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I should maybe post this in Introductions as this is my first post, but I want to make sure Wayne sees this. (hopefully this is the right forum..?)
I am a 55year old Engineer and car guy that started researching hybrids a couple months ago after seeing my brother-in-laws new Prius. After reading every web site I could find and carefully analyzing my situation, I narrowed my search to the Honda Insight M5.
Watching and waiting for the RIGHT Insight to pop up in the ads, I finally made a call, went for a test drive and agreed to buy a real nice 2000 in San Jose, CA. The now previous owner then told me the previous owner was a guy named Wayne from Ill and he had won some mileage contests with this exact Insight.
As that name sounded familiar from my reading, I went home and went back to my bookmarked sites.. low and behold Wayne is the smart guy I had been reading about!!
WOW, who would have thought.. I even found his mileage log on-line :)
Wayne, your old car is still near perfect with 93K on it. I will treat it well.
Looking forward to a great Insight experience,
Gary
Dublin, CA
http://home.comcast.net/~garywinblad/

Hi Gary:

___Hot $%(#@)$ I cannot believe it! I did not think I would ever hear about my Little Red Beauty ever again! Treat her well as she gave me many miles of great memories! And you are in Dublin too! My wife still works out of Alameda although that should be short lived. To bad as I would have loved to meet up with you and your new beauty to see her one more time. Can you take some pics? The interior and exterior were absolutely pristine other then the steering wheel showing its normal Insight wear. Boy how I miss her. Can you take some pics and post them for me to see again? And what of her lmpg? Did the family kill it or did they treat it well?

___How cool is it that I get to hear about my Insight again! Thank you for bringing it to my attention and please take care of her for all our sakes … If she is in as good a condition as when I sold her, you have one of the most pristine 2000 Insight’s you could possibly own and I congratulate you for not only her purchase but for taking her under your wing.

___Good Luck and please post her tank over tank results whenever you get the chance. I cannot wait to see what you can do with her although the traffic in your area can get downright nuts sometimes …

___Wayne

Now, xcel, you have to promise to not go crazy if he starts posting tanks in the 50's and 60's. No one drives like you do ;)

Enjoy your new toy, Gary :)

Let's say this Insight is pedigreed. ;)

Incredible!

Pictures!!

Hi Gary:

___I do not know if you will get a kick out of these or not? The first one was taken just a few days before I picked her up in SD. These pics brought back some very fond memories indeed! Anyway, I hope you like what I posted. Here goes …

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Side_view_before_I_picked_her_up.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Front_Passengers_Side_in_Snow.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Drivers_Side_Front.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Passenger_Side_Front.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Drivers_Side_Interior.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Passenger_Side_Interior.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Passengers_Side_Interior_Closeup.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Driver_Interior.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Neck_Pillows.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2000_Insight_Modded_Dead_Pedal.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi guys,
I tried to post this morning but it didn't get through for some reason... oh well.

Wayne, YES, wowee how nice to see them pics! Well, I guess I don't need to post any now, she still looks almost indentical :woot:
Only thing I see is that she lost the cool Honda headrest thingies.. I cleaned dirt off that dead pedal Saturday!
I will post some pics soon, once I figure out how.. and take some ;)
For now, if you act quickly, the ad is still on-line here:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/236264501.html

Chris and Amy took good care, the paint still looks like new. After my Ford Probe who's Rio Red paint faded in real time, I swore I would never buy a RED car again, but Honda paint and you previous owners good care saved this one! Chris and Amy now have a little Pug dog and he left ALOT of hair inside but it all came out with my shop vac. Oh, he did take a bite out of the arm rest and it is showing some wear, my wife thinks I should remove it, its kinda floppy mounted anyway and it seems to have lost its cupholder(?).

I reset the segment on my first trip this morning, only managed about 63 but had to climb over the Sunol grade. Doing my usual coasting, going slow etc, but have ALOT to learn I think. Ran the battery down to a couple bars an it seems kinda slow to come back, only charging at at maybe 3 bars while driving. Not seeing any regen happening when lightly braking during coast, IS THAT NORMAL?

Gotta get back to work, more later,
Gary

PS, WOW, we had our sailboat in Alameda until a few months ago! If you ever get out here, be sure to stop in!

Hi Gary:

___Whenever you let off the gas at speed with the clutch engaged and in gear while above 1,100 RPM, you should see some regen. WRT forced charging, you really don’t want to use the pack for all its worth. One of the reasons Chris and Amy received such a great Insight is that the pack was barely ever touched. 3 or 4 bars during a forced charge from a low SoC sounds about right given what I have seen in both Justin’s and Randall’s Insight’s after a recal. Try and stay off that pack as much as humanly possible and the FE will shine through.

___If I ever make it out to Alameda again, we will have to get together for lunch!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne,
Thanks for the quick response.
I drove it around at lunch time here... I see, I was coasting out of gear, leaving it in gear gives me all kinds of regen. I am back up to about 1/2 battery now.
Yeah, I thought I should stay off the boost, but it seems really counterintuitive to keep slowly, slowly, slowly trying to get up to speed with the bar showing 25mpg. How high should I rev it before I shift? The upshift light comes on almost instantly but if you shift then it almost slows down :(
Gary

Hi Gary:

___Boy it has been a while since I have been in an Insight under a normal driving condition :D

___I would use first for just a few seconds but into the pedal (w/out assist again) and shift to second well before 2K RPM. In second, you had to be really really really (did I say that enough ;)) careful with your accelerator and bring her up without assist. As soon as you reach 1,750 - 2,000, quickly shift into third and bring her up the rest of the way w/out assist if at all possible. Traffic from behind is what will force you into Assist but get out of second ASAP to limit its use. The blast of assist in second is a Honda designed nightmare imho :( Try and use any downward elevations you have for accelerations and let her almost glide up hills under a DWL regiment.

___As for the upshift light, I never rev’ed that high before I shifted into the next higher gear so I cannot tell you much about that other then you are running the ICE a bit harder then I would have normally.

___I can help some with uphill climbs as well if you are really pushing for max fuel economy but I am speaking about slowly crawling up the monsters in second just below V-TEC engagement yet above the Assist realm and with the Emergency’s flashing away. Yes, there is a place in-between where assist will disappear and you can crawl up mountains in second but it is not for the faint of heart in heavy traffic …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thanks Wayne,
Well, I made it home tonight with 56.8 on the segment (about 40miles).
I am a little bumbed, it is going to be difficult driving Little Red around here. I never really noticed how there are NO flat spots anywhere, its ALWAYS up hill or down hill and traffic is always 65+. It is REALLY hard to stay off the assist no matter what I do... downshifting makes it boost even more. Second gear on the Sunol grade would get me killed by the semis I am sure.
On the trip home I managed to get the battery back to the top but as soon as I got off the freeway it went down. I have about a 500ft climb up to the house so I end up with about 1/2 Soc and that's by driving really slow. Going back down the hill in the morning, the car is too cold to regen (I think) so I start with 1/2 charge so recharging is probably suckin up some of my power.
One of the reasons to get a hybrid was to use the carpool lane, but that's the fast lane, I'd have to KILL the battery to get it out there.

Wayne, is it true I shouldn't coast out of gear until the battery is full? That seems to save gas but then you have to waste it recharging later. BTW, thanks for all the expert advice!!

BTW, the Lmpg(?) is showing 70.2 at 91.9K miles. Chris replaced the 12V battery not too long ago, would that reset the Lmpg?
Gary
Little Red (formerly Little Red Beauty.. my wife renamed it;) )
Only 56.8MPG but trying and LEARNING!

Hi Gary:

___We will have to do a case study on your daily grind after you get some time behind the wheel. That 500’ climb to your home may be a godsend as your ICE is hot when arriving. Using that 500’ of elevation as you leave in the morning is what we really need to work on. You should be booted up but I would have not started the ICE until I either needed brakes or an upcoming hill dictated a restart. 500’ is good for at least 3 miles if you can weave your way in and out of subdivisions without hitting a stop or light. At least be in fuel cut while your 1.0L is being used as a air pump and warming up if worse comes to worse. Hills can be your friend if you manage them but you have to keep away from traffic when getting to the freeway. You are not nearly ready to throw the book at her but I am giving you a heads up as to the way you will be driving in the not to distant future in “Little Red” if you want to get her FE up to what she is capable of ;)

___While on the highway … I was in a rented Malibu the last time I was out and there was a section along I-280 where I believe I ran a 4 mile + FAS. The climb out through some canyon road to the Dublin/Pleasanton area was a SOB but that downhill FAS back to Alameda was fun to experience as well.

___You can reset the lmpg but it is not done via the 12V being disconnected or replaced. I would recommend leaving it but that is up to you … That lmpg has taken a hit vs. where it was when I left it. If you do the math, it is pretty ugly :( The following pic was taken in Oct. of 04 before I placed another 53 miles on her through the winter at 70.x mpg’s and another 1,000 + on her at 105.x mpg’s out to MA. in early spring of 05.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/504/92_5_mpg_-_63_716_miles.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Wayne and all,

Well, day 2 and better results!
Neglecting my 3mile downhill with a cold car thats recharging, etc., from the gas station to my final outbound trip of 35.9miles I did a 77.7MPG :woot: :woot:
That included a stop at my office in Pleasanton, the climb over the Sunol Grade (where I found a real slow semi with his flashers on to follow with my flashers), through Fremont, Union City to a stop at my insurance agent, some more Union City then 880 back to Fremont. Was able to keep the battery at 50% or higher, about 90% by my destination.
Lost a little on the way home, an accident caused inching along in 1st and then the climb back over the grade. No semis this time and everybody including me was going home faster.. got home up my hill at 60.5miles showing 69.3mpg. Battery left at about 70%.

Checked the front tires first thing this morning, 40PSI, back ones under the skirts (bummer, never thought about that problem ;) )
Need to pull it into the garage and pump them up, HOW HIGH??
Little Red is wearing RE92's, look like they will need replacement fairly soon, could these still be yours?? I think all of them look worn worst on the edges, like they always used to show as a classic case of UNderinflation.. ?

Yeah, I need to figure out how to do my hill. If I include it in todays run, my 77.7 drops to 76.3mpg at 38.3miles. At least I learned to leave it in gear and charge the battery! Duh.. I think I need to use your FAS shut it down methods..

Is that canyon road I-580?? If so that's called the Dublin Grade, my wife's commute over to Hayward. Real pain in the morning the semis hauling shipping containers to Oakland are in all lanes. And reverse at night is even worse.

I don't plan to reset the lmpg, hope I can help it.. someday! I doubt Chris would have reset it so it is probably true. Yeah, Little Red has seen some CA traffic I think. The title said it was at 71K in Aug 2005 when it came in.. 20K of hills and traffic!

Hey, only 53 miles through the winter? Didn't drive it in the winter?
Gary

Hi Gary:

___You did much better today then yesterday … YOOWWWW, 40 #’s in the RE92’s leads to an early death. Get those darn things back up to at least 50. I was running 60 but that is up to you.

___53 miles was its last winter as that is when it was sold. At least that is what the first guy said :( Other then that, she had a nice year round "Taste of Chicago" ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I had enough time to post some photos, Here is me with my new baby:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/IMG_1895.JPG
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/IMG_1887.JPG
The rest are in the General Gallery.

Oh, I decided that my hill (really hills) was going to kill the battery in no time so I did the Calpod(I think that is right?) clutch pedal switch mod. Now I can leave the battery up for the night at least. I made up a cable so that is not permanent (except for the switch hole in the switch blank).
BTW, what optional(?) switches can mount there??

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/IMG_1918.JPG

Gary
Little Red (Beauty)

Hi Gary:

___Nice to place a face with a member and to see my old car in all its glory :D The hood pic in the gallery looks like the day I drove it off the lot in fact!

___And looking at the pic of your driveway, I have a tip you might be able to use if you head down the slope as you leave? I noticed a slight slope from the right (high point) to the left (low point). You probably already do this but if you were to coast out of your drive backwards with a slight angle heading down slope, you should be able to pick up enough speed to swing her around on your main road and head on down that road without having to start the ICE up. That is if you head down the road to the left vs. climb to the right?

___I like the Calpod mod switch location and install. I can tell it will become very handy for you given your daily grind ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Well, I finally had to fill her up!

9.40gal, 547Miles, 58.19MPG puts me... at the very worst for an M5 Insight :(
(I started a mileage log).

This tank had a lot of.. learning.. BUT, as the new driveway queen that gets used for short trips to town (down the hill and then back up the hill) as well as my commuter (normal daily is only about 7miles one way), I am afraid her LMPG is going to suffer. She was at 70.2 when I got her but after my one tank its on 70.0.. oooh... I have been logging most trips, I can only do about 59MPG daily. Still, thats just about triple what my Corvette will do. The worst segment I have seen is 48MPG when I let my wife drive it to the east side of town and back.

I did manage that 77.7 segment and today I had to go up the freeway a bit where I managed a good draft and got a 78.0 including alot of in-city crawling. I can see the potential!

Speaking of that hill.. Wayne, good tips but unfortunately the way out is back UP the hill. I do coast out of the driveway before I light it but then I have to climb.. maybe 50ft elevation in 0.1mile to the first up hill stop sign. Then I would normally climb a little more for about 100ft to the next stop sign! Instead, I am turning left and almost immediately going downhill and regenerating as much as I can on a cold battery... UGLY. I want to move to the flatlands ;)

Its been pretty cold and some rain. From what I have been reading, I am going to try the cardboard trick next. Wayne, it looks like you used to do this, what upper air temp do you have to remove it??

Gary

Hi Gary:

___Since my daily grind was 90% highway, I could leave the cardboard covered radiator and intake in up until 60 - 65 degrees F. In an environment such as yours, I would leave it fully deployed up to maybe 50 degrees. A SG-II to watch coolant temps would be in order for your typical drive cycle. Given she runs in Leanburn out on the highway, you can forget about using the Trip Computer functions however. Someone picked up an SG-I off E-Bay a few weeks ago for something like $65 - $70. That would be a recommended investment imho.

___Another item … Given the ups and downs, why not bring your pack down to ~ 6 bars of 20 and leave it in a forced charge area. Once there, it is time to start driving her in a very quick and deliberate P&G scenario. I just don’t know of any other way to squeeze FE out of her if you are climbing one minute and falling the next. Continuously draining and filling the pack like that is not good for her but there is little you can do other then try out alternative ideas. I know how I would be driving her in that nightmare but I do not know if you are ready for that or not just yet? You are in fuel cut during Regen so there is a saving grace to it but having to stop is the killer.

___Have you installed a block heater into her? If not, I have hers boxed (shame on me for never bothering to install it) somewhere in the basement …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Gary:

___Since my daily grind was 90% highway, I could leave the cardboard covered radiator and intake in up until 60 - 65 degrees F. In an environment such as yours, I would leave it fully deployed up to maybe 50 degrees. A SG-II to watch coolant temps would be in order for your typical drive cycle. Given she runs in Leanburn out on the highway, you can forget about using the Trip Computer functions however. Someone picked up an SG-I off E-Bay a few weeks ago for something like $65 - $70. That would be a recommended investment imho.

Well its getting cold enough here to try, today was below freezing, had to actually warm it a little before moving and had to stop twice to get enough frost off the screen to see where I was going. I threw some cardboard in front of the condensor last night, didn't see any benefit on the way to work, MPG was BAD... QUESTION: why not close up the grill intake instead of block the radiator? Wouldn't there be an aero benefit as well?


___Another item … Given the ups and downs, why not bring your pack down to ~ 6 bars of 20 and leave it in a forced charge area. Once there, it is time to start driving her in a very quick and deliberate P&G scenario. I just don’t know of any other way to squeeze FE out of her if you are climbing one minute and falling the next. Continuously draining and filling the pack like that is not good for her but there is little you can do other then try out alternative ideas. I know how I would be driving her in that nightmare but I do not know if you are ready for that or not just yet? You are in fuel cut during Regen so there is a saving grace to it but having to stop is the killer.


What is the theory about leaving the pack low? I can certainly do that ;)
I can turn it off with the Calpod switch anywhere (I think). In fact, I am going to try just leaving it off entirely sometime, wouldn't that be the best for MPG? Except leaving it low enough to allow the most regen I can.. I am not pulsen and gliden yet, not even BFAS anymore..


___Have you installed a block heater into her? If not, I have hers boxed (shame on me for never bothering to install it) somewhere in the basement …


No, I am a CA kid. Never had one of those :D It might help this time of year though. What would you want for it? What I really should do is get it in the garage though...

Gary
Little Red