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