I am pretty sure everyone is tired of this type of post, but I finally have to ask.

I drive a HCH CVT and have had it since May. My daily commute is about 10 minutes each way, split between city and highway. I live in a very hilly neighborhood. I occasionally take drives over 30 minutes and rarely drive on the freeway.

My average overall is just over 45 mpg. After some practice, I now usually get 46 mpg. I am jealous of the 50+ mpg folks. I really try hard to follow all of the techniques discussed here and am somewhat obsessive about it.

I am not unhappy. I realize I am getting thye EPA numbers that I have always had problems achieving with previous cars.

Do shorter dirves and hilly conditions hurt that much? SHould I just realize that 47 mpg is good under my conditions?

Clay

45 is good. Shorter drives do hurt. You have to figure the first 5 minutes are a waste. Or I should say the first 5 minutes will be much poorer economy than when the car warms up. You can still improve but 45 isn't bad at all.

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

Hi ClayK:

___10 minute drives with non-optimal terrain and you are complaining about matching the EPA estimates? You are doing spectacular! There are always a few more tricks that will help bump your HCH up a few mpg’s (even over 50 but they are quite advanced and not for everyone) but if I were hitting EPA estimates on your short commute, I would be ecstatic! How often do you fill up, once every 2 or 3 months

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

I am really not complaining. I love the car and am having a lot of fun. I was just curious if my conditions really hampered the extreme results I see here

I'd also say you're doing well! That's about what I get when taking those kind of short trips around town. I've recently had two tanks in the (very) low 50's (HCH CVT), but I've had long (23 mile) flat commutes in nearly optimal weather conditions. Most of the time I get between 45 and 48 - that's 80 tanks worth of data.

I will say that my recent string of 50 MPG tanks came after I raised the psi in my tires to 45. My route and driving style remained constant, so I'd say that was a big contributor. 50 is 2-3 higher than I was getting this time of year in 03 and 04.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

Clay don't worry about that, it's what we are here for.

You're already doing alot but there are always little ways that you can improve.

A couple of things that come to mind are:
*Parking where you won't have to back up with a cold engine
*FAS down some of those hills (If it's safe)
*FAS through at least part of your subdivision (If you live in one)
*Explore new routes for better FE

Personally, I've always been fooling myself when I think that I'm doing all I can.

47MPG for a 10 minute ride?
Geeze that's fantastic, but don't stop there!

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

Yes and yes. I think you are doing great given your conditions.

In fact, your conditions are very similar to my own. And at this point, I pretty much just take great pleasure in the beauty of the car (smooth, quiet, instant electric assist). I have found that, now that I've been doing this for 10 months, the MPG I get comes pretty much naturally. Which is a whole lot less stressful. :-)

My trip to work every morning is under 10 minutes, more like 8 minutes. I've been getting 48 as you can see in my sig. Seeing all you hypermilers giving praise to clay makes me feel better. I guess we could be considered hypermilers for the short trip drivers. YEAH!

Consider yourself lucky... I bought mine in April and haven't gotten over 33 mpg. sheesh!

Latest trip 60 MPG!

Your doing good.
Im getting about the same 43-49mpg, but I live in South FL, in less than optimal weather (AC on 99% of the time in the summer). But I drive about 1500 miles per month (Its awsome I fill up 2-3 times per month). So im driving alot more.

2005 HCH CVT
17" wheels, HID Lights. getting in the high 40's mpg.
2004 Mustang Mystic Cobra
650hp + Heavy foot = 10.4mpg
2003 Harley F-150
6000lb + Supercharger = 14.7mpg
2002 Trans Am WS6
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII
800hp + 4400lbs = bad FE