I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Just purchased my second civic hybrid. First was a 2005 with an estimated 48mpg. But i never managed more than 35.

Now i have a 2007 and im experiencing the same thing. getting about 36 with this tank.

Now i am not a lead foot. I do accelerate quickly, but upon reaching speed, i maintain and feather til im at the highest mpg the bar will reach without deceleration.

Just cannot believe that under normal driving conditions the real mpg would be so much lower than the est. I could understand 38-42 but 34-36 sounds like something is wrong.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Is it all city driving or short trips?

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Actually most of it is hwy. I drive 40 mile a day (all freeway) and then do a bunch of city. But its mostly hwy.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Oh, in that case getting mid-30's is pretty bad; the HCH normally seems to do much better on the highway than in stop-and-go.

Have you tried reading over at cleanmpg for suggestions on techniques that could help?
It sounds like you have a good idea of how to drive it.
What sort of speeds do you tend to drive on the highway? These cars do well if kept under 60 mph.

Did your former car have lean burn, or was it a SULEV?
Manual or CVT?

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Steve has a good narrative in this thread, pertaining to the HCH I:

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...igh-mpg-26580/

And over at cleanmpg.com there is a article pertaining to the HCH II by Tarabell that may help you.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

make sure your foot is off the accelerator as much as possible so this will ensure no fuel is being fed into the engines and should boost your FE.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

What is your average speed on the highway?

In moderate temperatures I average around 50 MPG with my weak batteried 2003 Civic hybrid on the interstates, at an average speed of 67MPH, and get around 55MPG when I drive on two lane highways averaging 57 MPH.

I average a little bit less with my CVT equipped 2010 Insight, around 47 at 67MPH and 52 at 57 MPH.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

Don't feel bad with my "heavy" Si rims and fat tires for mountain driving ,which I often do, I "only get about 36-42 mpg in the best of conditions. I'm considering getting lightweight racing rims and tires when these wear out and seeing how much it improves, both the ride(less unsprung weight) and the FE.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

I get around 40-43MPG if I drive my HCH I CVT real hard in the Left lanes on the freeways through Atlanta. That's accelerating fairly hard, passing others etc. I started driving conservatively again last October and averaged low 50's through the winter.

The spring time warmer weather has brought mid-upper 50's again.

35MPG?
I can only imagine.

Re: I (apparently) suck at hybrid driving.
 

I have a 2003 Honda Hybrid Civic. Mine is a manual. If the car doesn't go to sleep when I stop at a light, I put it to sleep (push the clutch in all the way). I was getting 50 to 54 mpg, now that they reprogrammed the computer control (had the hybrid battery replaced last month) I am only getting 46 mpg.