Hi Folks,

Been a while since I logged in here! Anyways, it has been 4000 miles since I acquired my 2006 Civic Hybrid and it has been an interesting ride so far.

Overall, I am very happy with the car's performance and MPG. However, here in upstate NY, the winter has pretty much ruined my MPGs! I was getting around 40 MPG consistently right up to thanksgiving. Now, I consider myself lucky even if I get 30 MPG!

Is the winter really this harsh on a hybrid? I switched to 93 Octane fuel, and soon discovered that this actually further reduces the mpg. I was curious about how much the other hybrid owners get during the harsh winter period.

Thanks!

 

Yes between using more accessories, the low temperature effect on the IMA batteries, the winter blend of fuel and the added friction of pushing through the snow and slush your mileage will drop considerably.

The thing to remember is that this will happen in ANY vehicle, regardless of whether it's a hybrid or not. You probably just notice it more in the hybrid because you are generally paying more attention to MPG's than you did in a non-hybrid.

Having said that one thing I did notice is that the winter effect is larger in my CVT equipped Insight than in my manual shift Civic hybrid.

A couple things you could try would be higher tire pressure and using the AC (for defrosting) as little as possible. I prefer to turn the AC off and crack a window to reduce fogging, when possible.

Be safe....

 

All the above and make sure the pressure is where you want it. Cold means low pressures. H

 

Try the things that msantos talks about in his "A Hybrid Owner’s winter survival guide".

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17560

 

Thanks for the link starman... It was really useful!

I was curious if any one of you have tried the foam pipe blocking technique. I placed an order for such kind of insulation and am quite eager to try it out.

If any of you guys have tried this out, please share the results! Thanks!

 

Most hardware stores carry the foam insulation. I put mine in in Dec.. I totally block it. On warmer days I just switch over the the temperature gauge now and then to keep a eye on things.You should be OK up to about 60 deg.. This allows the car to warm up much faster.H

 

Ditto that.

To the OP -- indeed, colder temps have a dramatic effect on my HCH II's city MPG, especially for short drives. And it's understandable, really ... Practically every car takes a hit on MPG in winter due to reasons mentioned by other posters on this thread but on the HCH II this effect is magnified because of how the MPG is much higher to start with compared to a typical car.

I do a lot of 3-5 mile trips ... the temperature gauge hardly hits warm (9 bars) by the time I reach my destination. The effect of winter on my MPG is roughly as follows:

HW driving at nominal speeds of 55-63 mph -- 54 mpg (or higher) down to 48-52 mpg in winter

City driving, more than 5 miles one way, with at least some parts of uninterrupted driving -- 47-50 mpg down to 44-47mpg in winter

City driving, LESS than 5 miles one way, and/or with not too much uninterrupted driving (because of lights, stop signs) -- 43-46 mpg down to 36-39mpg in winter!!!

 

Arvind, good info. Seems to be a 10-15 percent ding, in your case. Unsure where you live — how cold is winter in your area?

 

I live in Spokane Wa. winter is taking about a 15% toll on my mileage, I am using the foam blocks in the grill, I drive about 8 miles to work...I usually have auto stop within 2 miles @45, 5 miles @20 and all bets are off when it gets close to 0....

 

Steven, I live in south-central Indiana. Moderate winters when you compare with Canadian or North Eastern winters but we do have some cold months, and snow dumps from time to time.

The moment the outside temps hit around 35-40 F, AND there is no moisture, the car behaves differently! I tend to have my tires at around 38-40 psi as opposed to the much recommended 44. Especially in the cold even that feels quite bumpy, and I tend to worry about a tire mishap.

Our car is also 3+ years old now ... not sure how good the 12V is any more (the blue ring still shows up but then I've read on these forums how I'd have to do a load test) - I might stop by Auto Zone or some place like that to get it load-tested.

Cheers! -ag