that soon I'd be back in the old habbits.

It's not very smart to be swerving traffic, pushing the car ahead of you and going 85 miles per hour in a subcompact. (Or really any vehicle)
I wanted to change how I drive, have fun at it in a car that is designed specifically for outstanding MPG.

The paticular hills I mentioned are 4 lanes wide and currently in a construction zone with posted limit of 55 so I let it drift down lower.

The top is an almost flat incline, then is a good mile downhill run to another 2 mile flat incline, then a more severe hill that's a mile long. Right after that I exit and can take a parallel highway.
The highway home is about 19 miles long and is generally downhill and can maintain 82 on the FCD much of the way. Zero traffic.
Last night I REALLY worked at it and somehow I only lost .8 MPG by the time I reached the exit so I guess I'm doing OK. Perhaps tonight I can do .5 !

My commute in my old car CC locked in at 85 straight freeway took 50 minutes.
I could lock CC in at the speed limits and make it home in an hour.
My current drive takes me home in about 1hr 15 minutes.

I don't mind the extra few minutes cuz I truly enjoy playing this mileage game.
I don't usually even have the radio on so I can get a better sence of what the car is doing.
Driving my old style was really very intense wondering if I'll get a ticket, smack a deer, frantically trying to find away around the "JERK" in front of me etc etc.

My drive now is also intense but not in the same way as before.
With so many variables, adjustments to make, gauges to monitor and the ever present wack-ohs who drive 85 MPG (Hey wait a minute!) there is plenty to do.

Sounds like alot of work to some who are reading this.
Perhaps so but but it's alot of fun and with the good work gets GREAT results.
Call it a hobby or a sport, no one can deny that more than 700 miles on a tankful of 13 gallons of gas is more than AWESOME!

I knew that I was willing to give up my old habbits but needed more than just slower speed to occupy my time.

Eric, I'm sure you know what I mean. B)
Thanks
Steve

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT