I have a question for the HCH-II hypermilers.

When the new model came out, and I discovered it no longer has lean burn I was beside myself and wondered if it could still get the great MPG's.
The numbers are in....at least for wintertime and since the seasons are changing I'd expect the figures to go up even higher.

My question is how do you hypermilers do it without lean burn, especially you that have upgraded from the previous model?
Has EV mode replaced the good'ol lean burn?

 

I never had a HCH I, so I don't have much experience with lean burn. However, I think it is a combination of the EV mode and the LO VT and HI VT cam operation. I almost ALWAYS try to stay around 2500-2800 RPM when accelarating and nor mor than 3000 RPM. Above 3500 RPM the HI VT cam is in operation burning a lot more fuel, so in a sense the LO VT operation is like lean burn. The car in my opinion is much different than other hybrids and acheives higher MPG in highway driving due to the very efficent engine. On long trips crusing under gas power the car will maintain at least 65-75 MPG. I def. notuce a FE hit on shorter trips and cooler weather. I can already notcie a change in FE associated with temperature increase and I am getting really excited.

 

The careful foot can peg the iFCD at 100mpg at load, especially at warmer temps.

Note that this is *not* EV-mode (although you're on the edge of invoking it), because you can hear / feel the engine running, and the car loses speed much less readily. In fact, I can hold 42mph with a pegged iFCD on my work commute for a couple of miles on one favorable section (it's a very slight decline). Above 43 gets a little tricky; it'll bounce back and forth between 90-max.

During the last week and a half, I have not seen an outbound commute (from my home to my workplace) *under* 62mpg. My new 'normal' is about 64mpg for that segment (until it gets hot and I start putting the A/C on), and this morning, in light Good Friday traffic, I made a new high of 67.8mpg on this segment. I can also break 60 about 3/4 of the time on the homebound segment now. Earlier this week, with a tailwind and using a distance straight draft on a semi, I had the averaging display above 67mpg on interstate highway.

I do not FAS the car, nor do I P&G (at least by 'classic' definitions). The only time I'm using EV-mode is when I arrive at my office park, with it's attendant 25mph limit, or at my housing development (same speed applies), or if I'm in a stop-n-crawl at low speed. In other words, I use it very judiciously, because I'm aware that what gets taken out, must get put back (if you get a 3-bar forced charging event, it's hard to keep the iFCD above 50mpg)

Given all of this, and based on what I read at hondanews.com, I'm not entirely sure that lean-burn was omitted in it's entirety on the LDA2. I know that the HCH2 does use the i-DSI system - this was the same name used for the system that gives you 22:1 lean-burn in your LDA1.

Now, with that, I'll ask you a question - I know you have an inexpensive (?) inclinometer in your car. Where'd you get it / how'd you make it ?

 

I didn't practice, or even understand, lean burn in my 04 HCH AT-PZEV CVT.
Still over two years and 23,000 miles I averaged 60.1 MPG.
(Second to only you Hot Georgia.)

Now I've upgraded to the 06 HCH.

I don't understand, or even recognize, EV mode in my 06.
I never look at my tachometer.
I never look at my charge or assist bars.
I don't pulse and glide.
I don't draft.
I have no idea what an inclinometer is.
I have no clue what FAS, FCD, iFCD, LDA1, LDA2 or i-DSI stand for.

But somehow I have the highest MPG in our database.
I've averaged 59.2 MPG over my first 3600 miles.

All I do is:
Very slow acceleration
53 mph in cruise control
Leave a TON of room in front of me
Pretend my brakes have failed

I think you guys make this too complicated.

 

I don't have one of those, but sure would like one.

I guess I'd just have to experience the HCH-II myself and perhaps I'll have the chance sometime.
It's great to see such wonderful numbers, and can hardly wait for the summer figures.

 

Please. What does i-DSI stand for? Have seen it in a brochure but it was not explained. Is it an alternative to i-VTEC in some way?

 

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Kenny, I think you are right. I do a little more 'work' in order to achieve High FE but that is because I drive at least 10-15 MPH faster than you. But in theory if one like your self drives at a slower speed than myself and just drives, no fancy work, the car will do it all. I have never seen or have driven a more efficent vehicle in my life.

 

Kenny,

1. What's your percentage of city driving?
2. What amount of uphill driving do you do?
3. How much A/C do you use?
4. How many F-350s are on your tail fixin' to crush you because you're driving 15mph slower than them?

I'm intrigued by your method/lack of method for achieving your numbers. However, I'm doing about 65-70% city driving, where my freeway driving involves all entrance ramps being on uphill inclines battling either soccer moms or rednecks driving behemoth Suburbans with an aggressive streak. Throw in a pregnant wife who runs warm at all times, and it's preventing me from coming close. I've gotten one 50mpg tank out of six so far, which ain't shabby but not stellar.

I'm thinking that there's something more to your mix, but I could be wrong.

Jeff

 

There IS something more to my mix.
Lack of fear, or maybe it is stupidity.
I understand that people in a hurry, like soccer moms and the F-350s, love their cars too much to hit mine.
I stay in the rightmost of 4 to 6 lanes and ignore the cars behind me.
Nobody else does that; they get intimidated and speed up.
I don't.

Yes, some A-Hole SUVs do ZIP around me or flash their brights.
But I AM in the right lane and there ARE 3 other lanes for them to the left so I ignore them.

I never use the AC because I live and work and play close to the beach in Southern California.
It never gets too hot really.

About 80 or 90% of my miles are freeway miles at 53 MPH in cruise control.
No mountain climbing.
But there are slight inclines and declines as freeways cross over roads, for which I just leave it in cruise control.

I do go over the Vincent Thomas bridge once a week.
I crest it at about 30 MPH usually behind a semi doing the same.
Cars in the other lane do about 50 at the crest.

BTW I can keep the city MPG way up after I get off the freeway.
Sometimes I do erands in the city after work.
When I get off the freeway I may have 61 MPG and have 62 MPG after my errands.
I avoid short trips; they kill MPG.

Also I almost never use my brakes.
I don't need to.
I rarely get up to a speed I can't coast down from given the conditions.

I also go a little out of my way to use a freeway onramp that goes downhill.
I think it is a combination of many little things that gives me my great MPG.
But I think driving choices are more important than anything going on on the dash board.

95% of my driving is alone so there is nobody in my car to **** off.

Then again perhaps if I did bother with all that other stuff I could bump it up even more.
I'm just not willing to go through the hassle; I'm happy with my MPG now and my low-stress driving style.

 

dual sequence ignition. the ivtec engine in the hchii has two spark plugs per cylinder. the engine control unit can manage the spark plugs to maximize efficiency and not waste fuel. sometimes, the ecu will spark one plug and then as the gas is exiting spark the bottom one to ensure that all the fuel has been used. other times, like when you need the power the ecu will spark both plugs at the same time to give a maximum combustion.