I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt for awhile. But there's just too much obliviousness here to take the whole thing seriously.

This tire story tells the tale for me. I too have thought the standard tires have at best average dry traction and notably poor wet traction.

But anyone who talks about spinning the tires driving away from stoplights and blames it on the "high" IMA torque and then *****es about low fuel economy while claiming to be a reasonable driver -- simply isn't paying attention to how they actually drive. And that seems to fit with a driver not paying attention to what they actually *buy*, re the tpms.

My spouse gets about the same mileage from our 2007 as this guy reports -- 35-38 mpg, city. I know how *she* drives: jackrabbit starts and dynamited brakes are the norm. I drive the car mildly -- hold acceleration to 2,000 rpm or so, use all the regen decel possible, hold it to ~70 on the highway, and get 45-50 mpg (in the winter -- I find cold weather kills the mileage about 10 mpg from summertime driving).

It ain't the car. It's a driver who sounds kinda clueless about how they're actually driving.

By the way -- fwiw -- the mileage display in the 07's tends to calculate 1.5-2 mpg low. If the display is telling you 38-39, you're over 40.

cheers --
doug

 

Maybe you should have held your "benefit of doubt" to yourself.

I do not rely on the computer to calculate my MPG. I use a simply formula which is (Miles Driven / Gallons Filled= MPG)

Example:

374 (miles) / 10.305 (Gallons filled) = 36.2930616 (MPG)

As to the comment on the IMA Torque, Honda also states that the IMA is a high torque motor assist on the website www.honda.com

Direct Quote:
"Powerfully Efficient
The Honda hybrid technology Integrated Motor Assist IMAŽ system consists of a super-efficient 1.3-liter, 8-valve, i-VTEC 4-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lightweight, high-output electric motor, which adds extra power when needed."
Source http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybrid/performance.aspx

As to the comment on the TPMS. I know I was purchasing a 2007 Hybrid. What I didn't realize was it didn't come with TPMS. On the 2008 EX-L I was looking at, it was a standard feature. With respect to Honda, TPMS was legally required on all 2008 vehicles. Here is a website with this information verified.

"Q: When will the new TPMS be available?
A: The U.S. government, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, requires that all passenger cars, light trucks and vans (Gross weight less than 10,000 pounds) be equipped with a TPMS starting in model year 2008. Due to a phase-in of the requirements, 20 percent of model year 2006 and 70 percent of model year 2007 vehicles are equipped with TPMS."
Source http://www.safercar.gov/tpms.htm


Unfortunately, Honda did not install TPMS in 2007 Civic because they didn't need to. Only 70% of Honda's cars under 10,000 pounds required it. I admit, it was an oversight for me not noticing the 2007 Hybrid didn't have TPMS, but it wasn't and still isn't the deal killer for me. I paid $20,600.00 for a fully equipment new Civic Hybrid with Navigation. Not that many people on this forum paid that little for this car. If they did, they usually stated that they did not get the navigational unit with it.

As to the comment about RPMS, The Honda Civic Hybrid in "D" usually stays between 1000 - 3000 rpms with normal city driving. Even with steady driving, like I have been doing, I have been able to recently see my gage between 38-40.1. My route to work has Red Light Cameras, Speed Cameras, hills and curves. Driving fast where I live is not an option. Traffic is usually very busy in the mornings and school buses are stopping for kids. My average speed is around 25 mph. Also, you shouldn't be talking about your wife on a public forum. If she wants to admit she drives the way you describe then that is fine, but otherwise your comment could be considered slanderous.

Also, to add comment, I have 1500 miles on my car, it is now a month and week old. It still needs some break in time before I can realize any major mpg improvements.

I am very happy with my Honda Civic. It has already saved me money at the pump and I usually fill it up every other week. It's a big difference then what I was paying on my SUV to fill it up EVERY week.....

Though I may never see 70mpg like some of the people in this forum have, I am very content with my current mileage. If anything, every time I do see my mpg go up on the dash computer, I feel it is my new personal best score!!!

Thanks all!

 

DO NOT PUT 44 PSI IN YOUR TIRES. The 44 psi limit on the sidewall is not the safe limit to put into the tire but rather a psi burst pressure limit, as you will gain about 4 psi after a certain length of time on the freeway as the tire warms up to 100 degrees or so, air expands with heat.

If you put 44 psi in your tires not only are you going to get accelerated uneven tire wear down the middle but also if you make the slightest mistake and hit a curb at even 15 mph you risk exploding a tire.

I say no more than 36 psi, 38 being the limit.

 

Actually, the original Dunlops on my 2004 HCH were rated 51PSI max cold pressure rating.
At about 20,000 miles my wife scraped a curb real hard ... leaving deep scrapes in the alloy rim and creating a quarter size flap in the rear passenger tire side wall.
I drove another 60,000 miles, and replaced all for at 80,000 miles. (Worn almost to the wear bars) All tires wore evenly.
They were ran 51PSI for the life of the tires.

Honda suggests 32PSI x 4 which I regard as more of a sales tool, to make the ride rather soft, at the sake of efficiency. The difference in my own experience 32 vs 51 have been around 7MPG. My Honda dealer sets them up at 51PSI, on my request.
All my vehicles have always had max sidewall pressure with no problem what so ever. Our Grand Caravan gains around 5MPG with max pressure.

Regarding poor gas mileage:

Consider this analogy:
If one buys a good sense, energy efficient HOME, but then chooses to set their AC to maximum while running space heaters (For more comfort in the "cold" spots", leaves hot water faucets running for convenience, and burns five 2,000 watt lights outside so they can feel secure at night.
The owner feels the need for extra comfort, convenience and safety.
Deep down he knows that he could save, but since he considers it "normal", continues the wasteful habits.

Now imagine he complains about his energy bill.
After all, it's a "Good sense" home with extra insulation and paid extra $$$ for efficient applicances.

It just doesn't make sense.

Somehow this idea always gets lost regarding transportation.
Almost anyone in almost any vehicle can enjoy savings, if they'd only take the time to learn reasonable fuel efficiency habits.

Good efficiency vs poor efficiency seem to be amplified in hybrid cars and how one drives them.

Just like a good sense energy home.
I don't know if this analogy rings true with anyone here- just thought I'd toss it out.

-Steve

 

The only negatives to going with sidwall maximums is degraded ride quality and uneven tire wear.

The sidewall rating is the COLD pressure -- you need not worry about the pressure increasing when it warms.

Manufacturers know what they are doing when they can tell you the Maximum pressure you can safely use -- which is what the sidewall # is.

How many exploding tires have hypermilers reported anyway?

FWIW, I am at 41 psi.

 

Whoa... let's pull back a little here.

There's no point in accusing anybody on this forum of slander particularly when it the information was provided freely, in a context of decency and maturity ... especially related to one's better half.

I too have made comments about my spouse's driving attitude and the measurable impact that it has on her fuel economy. She's been getting better and it is in part due to the relentless effort I made over the years. This is a challenge for many of us in this forum and that is what these forums are also for.

I kindly suggest we back-off and take it easy. Respect is not and entitlement, let's start earning it by offering it first.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

With respect MSantos,
The original posting was under a month ago and a lot of things have changed the with mileage in my car.
I admitted I didn't check if the car had TPMS, yet this person trys to blast me for not checking.... With all due respect, I was looking at an '08 Civic and was going for an '08 Civic all before settling for an '07 Hybrid.

Then he makes a comment on my tire issue.. Again the car was brand new at the time. I actually don't check my tires when I leave the car dealerships. I assume they are at least at factory recommended settings. Being low -1psi is not bad but the dealer had the tires set to -8 psi from the recommended 32psi...

I also have not made any comments on here that would make someone think I drive crazy. I have stated that all my other "gas" cars have always made it close to the estimated mpgs and in some cases plesently over that estimated mpg.

Now that it is cold here without warming my car up (someone on this forum thought I was blasphemist for idling my car before leaving in the morning) I am getting 26-34mpg.

In short, this member should not have attacked me in such a way.

 

Funny, you've been attacking since your second post.

 

This thread is closed. It has ran its course and deteriorated.