Hi Extex:

___Welcome to the group … How did you find this little corner of the known universe anyway?

___A few questions if you have the time … How easy is it to stay in VCM mode during startup, warm up, city driving, and of course out on the highway? Is it possible to slowly accelerate to highway speeds from a stop with VCM invoked all the way up? At what point (acceleration or cruise while on the highway) does VCM drop away? In other words, with any touch of the accelerator or do you see Assist jump up to 10+ bars for a second or two and then VCM drops out? At higher speeds out on the highway, at what point does VCM drop away? Can you cruise in VCM mode at 75 miles per hour for example? If you have the NAVI option (see below), what type of FE are you receiving at 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, and even 75 miles per hour while at steady cruise on a flat portion of highway? At what current temperatures are you driving in? Have you seen < 40 degrees in the morning down in Houston just yet and if so, have you noticed anything different about Autostop or VCM modes. I don’t want you to look up the details about that question, just a rolling commentary would help us see the AH’s inner details given the many HCH and Insight owners in the group …

___There are two ways to see your current FE in the AH besides the current average FE over the miles driven since you last reset it inside of your gauge cluster. There is a much more advanced system in the NAVI. If you have the NAVI, touch Info --> Trip Computer/Information where you will see an instantaneous graph with detailed trip history as well. It has been a few months since I was in an Accord w/ NAVI so my simplistic location and accessing of the menus might be a bit off. Anyway, watch the real time FE meter we call the Instantaneous for clues as to how to drive the AH for all she’s worth in terms of FE. It should also help answer some of the questions I have asked if you do have that option? If you don’t, you can reset the FCD while on a flat portion of highway and in cruise at a given speed. The FCD will steady out in < 20 seconds and you should have an ~ FE at that preset speed. Increase speed to the next set point, reset the FCD, take the reading, and do it all over again up the chain. Please be careful when taking readings and learning to drive the car for maximum FE as in any new car, there are a lot of distractions and the FE graphs and gauges can become more then just simple distractions as you can well imagine. Your car and life are far more important then this information so make sure the road is clear of traffic and take the utmost care by knowing your surroundings and conditions (traffic wise) when playing with all the toys and tools you have available to you in your brand new automobile.

___Driving w/ load in the AH is going to be doubly important when climbing and cresting in order to keep VCM invoked under a much wider envelope. Have you ever heard of and/or used the technique to maximize FE? Keeping your tires at the highest pressures will help you maintain VCM mode of operation under a much wider window as well. Have you ever considered this as it is a fuel saving godsend to any hypermiler?

___As you approach your first oil change, please consider 0W-20 Mobil1 as it is almost a staple amongst hybrid owners of all types. Its kinematic viscosity from initial startup to operating temperature is the lowest of any engine oil recommended for your AH and I hope you consider it. I hadn’t driven my Insight 10 miles before she had “whatever it came” with swapped out for clean and cool running Mobil1 0W-20 Synthetic. A counter point to the blanket recommendation for 0W-20 … With some Honda DOHC Vtec’s, 0W-20 is not the recommended oil per Mobil1’s own instruction. I use it in the MDX now as I have never even come close to touching Vtec type RPM’s in it when I have the chance to drive it. For peace of mind however, 5W-30 Mobil1 Synthetic will do you proud as its kinematic viscosity is also lower then some of the few 5W-20 oils on the market and synthetic’s properties are so far over the top in terms of what your automobile needs it should be a std. in all. The only negative is that it costs a bit more then regular oils. Don’t worry however as we have some tips and tricks to help for that ordeal as well

___Finally, if you can average 33 mpg over 5 tanks, you will become known as a Hypermiler in and amongst this group of Hybrid drivers and owners. It is a tough goal but given your commentary to date, I think you can achieve it. I hope to see your updates as time rolls by as well. You are the first AH owner we have seen over here and I cannot wait to hear the answers to some of the questions posed above. So far, it looks like you are doing very well indeed and I can only hope some of the tips and tricks you learn here will break your AH out into an area reserved for only the best of the best FE automobiles available on the NA continent.

___Here is a small glossary to help bring you up to speed if you are not already well versed in the acronyms we use already …

AH: Accord Hybrid
DOHC: Dual Overhead Cam
FCD: Fuel Consumption Display(s)
FE: Fuel Economy/Efficiency
HCH: Honda Civic Hybrid
MDX: Acura SUV
NA: North American
NAVI: Navigation Option
VCM: Variable Cylinder management
Vtec: Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control

___Good Luck to you and again, welcome to the Greenhybrid forums.

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