Hi All:

___I hope I can add something to the discussion although I do not own an HCH.

___I have a saw tooth 250’ climb out with a few 20 - 50’ drops in between over ~ 5 miles from the toll booth at I295 and I55 here in Chicago to Lemont Road on I55. With that, I never use assist except for initial acceleration from the toll booth if there is traffic at the toll gate. 4 bars is my own maximum limit of 20 bars available in the Insight 5-speed. Assist simply isn’t intended for long climbs but for acceleration from a stop or slow speeds and emergencies imho. In other words, use the ICE for climbing all by itself is my idea of maximum fuel economy through a climb. For the first climb of ~ 100’ in ½ - ¾ of a mile after the toll gate, I slowly accelerate up to ~ 40 miles per hour (merging speed onto I55) and stick there to the first peak just as the merge lane disappears. On the downward slope of maybe 30’ loss in elevation, I try and accelerate up to 48 to 49 miles per hour or so and bleed off what I gained through the next climb and again, sit at 45 miles per hour through the next 50 + foot climb. I accelerate w/out assist on every flat and slight drop between the inclines until I have finally reached a 660’ elevation ASL at Lemont Road. I then have an ~ 80’ drop into a small bowl in which I gain speed to 56 - 59 miles per hour in order to tackle (using the DWL technique) the next 110’ climb back at the peak at I355 and I55 at 670’ elevation ASL.

___I do not know how helpful this will be in any of your particular circumstances with the HCH (w/ a stick or CVT) because although these hills are killers to me, 250’ is probably nothing in comparison to what most of you have to climb on a daily basis. With the above, I can usually climb the inclines in the 70 - 80 mpg range in lean burn with the declines pegged at 150 mpg unless accelerating slowly where I try and hang in the 90 - 100 mpg range. I usually lose 1.5 mpg over this entire 10 mile ordeal out to I355 but can usually gain back what I lost in the next 5 miles or so. Slower speeds will help tremendously when climbing so don’t forget that there are minimum speed limits that you can follow too. With your eye on the rear view mirror of course!

___And the best climbing method … Slow way the heck down. My last commute out to work had me following a slightly disabled packing truck just after I had left the toll booth at I294/I55 at the beginning of the climb out. He had his emergency flashers on and I followed him for the entire 10 miles of climb/descent/climb/descent/climb … I had 104.x mpg showing on the segment display at the toll booth and finished the climb out at 105.x. He was driving with load given the disabled nature of his diesel truck and was climbing at between 33 and 37 miles per hour. Across the flats and downward slopes, he would max out at 43 - 46 miles per hour. In other words, if there is a slowly moving vehicle w/ emergency flashers or just a slow moving truck of any type in front of you on any climb, get behind him and stick there. Enjoy the fuel economy as you won’t see this but once in a lifetime and it might just happen when you have a record tank going and you really really need it

___And with the above, I am always in fifth so if I were to drop too much below 33 miles per hour, I will have to downshift before I see 4 bars of Assist. An HCH w/ CVT might handle the above completely different so use your game gauges to help you find your own best methods. I do know that the slower you go, the less energy it takes to climb but with the idea of being in the tallest gear possible as opposed to first or second where you can climb anything but at the expense of a large hit in fuel economy …

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net