Ok folks a couple of things:

1) It may not be entirely safe to block off the radiator. I seem to remember some one doing a check with a fancy temp gauge and they found some things got too hot when you blocked off a certain percentage of the radiator area. Sorry I don't remember the details, just be careful.

2) One big factor in winter mileage being lower is that all the lube in all the parts gets thicker. Of course the engine warms up completely and the tranny gets pretty warm but the other parts stay cooler. The diff and wheel bearings stay cooler than they would in summer. My HCH will just barely roll out of the garage using gravity in the summer with the tire pressure high. If the tire pressure goes down the car will not move out of the garage. In the winter even with the tire pressure maxed the car will still not budge. This is due to the wheel bearing grease being thicker in winter.

You all have done a good job bringing up other the other winter factors that lower mileage.

 

Wow - I hadn't considered that, but how true. My car does the same thing (rolls out of the garage in summer, doesn't move in winter). I also notice more difficulty coasting and crusing. With my new wheels, the inner-workings of the wheel are much more exposed to the air than before - wouldn't be surprised if that's contributing as well.

 

Hi All:

___There are pieces and parts in the following thread that help explain some of what is going on in colder temps … Do not let the Insight specific info bog you down to much

Warm Air Intake vs. Warm Engine Temp

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

 

Having gown up in a truly cold climate, we always put covers over the radiator grille when it got cold (I'm talking deep double digits below zero). It's a reasonable way to keep the car at a more optimal temperature. However, you don't want to block it off completely, and not directly on the radiator either - just a bit of a windbreaker on the outside of the grille is all you need, air can still get around the edges to the ratiator that way, just not the full force of 30 below at 70mph. Besides, that's what the thermostat and fan are for, if it gets too hot, the car will still compensate. The grille cover just gives you a bit more defense against the bitterly cold temps. If it seems like things are getting hotter than usual, poke some holes in your shield, it doesn't take much to let some extra air through.

 

I KNOW...mine has gone down from like 46-48....down and down and down...45.....44........now its about 41! Bummer. I did notice that the gas stations are now adding ethanol or something to the gas. It has been below freezing every night for about 2 weeks and the past few days in the 20/30's. Also...I'm at 5000 miles now. Would an oil change help? I just called the 2 honda dealerships in town and then Oil Can Henries and Jiffy Lube and ALL gave me different answers about what oil to use. What is the general consensus

 

First, don't listen to the quick oil change places, they don't know our car and most don't even HAVE the right oil, but they won't tell you that...

Especially if you are in a cold area you should be using 0w20 motor oil, either conventional or synthetic. Honda makes a 0w20 oil that was designed for the hybrids, you can buy it at your local Honda dealership. But, a lot of people around here like the Mobil 1 synthetic 0w20. The problem with the Mobil 1 is that it is currently in very short supply since they stopped making it earlier this year, but they are going to start making it again next year. A lot of people that cannot find the 0w20 use 5w20, but the HCH owner's manual specifically calls for 0w20 and NOT 5w20 in freezing conditions, so I personally wouldn't use it.

Another matter is that the HCH comes with a special "break in oil", and the user's manual specifically says not to change the oil before the first service interval (either 7,500 mi for severe driving conditions, or 10,000 mi for normal driving conditions). Some people around here disagree with this, but I personally will do what Honda tells me I should with my car. They did design it after all.

~Droid

 

I have been reading through the cold-weather forums and don't seem to find my answer. I'm getting worried about my '08 HCH with just over 1000 miles [1600 km to those in more civilized countries than the U.S.].

My commute is about 40 minutes of rolling hills and perhaps 10 stop lights. Tonight, my outside temperature was hovering around 38-39 F (3 C). I occasionally got one bar of charge when going downhill, but none at all when braking, and auto-stop didn't work except on my very last stop of my drive.

Engine temperature was at just a couple of bars below the midpoint, after I'd driven about 10 minutes.

Is something wrong? Does this have anything to do with the control module recalibrating? Do I need to go to the dealer?

Thanks in advance,

chas
Portland, OR

 

You're fine, Charles. There are pieces of the car besides the coolant/antifreeze (what you see on the gauge) that have to warm up before the car will start performing all of the various fuel-saving tricks it is capable of. Out in the engine compartment, the oil and other fluids need to come up to temp, while in the passenger compartment, the battery pack and IPU need to warm up as well in order to prevent the possibility of shorting due to condensate (warm humid air + cold electronics = bad news). Along with that, if you have the front defroster running, that automatically engages the air conditioner, which in cold weather is a sure bet to disable auto-stop.

You can force the car into regen when coming up to stops by shifting from 'D' to 'S', but I don't know if anybody has studied the long-term effects of doing that on the engine and IMA system. You can also look into adding a block heater (standard gear for our Canuck neighbors to the north, I think), which will also cut down on the amount of time it takes before the engine compartment is ready to go into fuel-miser mode.

 

To quote a Masterpiece Theatre series [To Serve Them All My Days], "Ah, Chris!"

You're my hero, as is this forum. It was that pesky A/C defroster situation. Shut that off, and I'm getting lots of green bars. This even prompted me to re-read the part of the manual about transmission. I am using S and L more, e.g., on coming down our steep hill to our home, and charging lots. Maybe I should run our house on the electricity! (;-)

 

Once you hit the defroster button (and the A/C comes on with it), I've found that you can hit the A/C button to TURN OFF THE A/C, but keep the airflow directed at the windshield and the defrost on. It doesn't defrost as well, but still OK (for me at least).
That initial burst of A/C air is usually enough to start clearing my windshield up, and the residual air being blown onto the windshield after I turn off the A/C seems to finish the job.
Try it out sometime.