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I just made a very quick trip to Ky. and back. Took my Niece my Dell Computer and all that went to it for she has not one. Turned around and came back.

I drove there in the Rain, Mist, 30-35-40 MPH Winds and drove at 70 to 75 MPH with Cruise Set. No rain coming back just the constant 35-40 MPH Wind :(

Want to know what Your FE is at those constant Speeds would be????

41.6 MPG @ 70-75 MPH for Approx. 600 Miles:

This same 2006 HCH II got 66.7 MPG @ 55 MPH when it was Brand-New:

The exact same trip BTW

So: Speed Kills FE in a Major-Way !!!

tiger

BTW, I never tried this before so I wanted to know for myself what effect this speed has on FE in a Hybrid that has now 5,600 Miles on it. The only real variable here was the very strong ongoing "WIND" Never-Stopped:( Other than that one factor I think this FE would maybe gain back 2-MPG; Maybe????

Yes, I agree. Driving naked (no drafting), I get about 60 MPG at 70 MPH, 57 MPG at 75 MPH. When drafting, I have seen over 90 MPG at 70MPH. At 55 MPH, no drafting I can usually get 75MPG on a warm day. Speed kills!

Some of your mileage drop could be due to the rain and wet roads, always a big FE killer. Presumably that 35-40 mph wind was a headwind on one leg of your trip and a tailwind on the other leg of your trip.

On my last 70-75mph road trip of 475 miles (I-26 from Greenville,SC, to Asheville,NC, I-40 to Durham, NC, and I-85 back to Greenville, SC) in late Sept, I got 66.1 MPG and that was before I added the boattail and front wheel well skirts. Not bad for a non-hybrid. It should be considerably better now with these latest aero additions. At normal speeds (55mph) I average around 70mpg, so speed doesn't kill my FE too badly, at least up into the mid 70's mph.

I'm glad this discussion is taking place.

I hear a number of people saying things like they get better milage at 70mph than 55. There might be a few vehicles geared in a way to do that, but it's because they are not optimised for maximum economy. Most of the time that assertion is simply untrue.

I'm glad this discussion is taking place.

I hear a number of people saying things like they get better milage at 70mph than 55. There might be a few vehicles geared in a way to do that, but it's because they are not optimised for maximum economy. Most of the time that assertion is simply untrue.
Hi Chuck,

Your so right in your comment. Believe me the numbers I just Posted are factual and I can tell you the computer does not Lie. I also did the Hand check calculator check just to confirm the computer readings. It was real close within 2 MPG.

tiger

....When drafting, I have seen over 90 MPG at 70MPH.....

I have seen maybe 100-110mpg five feet behind an 18-wheeler at 70mph for a half mile on my Insight. If you have sustained if for a few miles, you really are the man Dan!

Did 88mpg behind an 18-wheeler, but it was a total waste over those 90-minutes out of Madison, Wis. I was headed to Minnapolis when the destination was Chicago. :o

you will never see me drive faster than 60 mph unless I was not myself. (bad day? emergency?)

I like my EPA estimates thank you very much! IF people stayed under 60 mph more often people would be getting the mileage indicated on the highway sticker.

Intresting this comes up.

I filled the Civic up today. Tank came in at 44.6 mpg. I was sure it would be in the 42 mpg area due to some awful conditions like tiger saw on his recent trip. I too didnt hypermile at all on two of the days of bad weather. Just drove the speed limit,,,, 65 mph.

But with regaurds to the higher speeds. When I filled up today I was running late for a cousins wedding. I poured the coals to the Civic for 90 miles or so I a effort to get to the wedding on time. I put the SG face down in the cubby and and caught glimps of the tach racing twords redline from alot of stop lights. and ran 65 to 80 mph on the hwys and turnpike. When I got home I looked at the SG. Current, today and tank was setting at a soild 43.5 mpg. It did a very good job of whooping EPA with no effort on my part at all.

Now heres ther bad. The wedding was 45 mins late getting started. I thought to myself, " I should have known this wedding wouldnt go off like planned,,, This my family yeah know". Then to salt the wound a little. It was a perfect day for a 50+ mpg tank. Mid 70's, no wind and beautiful sun shine.

O well.

I think the dact remains and can be proven by many a Honda owner. Drive your Hondas right,,, well,,, near right. :) And they will return good mpg even in the worst of conditions.

Hi Psy:
I think the fact remains and can be proven by many a Honda owner. Drive your Hondas right,,, well,,, near right. :) And they will return good mpg even in the worst of conditions.
___Excellent statement.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I get 52mpg at 55mph. 53mpg at 71mph. The problem with going 71mph is the car either slows down or speeds up it's hard to keep it that constant speed. The car is weird.

nice gearing on that car! After about 55-60 on my car I start losing FE.

nice gearing on that car! After about 55-60 on my car I start losing FE.

Tom is definitely telling the truth.:p

Me too. I can just about get away with 65mph and keep OK FE but anything beyond that (and 2500RPM) and the whole thing goes down hill. The car really shines at 40-50mph (turning 1500-2000RPM with low aero drag loads). I have to wonder about the legitimacy of doing better at 71mph than 55mph...it would takes some really interesting gearing and engine performance curves to make that happen. How was this tested?

I get 52mpg at 55mph. 53mpg at 71mph. The problem with going 71mph is the car either slows down or speeds up it's hard to keep it that constant speed. The car is weird.
Hi 888,

I have to tell you that your car is kinda different than any I have ever owned.

You say that: I get 52mpg at 55mph. 53mpg at 71mph.

So from a speed of 55-MPH to a speed of 71-MPH there is only: 1-MPG Difference ????

That being the case don't ever trade that vehicle off for any reason, Period. That is one Great-Vehicle you have there judging from those MPG and Speed Factors you have shared with us here on CleanMPG.

No Insult intended here but that is really Hard for me to Believe. However you own the vehicle so if you say that is Fact then I will have to except your word on it until it is proven incorrect. Seriously that being Fact , I suggest not trading it off ever.

Terry

I'm glad this discussion is taking place.

I hear a number of people saying things like they get better milage at 70mph than 55. There might be a few vehicles geared in a way to do that, but it's because they are not optimised for maximum economy. Most of the time that assertion is simply untrue.

The only way I could see a car getting better mileage at 70mph than 55mph would be if it was very low drag with a highly overpowered engine, so that the engine's increase in efficiency (due to reduced suction losses) went up faster than the increase in aerodynamic drag over this speed range.

The only way I could see a car getting better mileage at 70mph than 55mph would be if it was very low drag with a highly overpowered engine, so that the engine's increase in efficiency (due to reduced suction losses) went up faster than the increase in aerodynamic drag over this speed range.

That's the exact situation I'm in right now. I've noticed that at 60mph I average about 46mpg on flat ground and closer to 50mpg at 70mph. It surprised me because of the whole physics of drag at any speed higher than 35mph.

The 'Teg has a very low Cd and a 145hp engine. Once I get up to 70, I DWL and can see much higher numbers on the SG -- granted on some hills around here I end up down in the low 50's as far as speed with constant throttle, but on the downward slope, the speed and momentum makes for a nice jump in FE. I know it goes against everything I've learned but the numbers don't lie. The car struggles at 55 and breezes along efficiently at 70.

RH77

There's a peak. At lower speeds the engine is loafing and not
running efficiently under a solid load, and at higher speeds
it's running efficiently but bucking more air resistance. Each
car will have its own curve, and when people defending their
large SUVs say they get better mileage when going faster I tend
to believe them [for that sad little universe-in-denial that they
exist inside of, that is]. Sure, up to a point.
.
_H*

Hi 888,

I have to tell you that your car is kinda different than any I have ever owned.

You say that: I get 52mpg at 55mph. 53mpg at 71mph.

So from a speed of 55-MPH to a speed of 71-MPH there is only: 1-MPG Difference ????

That being the case don't ever trade that vehicle off for any reason, Period. That is one Great-Vehicle you have there judging from those MPG and Speed Factors you have shared with us here on CleanMPG.

No Insult intended here but that is really Hard for me to Believe. However you own the vehicle so if you say that is Fact then I will have to except your word on it until it is proven incorrect. Seriously that being Fact , I suggest not trading it off ever.

Terry


I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner guys. I don't visit this website much. Mostly gas savers.
My instrumentation is a scangauge. My car gets really great FE as long as I focus on it. At 17TPS 71mph I get 45-46mpg. At 16TPS and 71mph I get 53mpg but it has to be complely flat. At 14TPS and 60mph I get 58mpg. The car has a lot of potential but I need aero mods to attain the car's potential. I tried to make a belly pan for it and failed miserably. I made a lot of aero mods for my last car but this car is designed in such a way that it doesn't fit my project ideas.

The car is weird. The intake tubing is brand new, the Intake manifold is brand new and the clutch grabs like crazy. I'm sure the last owner did something with the car and converted it back to stock before he sold it. I plan to do a transmission flush soon since the shifter has been very notchy lately.

Like RH77 says the car has more power on top. At low speeds it strugles so bad.
I'm sure after I get a tranny flush, do an alignment, and change my fuel filter I'll be able to do 55mpg at 71mph without any problem.