First off let me say I have been reading allot in here and this looks like the best Hybrid forum out there.


So last weekend my wife and I traded in her 05 Dodge Stratus for a 04 Civic Hybrid. It has 19k on it, so super low.

After a week of driving it I think we are getting the hang of it. That auto stop thing was very strange at first.

I do have a couple of basic questions.

1. I assume all the accessories run off the standard battery under the hood (head lights, tail lights, radio, 12v plug inside etc)

2. does it show in the MPG by using the things mentioned in question 1?

3. It looks like the car may need some new tires. What are the best tires for the civic?

4. About the air filter. It needs a replacement, will getting a K&N be beneficial?

5. What have you found to be the best gas for it?


I think that is it for now.

Welcome to the site!!

Answers:

1. I don't know.

2. I Don't think so..

3. If you are looking for quiet ride try the Michelin Harmony or HydroEdge. You may lose some MPG with these tires but they are good up to 80,000 miles!!

4. It maybe less expensive than a dealer OE part. Might be same or little better..

5. Use regular gas. Any other grade will not yield better results.

Good Luck

----
1987 Chevy Spectrum - 200,000+ Miles -Junk Yard
1994 Honda Civic DX Coupe - Truck Hit it
1998 Acura 2.3 CL - End of Lease
2002 Acura TL 3.2 - End of Lease
2004 Acura MDX - End of Lease
2007 Mercedes ML350 -Lemon
2007 Honda Civic Hybrid w/Navi - Active

Welcome to GH and congrats on your new hybrid!
1. Yes everything runs off the 12V battery. (except the IMA of course, and maybe the starter I'm not sure about the '04)
2. I don't understand this question. If you mean does the mpg display run off the 12V batter, then the answer is yes.
3. This has recently been discussed here: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...harmony-14753/
and here: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...st-year-15615/
and here: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...t-tires-15792/
as you can see, it is very controversial and is based on opinion and experience. I still have the factory tires, so I cannot say anything.
4. Actually someone just asked about that a few days ago (http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...filter-15859/). It is a matter of opinion again. Some believe that it helps because you can go faster, and get slightly higher MPG. Others say that it is not effective as the original filter and can damage the engine.
I would also read this: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...ighlight=K%26N and maybe ask that user how the filter has been working out for him almost 1.5 years later.
5. Yeah. Just get 87. It is recommended by Honda, it's cheaper, and it gets better MPG in this car.

Hope this helped! Let us know if you have any more questions.

Thanks

We just got our fitsy tank of gas tonight, and the numbers aren't great, but we are both 1st time Hybrid drivers

It definitely takes some getting used to. I got way worse that 37.3 on my first tank.
Have you read Tarabell's article? It's over at cleanmpg.com, another great hybrid website. Her article is for the HCH II, but it should still help you. Here's the link:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/artic...h-ii-1306.html

I have not read it yet. I will though

GQ, you are like the good samaritan of the website. Great postings and links for a new HCH-owner.


dopey -- Welcome!

Congrats on your purchase. Don't worry about the mileage, almost everyones first tank is that low. Try out the Search feature -- it's a great tool.

nf

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

i can second that suggestion, she has great ideas. and once you get the hang of it, i am sure your mileage will increase. good luck and let us know how it goes.

Best fill 66.7 MPG, best tank 801.5 miles


laurie, central minnesota

Good luck with the new HCH and welcome to the forum! I hope you pick up some useful information here on how to get the best mileage out of the hybrid, and that you end up deciding that you love your hybrid as much as most of us love ours. Have you had serious problems with your tires? Because that could definitely account for the low mpg in the first tank, along with being 'broken in' as a hybrid driver, getting used to the auto-stop, and so on. Trying to drive for higher mpg takes some getting used to, and it's a challenge, but as you experiment with what works and what doesn't work, you'll learn a lot.

To get back to your questions, the one that seems to have been dodged or perhaps misunderstood by the earlier posters was about whether using your accessories 'shows up' in your mpg-- I believe the answer to this question is yes. You use electrical power to run your headlights, your defrost, your radio, your phone charger or whatever, and there are very measureable amounts of power involved. One at a time, I really couldn't say, but added up it certainly makes a difference. Do I have noticeably worse mpg when I'm driving at night with my headlights instead of in the day without them? No, not really. Ditto for with radio and without. But if it's raining and I'm using my lights, wipers, defrost, rear defrost, and usually my CD player, then yes, I definitely see a drop in mpg, almost immediately. Ditto for EVER plugging my phone into the lighter plug to be charged- I see an immediate drop in mpg.

One tip might be to turn off the heat and music before you turn the car off, so that they don't come blasting on right at the start of the next trip, when your engine/battery is working the hardest. Wait a few minutes and then turn it on, after things get a bit warmed up and in a better situation. Also, avoid charging your cell phone from the car unless you can't get to a wall plug- the inefficiency is so much higher when the electricity has to be converted from gas to battery to boost acceleration to rechargeable braking to battery to cell phone, as one possible example.

Haha. Thanks noflash. I've had a LOT of free time this weekend.