Finally achieved my first 80+ segment with my 2001 Insight. (bought used 1 year ago.) Been envying all of you hypermilers - finally getting there myself.

Just came back from a St. Louis to Milwaukee and home again trip. Overall mpg for the entire 827 mile trip was 77mpg but the return segment of 363 miles I got 84.3 mpg.
Primary factors contributing to the high numbers on way home were that I didn't use the A/C (used it on the way up) and drove much slower than usual, 50-53 mph.

Is this what all you hypermilers do? Drive real slow? If any of you manage to drive any faster - even 60mph I would love to hear any tips you might have on long highway trips.

 

My min speed is set for 50 but the high end goes to around 70. The average is only about 54-55 due to more time at the slower speeds. I'm a bit surprised that you didn't fall in the 90's on the return trip. Do you have LRR tires and what pressure are you using. Have fun, Rick

 

I finally tried some serious hypermiling the first 250 miles on a 700-mile trip from Dallas to Colorado Springs. Got 85mpg with the potential of it being 95.

Eliminating the above 45mph driving early in the trip would have made it better.

I also think driving 30-60 minutes before start measuring the hyper-milage will help too.

 

Hey, those are great numbers! Good job!

Think about posting your mileage numbers in the GreenHybrid Mileage Database, it's great to watch your progress. We need more Insighters, our numbers are so few compared to the other hybrids.

Regards,

 

Congratulations!

Yeah, pretty much drive slow. I try to stay between 55 and 65 on the freeway. When I drove my new '04 back to Washington State from Corning, NY recently I was able to average 81mpg for the trip by staying in this speed range. I do have the warm air mod which helps stay in lean burn, and I don't use the AC unless it's unbearable.

Good luck!

 

77 is pretty darn good and 84.3 is even better. Way to go!

I'm asuming you were on a 55 mph road?
If 55 mph is the speed limit, I wonder why we feel that 2 mph under is considered "real slow"? I think we have been conditioned for so long that 5 mph is "acceptable" that going the speed limit (notice the word "LIMIT") is considered unacceptable.

 

[QUOTE=kayakwill]
When I drove my new '04 back to Washington State from Corning, NY recently I was able to average 81mpg for the trip QUOTE]

Nice job to all these hypers! I do have to ask though...how in the world do you manage your level of FE living where you do, Kayakwill? I noticed in your database log that the last leg of your continental trip was started from a fill in Centralia. I lived just up the road in Olympia for 3 years and I have to know, HOW DO YOU DO IT?!?!?!?! It's mighty impressive between the rain, the mountains, and the @#$%^@#$%^&*& traffic that's 24/7 on all bazillion lanes that is I-5 in Washington! Makes Florida driving pleasantly mindless.

 

Sorry, have no idea what tires I have. Whatever the dealership put on when I bought the car, but I do have the pressure up to about 45 and that has helped a lot. Can you tell me what LRR tires are?

Actually, no, I was on a 65 mph road. Which makes it difficult to drive slower than the rest of the traffic. Luckily the road wasn't too busy.
Traffic speed is a big problem for me on my daily commutes (besides the Missouri rolling hills and love of stop signs)- Missourians love to speed and when drive-time traffic is all going at 60+ (up and down those rollings hills) and then slamming on the brakes when they get too close, it is real hard to maintain a hybrid driving pattern.

I'll have a look at the database. I don't do a lot of road trips and my daily mpg is nothing to be proud of (low 50s in the winter, low 60s in the summer as long as I can keep the a/c off). However I am moving soon and my commute will be increasing so my daily mpg may go up.

 

Helterskelter683,

I'm very fortunate that, while near the craziness of Olympia-Seattle I-5 coridor, I'm far enough south that my commute is either on not so busy freeway or on rural roads. There's no way I could hit my FE in the traffic to the north. I've only gone through one winter and hadn't optimized my warm air mods - probably see a dip in Nov-Feb.

 

Hey, Oly-Tac-Sea stretch or not, KUDOS for being able to keep up those numbers in the rain and drear out there. You're in a tough part of the country for MPGs!