Hi Lars-ss:

___I was adding more to the above when you posted your own. As you said, I don’t think anyone will achieve EPA estimates driving normally in a hybrid. This does not include the many std. ICE’s out on the highway. I believe the Insight on a day when you didn’t need A/C yet relatively warm morning or night (65 degrees F or so) and when traveling a relatively flat state in an all highway environment will exceed 66 mpg at 65 mph as well but I don’t know for sure as I cannot simply turn off the hypermileage skills nor would I want to just to prove a point about lower fuel economy

___Given your comments about the GM V6’s, I don’t know if you read about my trip last month in a rented 04 Buick Le Sabre? We were traveling in and around Phoenix and Glendale, AZ., across AZ into Nevada, back across into California, and back to the Phoenix area again. This car wasn’t setup in the least (no high pressure tires or light weight synthetics) and the A/C was on MAX 100% of them time. Even so, I still beat EPA estimates driving 55 - 70 mph out on the highway. GM earned my respect after those 2,500 miles of close to normal driving given the half hour long jam into Hoover Dam, the many climbs of the mountain roads in and around Yosemite, a 1 hour + long stopped traffic jam at Tejon Pass in California, driving into San Francisco’s Wharf area and back out again, stuck in a few mile stop and go in the suburbs of LA, and while going over the mountain range bordering California’s coast and central California maybe 5 or 6 times. It did beat EPA estimates quite handily in fact and not only was I impressed, I most certainly wasn’t expecting it.

___With all of this, you may as well press up your tires to 50 + to get even more out of her then what you are currently. The ride comfort is sacrificed at ~ every 2.5 pound increase as you probably already know. If you are using A/C in your HCH, you are using it in Econ mode, right?

___Good Luck

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