A few days ago, I bought a 2008 HCH with 26,000 miles. Overall, I'm really pleased with it. Except for one thing: the gas mileage. www.fueleconomy.gov (which I've found to be both realistic and reliable) says I should be getting about 42 mpg on an average tank of gas. I've only been getting 37-39 mpg.

Am I doing something wrong?

Facts:
*Tires are inflated to 40 psi.
*Battery has never been below 3 bars of charge
*Oil is full (but not overfilled)

Factors:
*Previous owner put in conventional (or synthetic blend) oil heavier than 0W-20 (probably 5W-20); am replacing with full synthetic 0W-20 tonight.
*I live in SD where the wind has been blowing at 30 mph for the last week or so; temps have been in the high 40s to mid 50s

CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS ONLY PLEASE!!!

There are enough satisfied HCHII owners out there to convince me that there is probably an answer to my problem (i.e. don't tell me that I bought a lemon and should've gone with a Prius).

 

Hey Ken

Looks like you done your homework and it kinda looks like your ready to get your money's worth from this car too (instead of just whining).
I reckon your biggest problem is the engine oil. the hch experts say you can lose up to 10 mpg or more by dumping the 5W20 in.

ks

 

I will be interested to hear how the 0W-20 oil affects your MPG.

I have found that the temperature can really affect my fuel economy. This time of year you may still be buying a "winter blend" gasoline which also has a negative impact.

There are so many other factors that can affect your MPG:

How long is your typical drive? - cold starts always hurt.
Cruising speeds over 55 mph always reduce your mpg.
As you mention, windy conditions hurt too.
How hilly is your typical drive? - even slight grades have a huge impact on fuel consumption.

With a little more experience and milder weather I'm sure you will get up into the mid to high 40's (or possibly even higher).

One final tip:

Learn to read the assist/regen display to optimize the ability of the car to "glide". Contrary to a conventional car, you will sometimes want to apply slight pressure to the gas pedal to eliminate unneeded regeneration "drag". The design of the engine and the electronic throttle means that sometimes you are not actually using any fuel even when you are lightly pressing on the gas pedal. The iFCD will confirm this if it 'pegs' at 100 mpg (or 0L/100 km). When the engine actually "refires" you should feel a slight lurch and see the fuel display drop suddenly. This takes some practice but will become second nature if you're willing try it.

Enjoy your car!!

Cheers,

Roger

 

@Kevin: Can you provide me with any links or documentation as to the oil issue? I'm interested in reading the details.

@Roger: Thanks for the tip on gliding (I suspected there was something like that I was overlooking). FWIW, what kind of mileage do you get on Vancouver Island in the winter? It would be nice to have a baseline for comparison from an experienced hybrid owner.

Thanks in advance to you both.

 

Ken...

In the winter I'm lucky to get much over 40 mpg because of having 4 snow tires and the colder weather. With milder weather, the LRR OEM Dunlops,etc. this goes up to the 50mpg level.

Last summer I took a drive to my son's place about 50 miles away. I took the local roads posted at 50 mph or less and tried every "trick" I could. Result: 71 mpg!! Same trip back but on the freeway at 70 mph with A/C. Result: 50 mpg (ouch)!!

I have been driving for 50 years. I've completely relearned how to drive a car (hybrid or not). I enjoy the mental focus this experience brings to my driving. Our gas is selling at over $5.00/ usgal so it all helps.

Roger

 

I've previously written on the consequences of 5W20 from personal experience with my prior Toyota Camry Hybrid at its first oil chance. The dealer installed 5W20 although I had provided my own 0W20. I tried it for two tanks, and found that my FE was nearly 5 MPG worse. I returned to the dealer where they give me another (free) oil change with my 0W20. Immediately my FE returned to normal.

San Diego's many city/freeway hills are tough on FE, but I can still always hit 42 MPG or better by running 42 PSI and 0W20 synthetic oil. (I doubt it makes any FE difference that it's synthetic.) Whenever I drive to L.A., I immediately get 5 MPG better due flatter terrain.

 

HCH2 FAQ


ks

 

Thanks, everyone, for the great info, tips, and links. There is some really great information out there! I finished the oil change tonight, so I'll repost once I get a full tank on my 0W-20.

 

Hybrids unfortunately (?) tend to get city ratings on the EPA test that might not be that easy to achieve. See http://priuschat.com/forums/other-ca...estimates.html for what goes into the EPA tests.

See http://replay.waybackmachine.org/200...-206/index.htm for what CR got on the HCH2.

As someone else alluded to, short drives kill mileage, as does city driving. We need to know your trip length and distance and roughly the type of drive it is (e.g. city, lots of stop and go, etc.) to better give you an idea of whether your mileage is typical.

It's more than winter blend gas the affects mileage. See:
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/12...rop-in-winter/
http://alternativefuels.about.com/od...erfuelecon.htm
http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum.../March/01.html
http://www.startribune.com/cars/11354696.html

BTW, make, model and size of tires on your car?

 

Lucky to get 35mph in hilly terrain in the winter after the scam software update