You all (or your cars) are not doing so hot. 26 mpg is a disgrace! I know it is winter and all but your mileage figures leave a bit to be desired. You are getting beat by the Escape SUV for God sakes! If an SUV can get 29 you should be able to get over 30. I'm sure that those 255 horses are tempting but my 345 hp Vette is beating most of you (all but one) in the mileage game and I'm not even trying to get good mileage in that car anymore.


Please explain your low figures.

Hi Lakedude:

___That was a little bit harsh … What was your Vette giving you before you saw the light let alone started driving in warmer weather and in a more conservative style? The 03 Corolla LE w/ Auto was only doing 35 + when loaded with 2 others in my car pool and running 70 + when brand new in early February temps. It will never see below 40 mpg in any temperature or weather no matter how it is loaded with me behind the wheel today. Give them some time to learn the setups and techniques and for gods sake teach them to stay away from that ****ed “go pedal”. Allowing Hybrid’s with 250 + HP on tap was a mistake but apparently, it is the way of the future unfortunately. Lean on the Go pedal in your Vette and 20 mpg might be a stretch as well

___Personally, I am a bit concerned with the Escape HEV’s FE to date. I know a Ford Tech hit 60 mpg in a short test run with one in summer time temps and at Krousdb type velocities. Still, those things are worth 40 + mpg in 30 - 40 degree F temps and maybe 50 mpg in 70 degree F temps if I had the opportunity to take them for a hypermiling 5 + tanks.

___Good Luck

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

Hmmm, a bit harsh, yeah, sorry.

As far as the Vette goes, I've only driven it for max hypermile status for a few months. The 2000 Vette is my second replacing a 1996 collectors edition silver C4 that also had a game gauge. Having the display almost forces you to learn how to get better mileage. I learned early on that jackrabbit starts do not hurt the overall mileage (much) so long as you cool it once you get going. I could drive a Vette like a madman and still get mid to upper twenties. It would actually take purposeful sabotage to get the mileage below 26 on a 66% highway route.

Ok I see most of the AH drivers have only 33% highway and the really low one is in NY and it is bad cold there. I guess I'm just spoiled.

Hot mileage tip:

Move away from NY to anywhere else except the DC or Chicago areas. The only thing you will miss is the food. Was that harsh?

Lakedude, I'm not sure why the new AH isn't performing as most people might expect but I can say that I'm very suprised in the wording of your first post.

I can't comment on the AH but I do know the first first tank in my HCH was only high 30's, and a few tanks after that was low 40's.

If I should explain why my new HCH had poor performance, I was unaware how to drive for efficiency and my car was not even broke in yet.

"I could drive a Vette like a madman and still get mid to upper twenties"
That's excellent.
I just filled up the Caravan last weekend and recorded 16MPG, driving conservatively.
Terrible.
If I should explain then I'll tell that the Caravan is used twice a day in stop-go traffic going to and from the kids 2 schools, 4 miles round trip.

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

Too harsh? Should I edit it and make it more friendly?

I was just surprised, as you're usually more articulate.
It’s not that big of a deal, water under the bridge so to say.

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

the Honda Accord Hybrid gets 37/36 mpg

those low figures are from new users who have not broken in their engine yet.

http://www.accord-hybrid.net

Maybe, but I suspect the real reason is that they have not learned how to drive for mileage.

My proof is my own first full tank on Inverse MidLife Crisis. The car's first tank was calculated at 61 mpg at the pump, the display showed 57.9. In fairness the 61 figure is very likely to be way off due to an overfill. The display is also high by about 3% so the actual corrected figure is something like 56 mpg for a car rated at 46/51.

IMLC is still on factory oil and the temps have been in the single digits on some nights (some days are in the 50-60ies and rainy) where I drive the car and the car still always gets well over the EPA numbers. I attribute the good figures to skill, having a 2nd shift job with light traffic, and having a 66% highway trip to work that is not too short. I personally do not think the "break in" period has anything to do with it.

I actually hope you are right. If you are IMLC is going to be doing really great when she gets broke in.

Hi Lakedude:

___Let me pass to you a short story and another side of the coin … Do you remember my little test drive in the brand new (non-hybrid) 04 Accord w/ Auto EX-L w/ NAVI last September? If not, here are the highlights:

EPA City/Highway/Combined 24/34/29: 15 miles city/13 miles highway - less then 20 miles on the odometer - 40 #’s in the Michelin’s - low 70 degree temps.

Result: 28 miles with a 44.3 mpg average per the FCD.
EPA combined: 29 mpg/Hypermiled combined: 44.3 mpg.

___Did you receive 52% better then combined (44.3 mpg vs. 29 mpg) in an ~ 50% City/Highway drive or even if compared to straight highway (44.3 mpg vs. 34 mpg and this was not a pure highway test drive), 30% better then EPA estimates on your first tank in your HCH? Do the math and you will have a better understanding. We both know the tricks to hypermile hybrid’s and non-hybrid’s alike. The AH pilots amongst us (except for 1 ) do not just yet and it is not because they are not trying, just lack of experience, unknown setup, and a lack of great weather and temps. Hopefully the AH with NAVI pilots will use their included FCD’s to learn from the Instantaneous’ as we have learned from our own game gauge equipped automobiles with either the rudimentary Average or the much more advanced Instantaneous’ we both have honed our skills on.

___As it stands, I am not entirely happy about either the AH’s or the Escape HEV’s tank over tank performances to date but lets give the AH and Escape HEV owners some time to both learn and advance as we did. Given the temperatures we are experiencing around the country; hopefully we will see improvement in the very near future. After all, without my game gauge experience in the MDX or your own in the Vette(s), do you really think we could jump behind the wheel of an AH and hit hypermiler like averages just by driving like we used too?

___Good Luck

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

You know that I did not. 52% is huge! You are the man. No, your point is well taken. Now that I think about it I've had one of those gauges since '96, they really do help a lot. One of the first things I learned was that in the Vettes the higher the gear the better, even going up most hills. I had alway downshifted before. The HCH is different, it does not have the power to blast up every hill in top gear so downshifting is sometimes required.