Hi all,
Finally found this forum, and wanted to drop a note on my HCH MT experience.
- I bought it new in late April, and will trun over 25,000 in a week or so. As lakedude knows, I also have a Metallic Magnesium MT, and commute A LOT!
- My lifetime average has been 48.4. I have been plotting all tanks and mileage, and can e-mail if you want. (52.6 hi, 42.7 lo)
- No real problems yet. I do have an anoying rattle from the passenger side dash area - suggestions? (Seems to be left turns only)
- I have altered my driving style somewhat. My other car is a Jaguar XJ12, so it's been quite a change! I slow to 73mph in the Civic, and have taken up coasting as my new commuting hobby.
- I hit a deer last month, which caused ~$4k in damage. The bodyshop guy commented on how the front and rear of the (Magnesium Met. anyway) Civics are different shades of Grey? Weird. I had the hood, bumper, grill, rt fender, etc. replaced. he had some difficulty getting all the parts quickly. Anyway, it's fixed again. Oh, two weeks ago a semi pushed me at a stoplight - about 12-15 feet. I had the clutch in, and there was minimal damage. These cars seem to hold up well.
- I'm a bit concerned about winter driving. I expect my MPG to drop as it gets cold here in N. Illinois. I wory about these tires on icy pavement. And, I also worry about "snowplowing" with the low front airdam. Any experience?
- Eagerly awaiting new Accord Hybrid data!

That's about it!

Mike

Hi Cbxbt6:

___Your nick sounds familiar but I cannot place it? Are you an active member in the Edmunds Hybrid, Yahoo Honda-Hybrid, or Acuramdx.org forums?

___With that, welcome to Greenhybrid. Since you have all of your records documented, why not place them all in the Real Hybrid Mileage Database for all to see? As it stands, once inserted, you are instantly eligible for our Hypermiler accolade list

___Where in Northern Illinois do you reside? I have seen a few Grey HCH’s out on I94/294/55 myself and I am sure we have had to cross each others path at some time in the very recent past? Chisight comes out of Libertyville in the daylight (vs. my usual dark - very early/very late time frame) with his Formula Red Insight and we have similar driving styles so you may have seen at least one of us? Lakedude saw me just last week out on I55 but he was in his Vette vs. the HCH he just purchased unfortunately …

___Lastly, the colder temperatures and our normal winter blend RFG are a real killer. The rain and strong Westerly’s we have been having as of late most certainly doesn’t help. I am sure you have also seen a drop in your most recent fuel economy stats

___Good Luck

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

Hi Wayne,
No, I'm not a member of those lists. I am a member of many motorcycle lists?
(It IS kina' funny my CAR gets better mileage than my BIKES now!!) :huh:
I commute from La Salle-Peru area to Argonne daily. I really am loathing I55 mornings, although it's only been for 8 years now.
Yes, the rain does lower my mileage somewhat.
There's another chap here at Argonne who commutes(farther than me!) in a red Insight, and I pass him almost regularly on I80 in the mornings. He does the semi-drafting thing, which I refuse to do. I think he has 120k on his odometer.

Later! If I see you, I'll wave!

Mike

cbxtc6
I'm glad you found this forum, too.
It sounds like you've got a pretty serious commute. 25,000 since April, including the "down time" while your car was repaired. Wow!
I know a few HCH's owners here in Wisconsin and have not heard any problem in the snow.
You will see a mpg decrease in the winter, but we all see that. Just keep hoping for a short winter.

Welcome!

Eric Powers

MHG Organizer - www.MadisonHybridGroup.com
Hybridfest 2008 - A Hybrid Electric Car Show and More! www.hybridfest.com
Madison, WI July 19 & 20, 2008

Hi cbxtc6:

I bought my 04 HCH last January 18th. (Funny how I remember that date ?)
I'm also just past the 25K mile mark.

After a week of ownership the dash panel between the passenger air bag cover and the pillar began to rattle, and rattle loudly. I described it as if a shoebox shaken with marbles in it.
The dealer promptly fixed it by putting padding tape underneath.the panel.

Last summer the interior panel of the passenger side door developed a slight rattle.
If I lightly pushed on the panel stopped the rattle.
On my 20K maintenance visit they fixed that one too.

May I ask how fast did the deer hit your car?
I am wondering this because in my ride home I'm seeing deer grazing near the side of the road almost nightly.
One paticular spot I know a family of 4-5 deer lives.
Unfortunately it they are located on a very steep uphill climb near the end of my commute. If I slow down too much on the hill it will kill my MPG's.
I've been passing the area going about 40MPH, unless I see them then slow WAY down.

About 10 years ago I was driving on a highway in the middle of the day when out of a subdivision (of all places) out of no where suddenly SLAM, my hood was buckled and an animal was wedged on the front of my car, I thought I hit someones dog.

The animal flipped over a couple of times and I saw it was a deer which rolled down into a ravine.
I was going 55-60MPH at the time.

Anyway welcome to the community !

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Actually, I was coasting after cresting a small hill, and was probably doing ~40mph.
Looked to be a 200lb doe. I stopped about 40-50 yards down the road to survey damage, and kick the wheelwell off the tire, and couldn't find the deer. I suppose she limped into the woods to die. I know I at least broke it's leg!
My girlfriend hit one a week later with her truck. It's that time of year - be careful out there! And support your local hunters!

If you have the Bridgestone B321 you are right to be concerned about the traction of these "low rolling resistance" tires. I have not driven them in the snow, but find them to be very slippery on dry pavement.

You may be well-advised to put on proper all-weather tires for the winter.

Lifespeed

2003 Civic Hybrid 5 speed

If you live in an area where there is snow, then you are going to need a set of snows.

I bought a set of Civic HX rims and mounted Blizzaks on them for the winter month. Gas mileage does suffer a bit but not much, the traction is incredible and you will never get stuck. The OEM tires after 15miles, are not that great in the snow, you can get by but just barely.