I have a friend whose girlfriend won't turn her car off when she parks to run into a convenience store or some other fast trip. Just locks the doors and keeps the AC on so it doesn't get stuffy in there.

 

Does she never let it go into auto-stop or not understand auto-stop? Does she turn the car on... *then* get herself ready such as putting on seatbelt, checking makeup, etc? Does she chat on the phone after getting in the car before taking off? Or a suicide driver (one foot on gas one on brake)? Lots of stuff could be contributing. Also if she's *always* accelerating or decelerating and never coasts... ever... then it's conceivable to me how she could be getting it that low.

If her trip has lots of lights or traffic then you can really kill it without proper use of auto-stop.

However, I don't think you are looking at this from the right perspective. Imagine how much worse her mileage would be in a normal car? So even though she's not as optimal as she could be, you are still getting better results than if she were driving a normal Accord. Or like people said above... look into the MT Civic if she's good with those.

 

it is a normal Accord I4, 5at, ex sedan

 

Exactly. Would you be any happier if she was getting 20 MPG instead of EPA 25 in an Escort, or 6 MPG instead of EPA 9 in an H2??? Thank god the hybrid keeps her numbers this high!

 

Figures you guys would not understand.

This is not a logic thing. It's emotional !

 

Okay fair enough. I don't let other people drive my HCH (if I had a wife maybe, but girlfriends, NO ), but I do get silently frustrated carrying passengers and feeling the struggle for the same FE the current tank is getting at that point. I know I'm saving fuel by taking just 1 car, and 1 very economical car at that, but darn those people for dragging along that much more weight.

 

heck, i just got my own. the husband kept suggesting maybe i should stay away from something so different, ya know, until the bugs are out etc, etc, all the while knowing full well i would do what i wanted....so i bought the HCH. he has driven it once....i let him have a little turn down the road, just to see how it works.

a day after i got it i went on a road trip. my first tank was 51.7MPG. second was 53.8. and one night, coming home on the backroads (the highway is just too busy on friday nights), the gauge read 62.4 as i pulled into the driveway i think he's impressed.

i must give the man credit, however. he drives the old '93 civic LX and gets 43, so he must be doing something right.

 

My domestic partner always lowers the MPG. He blasts the AC to maximum (even if it's only 72 degrees outside), and he doesn't know how to use a consistant acceleration technique, so the MPG slider-bar is always plunged into the 20's when he's behind the wheel.

 

Ashengrey,my wife is an automatic AC user.She runs is in Dec when the temp is 60 degrees.She also isn't the least bit mpg conscious,and accelerates to all stops,then brakes hard.(we have non hybrids so our mpg is strikingly bad).There are only to foot positions for my wife and son-foot on gas,or foot on brake;never foot on floor.It just kills me.Luck,Charlie

 

The saga continues.

Last week wife spent aday hauling around her mother and aunt all over NE Oklahoma. MPG wasnt recorded. I fig it was about a 400 mile day. But wife didnt record a **** thing. Data lost.

So I put that aside and start over. This tank,,, once again Im working on a 40 mpg tank. Wife drives the car one day for a total of 89 miles and ruins it. When I parked the car Monday evening it was one bar under 1/2 tank with 300 miles on that tank. Get in it this morning and its 4 bars above empty with 389 miles. Fill it up do calcs. and yes once again idiot wife driver ruins a tank.

Im going to stop hypermiling for afew tanks. I need a break. Its to **** depressing to have to share a car with her and know all efforts are basicly a waiste of effort.

I mite even stop car pooling with her in a effort to not be pissed all the time.

Got in the car this morning,, looked at the gas gauge asked what happened and then the lies, excuses and crap started. Just told her to shut up, your mouth is moving, no good can come of it.

I cant waite to get my Si. I will be the only driver and I bet I can drive it hard and get better MPG than wife can in the Accord.