OK - I just need to check to make sure that everybody is seeing the same thing that I am (and does this bother anybody else? Irratates me!). Took my first highway trip that includes some pretty decent hills (500-1000 foot elevaction change in probably 2 miles?). Anyhow, I had the cruise control set at 65MPH. By the top of the hill, the engine was running over 4000RPM! And even on a modest incline it was running 3400 RPM. I think it's just that the engine is short of torque and to maintain the speed, it just needs to zing the engine.. but... That's just got to kill the mileage... How do some of you more experienced hybrid drivers handle hills without losing too much speed. I'd like to still be over 60MPH at the top of the hill

Thanks

Eric

 

Eric,

Sorry, but that's normal for any car with a smaller engine. At least the CVT (oops, your '06 Civic may not have a CVT) doesn't suddenly downshift waking up your spouse ("why are you speeding?") like it has in all my other automatic transmission cars with cruise. My only complaint is that Toyota should have provided a little more vibration/noise control so the high RPM wouldn't be noticed. My Prius holds speed on inclines with no problem all the way up to 85 MPH (other than high RPMs).

You recover the gas mileage hit (at least most of it) when you go back down hill so why does it bother you?

JeffD

 

Eric, I have dealt with the same problem. This does hurt FE. I now only use cruise if I am on flat ground. The I-Vetc engine has two sets of cams, one cam for fuel economy and a second for 'performance'. The performance cam activates at around 3500 RPM, much more fuel will be consumed when this happens killing FE. Even the FE cam will burn fuel at around 3400 RPM, I would try and stay under 3000 RPM and use assist. If your in a really hilly area I would opt out of using cruise. Three days of the week I travel to work across a very hilly region, and do not use cruise the other two days I am on flat ground and sometimes I use cruise. They way a have fought this and been suscessful is my using a modified P&G technique. Some people might tell you I am wrong or this is they wrong wasy to do it or whatever, but this is what works. Going down hill I let the car pick up speed due to gravity and keeping light pressure on the accelerator. I try to estimate how much speed I need to get up the hill. Then just as the car starts to go back up hill I release the gas pedal and let me foward momentum carry me up the hill with speed dropping. Most times this will carry me to the top, but other times I may not have had enough inital speed so I have to add a short burst of gas/assist just to get to the crest. Then I let gravity take me back down. I have foud that the longer you keep your foot on the accelerator while your instant MPG is low the lower your AVG. MPG becomes. I hope this helps.

 

Uphill I let the speed drop to the lowest that is safe, especially at the crest.

Downhill, depending on grade and distance, I let the speed increase to as fast as is safe.

At some point you just have to use up the gas if you want to get over hills.

 

It takes gas to climb a hill without slowing down. It helps to let the speed fall off as you climb, if there's a downhill on the other side you can gain speed again quickly. Otherwise, you'll just have to spend the gas to get up the hill.