Hi Tink:
___I have not driven an AH but I do know that keeping VCM invoked is more FE then running on all 6. As for having a more powerful ICE, the MDX has an even more powerful ICE and all the techniques I use in the Insight work for it just as well if not better! The same with the Ranger, Corolla, Mountaineer, and LeSabre I have driven in the last few years. Give yourself some time to figure it all out but a blanket statement after just two tankfuls is putting the cart before the horse. There is a lot to be said about Driving w/ Load vs. not but beating physics with an aggressive use of the accelerator is not going to happen. When you finally do hit 53.2 mpg over a nice 180 mile distance using your own techniques (see attached pic for a 44% above EPA highway estimate segment in the MDX), you might be on to something that all of us will definitely be interested in!
___In regards to the Delta between tank 1 and tank 2, if your data entry is correct, you went from an average 70 degree tank to a 50 degree tank. A possible 10% + drop could be attributed to that temp differential alone depending on how low in the 50’s you were driving on tank #2?
___Tinkerbell, I am out of my league in regards to knowledge of the AH’s SoC meter but for longevity of the pack and for maximizing ones FE, pack use is the last item I rely on. There should be some highway hidden charging as there is with the Insight and HCH. The next time you take your AH for a nice highway trip of over 30 minutes, use very little to no assist and watch the SoC climb. The Insight will never hit 20 of 20 bars except for some very specific circumstances but will sit at 19 of 20 bars for what seems like forever in my case of mostly highway driving. I have a sneaky suspicion that the AH will act very similarly given its heritage. Let us know the results when you do …
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___
Waynegerdes@earthlink.net