Thanks Paul/Tim - I will impart all these details to the owner of the CVT and try to show them how the speed and the realtime MPG display are all tied in together.....

 

My own two cents: I like to go 50-65 mph in my 2005 CVT HCH, depending on the speed of the traffic around me; usually a little slower than the speed limit, but not a lot slower. And sometimes I drive a little faster and keep pace with the traffic, but my mileage comes out alright. The key for me is steady, careful driving and that my commute is just about all highway - I can never seem to get more than 40-45mpg when I do a 6 mile round trip in the city, all the traffic lights and other stops and starts seem to make it impossible to do better.

Edit: I would also generally agree with Tim's numbers for instanteous mileage on a level road with no wind, they look to be about what I see in my car.

 

I will also confirm tims results as this is exactly what i see in my CVT as well. My sweet spot ( no wind and flat ground) is 55 - 60mph and it stays in the 50 - 60 mpg range the feathering the throttle is a hard trick to get used to but i have yet to perfect it. I usually use a *very* small amount of pedal movenent and see how the car adjusts.

freeway driving at 55 mph usually yeilds about 60+ mpg depending on load( pedal position)

During a hour drive home (45 - 50 miles) i try to keep the instant mpg meter above 60 sometimes it drops down but it is always very slight.

 

Is there a post or thread somewhere which explains this "feathering the pedal" technique in more detail? I'm still not sure on that concept and what the goal is to using it......

 

Well quite simply it means to touch the gas as sparingly as possible. If you look at the real time mpg meter, when you accelerate you should focus on seeing the bars decrement smoothly and as slowly as possible. That's it in a nut shell... if you drive the CVT as you do any other car you will pay a mpg penalty big time.

Overtime you will get the feel for this technique and will not require to look at the real time meter.

 

From my HCH's experience, optimal speed is 40-45 MPH. Any higher and I see a dip once in a while to keep up the strain of speed. With properly inflated tires, you should easily stay above 80 MPG on the instant readout at about 40-45 MPH. This is also convenient as 40 or 45 is the speed limit on many suburban roads, at least down here. Best of luck with her car!

 

Not all HCH's have lean burn. It depends on where it is sold; CA, NY and the New England states have higher pollution standards. Bordering states may or may not meet the CA standards (i.e. might have lean burn). AZ is on the border.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
has more info; I think it tells what VINs meet the CA standards and which don't.
Lots of better driving advice in the other posts than I can give.
--Walter

 

Hi Lars-ss:

___Thanks for helping Hybridhater as I was very disappointed to see the skepticism that followed in that thread over at Edmunds.

The HCH w/ a CVT is a darn nice hybrid to hypermile!

___Although not a detailed “How too”, if this non-HCH owner can drive a CVT based HCH to that level, I know you can!

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Hi Lars-ss:

___Another item I wanted to make sure you checked. Bring a pressure gauge with you to check all tire pressures. Take it to a local station w/ air if they are under 39 #’s or so. Do not forget to check the oil level before you even set foot in her! I hope she isn’t using 10W-30 either Accelerate with the Instantaneous in the 50 + range and time traffic and traffic control like you always do … Econ if you need A/C of course. Use A/C in Econ for the first 5 miles on a freshly reset Trip A for the trip out and no A/C (max fan) and slightly open windows w/ FAS’ for the return on a freshly reset Trip B. That second segment should give you 60 + and I believe she will be extremely happy that she had the opportunity to have ridden with a pro …

___And do not forget to report back as I cannot wait to hear your results! I only wish I could be in the back seat looking over your shoulder to see your Hypermiling clinic first hand!

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

This is the key for getting into lean burn. When you go to accelerate etc. press the throttle down very gradually until you get just the level of power you want. For passing or hill-climing I usually push it until I feel the assist kick in, then I back the throttle off as much as I can while still keeping the assist (this should be pegged a bit over 40mpg) Often, as I crest the hill, I will let off the assist, drop into lean (50-60mpg) and lose speed over the top, followed by picking it up on the way down.

For steady cruising, once you get to the speed you'd like, the best way is to very carefully back off the throttle just slightly, this will usually put the car in lean burn. Instant MPG should jump a bit, but the tachometer should remain steady. If RPMs start to drop, you've gone too far...

this takes a bit of work to get used to, but it's completely natural for me now after a couple of months. Also, I've found that lean burn is difficult to get into above 70mph.