I guess the ideal would be for hybrids to travel in packs, like bicycle racers. Drivers could take turns in the lead position

I'm not a doctor yet (give me 2.5 more years), but a DVT is due to several factors - what we call Virchow's triad. The nature of the blood flow, yes, but also blood viscosity (which, admittedly, could be negatively impacted by dehydration of the sort that may accompany my ritualistic deprivation of fluids) and vessel wall integrity are to blame for any type of thrombophlebitis. DVT's more typically develop due to chronic impairments of blood flow - often in the calf - as well as other factors such as damage to the vessel wall itself. I think that, unless you are already growing a clot somewhere in your calf, it's highly unlikely that one multiple hour car trip would significantly contribute to your risk of experiencing this condition. Also, flexing your gastrocnemius muscles in your calf every so often while driving will push blood back up out of your leg into your systemic circulation and help maintain good blood flow, eliminating any slight chance that poor blood flow would help egg on a preexisting thrombosis.

Ya Its not gonna be great, because I have to leave at 3pm, so I can get out of town before the 5pm traffic. But Ill cruise at 55-60mph, so that should help, the other downer is AC gotta use it. Its 90something degrees today in the sun, and im in a business suit.. No way im "venting it"..

But I should get 45-48mpg with me and 1 passanger, at 55-60.. and all things considered thats not bad at all..

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

on my 400 mile drives home from school and visa versa i set the cruise at 60mph, i manage about 53mpg most of the time. oh and i don't use the AC either.

Are you going to Northwest FL, GA, AL, or SC? I like old highways for the most part. Drafting is always an idea if you do it safe, but that's already been said.

Good luck.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

I haven't taken a road trip yet, but my commute is 80 miles, all freeway, very little traffic. I find that cruise doesn't cost too much on the flats, but when it gets hilly it doesn't back off as much on the downhill as you would yourself, and it tends to waste gas trying to maintain speed on uphills when you would probably let your speed drop more. For significant portions of my trip I use cruise with not too much waste, and I turn it off in places where I can do much better. It's a balancing act between conservation and relaxation.

Wow, 80 miles each way? Were you planning on keeping that up for a long time, or working out a way to get a shorter commute in the near future? Even with a very fuel efficient car, that's a lot of miles and time to spend on the road.

Yep, 80 miles each way, hence the HCH! I have put 9000 miles on my HCH since I bought it the last week of august. I share the drive with a co-worker so I only have to drive every other day. He has a regular civic so it's a nice comparison between his conventional any my hybrid.

Seems like a harsh commute, but compared to living in that crappy town I commute to, it's a no-brainer. My wife and I have jobs that far apart. We did two years with her commuting, but teaching high school it was too exhausting for her. So we moved to the city and now I do the commute. My schedule is more flexible than hers so it made sense, but not that I was wishing to be the one driving. :-)

For a trip like that, I go with whatever keeps me awake and safe. I let the car take care of the FE, and I take care of keeping the car on the road. I'm a fan of using the CC, not drafting, and taking frequent bio brakes. That's just me - have a safe and enjoyable trip!

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

I recently completed a 1600 mile trip through north central Mexico, thru some exquisitely beautiful but rugged mountain roads. The vehicle in general performed admirably, but there are a couple of issues for trips involving mountain roads:

1) Going uphill, the battery will be depleted in the first five minutes. Then all one has got is the poor ICE really struggling to keep going. Sustained 4500 RPM were not uncommon.

2) Going downhill, the reverse is now true. The battery will be completely charged in a short time, and regen will cut out. Afterwards, one loses most engine braking. Had to turn on the A/C to increase the braking effect, but still had to shift down, way down. Again, sustained high RPMs were the norm. This was sometimes scary.

I must add that fortunately the HCH has excellent handling. I negotiated several scary hairpins without difficulty. I kept my tires at no higher than 32 PSI, though. Have read that lateral traction suffers somewhat with higher PSIs. Don't know if this is accurate, but did not want to find out myself.