Not trying to be an ***... I guess I need more practice or better technique.. but I constantly see people saying they are "accelerating with MPGs pegged at 40mpg"...

Now if you want to consider "accelerating" gaining 1mph every 3 or 4 seconds... then OK.... but let's talk real world here... a world where you don't have Yugos and 1982 Chevette's beeping their horns telling you to hurry up....

But consistantly 40+mpg during accelleration? I say BS.

It seems to me like I can get 30-35mpg under "slow" accelleration (let's say 30-40 seconds to 55mph)... or I can get 20-25mpg under "moderately fast" accelleration (let's say 20 seconds to 55mph.)

So let's compare.... I would think that it would be better in the long run to run 20 seconds at 20mpg (moderately fast accelleration) and then let up and cruise at 55mph getting 60mpg for that last 10-20 seconds (the extra time it takes for "slow" accelleration).

That gives you 35-40mpg on average... as compared to 30-35mpg. And you are at 55mph longer, giving you a longer average travelling distance at that higher MPG.

So, considering the great benefit of "lean burn" cruising... I would say a Hybrid would be better used getting to "speed" at a faster pace instead of taking so long....

Anyone agree or disagree? Why?

 

No BS. I do it all the time. One cannot sustain 60 mpg (as I have over the past several tanks) without being able to accelerate keeping the mpgs as high as possible.

Also, I live and commute in NJ, so rapid accleration and deceleration is commonplace.

 

I think it's a valid question.

In the time I have had my HCH and reading forums (since last November) I have heard advocates for both (a) slow-acceleration keeping highest current mpg, and (b) moderate-acceleration getting up to cruising speed quicker, where mpgs are really good.

I personally prefer the latter, which keeps me with the flow and minimizes the number of yahoos crammed up my tailpipe as we get underway after a red light. :-)

 

Good points Jeremy. I think you will find that most people in this forum do accellerate enough to keep up with traffic without loss of mpg.

I also generally use a moderate accelleration method, in particular I like to use the assist until I get to about 30 mph, (or 45+ if entering the freeway), and the assist won't kick in under very light accelleration.

Once at freeway speeds however, when driving vaguely DWL'ish over rolling hills I do sometimes put the mpg meter at 40-50. Mostly that fails to maintain speed up the hill (our hills are big) but keeps the loss down enough to not annoy people around me too much.

In city driving however, I fairly often accellerate from about 30-40 mph at 40+ mpgish (when traffic is topping out at around 40ish I can get away with this). Sometimes I can even get away with 60+ mpg accelleration after 30 mph, depends on traffic and I think lean-burn has something to do with it too but I am still not able to do that reliably yet.

 

I would tend to agree with you (JeremyG) on this from my own personal experiences. I find it better to accelerate quicker to cruising speed where I can maintain lean burn more easily by feathering the go-pedal. Also, the mpg's seem to be much better when you can cruise from 40 mph to 65 mph. At speeds below 40, the vehicle seems to be less FE. All of my most recent tanks have been 50+ mpg using this technique. When I'm accelerating to 40 mph I usually try and keep the bar around 20mpg range then level off at 40-45mph to around 40-60+ mpg range. I've learned to do this without much thought.

 

I think one has to face the FACT that to get mpg up to 40 and above in a mixed suburban environment, one cannot drive this car "normally" (I do not mean heavy handed or heavy footed) I state this in distinction to highway or trip miles in which most cars get optimal mileage.
Back to the fact. Run the air conditioning and go with the traffic flow and you will be in the thirties mpgwise. Thats not bad really. But it is not what the stickers says.

 

I always accellerate @ 40MPG.
In traffic on a 45MPH road I'll run her up to about 35-40 then accellerate the rest of the way @ 60MPG.
75% of the time the person is well behind.

If there isn't anyone behind I'll back off @ below 30MPH and finish in the 60MPG range.

That's on a flat level road.

If it's uphill I don't accellerate while on the hill if possible.
If it's downhill I'll let the weight of the car do most of the "Assist" and get in the mid 40's to mid 60's range right off.

 

I normally hit it pretty hard and get up to speed quick using a little assist as well. I figure what is the point of all that hybrid hardware if you don't get any use out of it. It may indeed be better mpg wise to ramp up to speed slower.

 

I've taken to the slow accleration 40mpg. I don't have a problem with it beeing to slow for "real world" driving. Most people don't care that you aren't accelerating like a dragster. I haven't been honked at and I think people that say you will be honked at are full of "BS" if they think it happens on a regular basis. Sure there may be some one out there that will honk because you are not accelerating fast enough but I haven't experienced it. Most will just pass and be on their way. The only time I can recall getting honked at is when I didn't move when there was a 15' gap between me and the car in front of me at a red light. To that I say "too bad for you" to the impatient driver behind me.

 

Hi All:

___The title of this thread could wake up the dead

___I do not really care if someone says BS or not because there isn’t a hypermiler here that hasn’t performed some amazing things in a hybrid and non-hybrid alike. In Tom’s, I thought an overall acceleration of 40 mpg was actually low. If there is no one behind, start off in the 30 + range and by ~ 20 mph on up, you should be seeing the instantaneous in the 60 - 65 mpg range. At a slightly accelerating cruise above 47 mph, you may see the instantaneous sitting in the 80 mpg range all the while accelerating slow enough to keep it there if possible?

___If someone is behind, maybe you jumped too soon or traffic conditions simply will not allow. If they won’t, get her up to speed and get into her lean burn at your earliest opportunity.

___I hate assist, I detest assist, I loathe assist … So what do you think I feel about assist It should only be invoked like a turbocharger but Honda screwed the pooch with their algorithm imho

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net