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I am the proud owner of 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 5-speed! It replaced a 1993 Mazda MX-3 that had been run to the end of its life (229,000 miles.) I averaged around 30 in town and 40+ on the highway, and it pained me to get a car that got worse gas mileage so I was looking at civics, corollas, etc. I stumbled on a this car and fell in love. It just drove so wonderfully, plus it gets great gas mileage!
It has 134,000 miles on it, but the battery pack was replaced at 79,992 miles. It appears to be charging and discharging perfectly normally, with none of the problems I have seen people describe with failing battery packs. On the 25 mile (mostly highway) drive home I averaged 57 MPG, and this was driving 65-70. Needless to say I was thrilled.

This brings me to my questions. First of all, I have read that the 5-speeds have decreased battery life, due much in part to driving styles and the way it manges the SoC. How should I drive to maximize battery life? From what I read you just drive like you would for economy - accelerate slowly and don't rapid-charge the battery. Is this correct? Secondly, I read that it is a good idea to use the a/c when it is hot outside to keep the battery cool. It commonly gets over 100 degrees in the summer here, and I have measured in-car temps in the 170's at the end of the day after work. Should I just crank the a/c as soon as I start the car to cool it down ASAP and crack the windows? In my current car I just roll the windows down and leave of the a/c but it sounds like thats a bad idea.

Finally, are there any other tips and things I should look for? I haven't verified if it got the tune-up at 110k yet, but is there a good way to tell or something to look for?

Thanks in advance for the advice, and I look forward to enjoying my new car!

Hi rotorhead87;

Welcome to CleanMPG and congratulations on your excellent acquisition! :D

You've come to the right place to learn how to get the most out your car as it can not only net you measurably more than 50-60 MPG when driven right on the highway, but also give you many years of reliable operation.

Just to summarize things a bit I will start by offering the following suggestions:

Do manage the SoC as often and as optimally as you can. To do this well, avoiding using too much electric assist when accelerating (better if you use absolutely none) and when you need to stop, brake gently and over longer distances. In other words keep the amplitude of the assists and regen low and things will be just fine over the long haul. All Honda hybrids to date benefit greatly from this advice!!
Avoid using AC when you first start the car. Instead let the heat out first by opening the windows and drive a little with the windows down. Then when the car is already in motion and a bit cooler, turn ON the AC in the Auto setting and start by choosing the highest temp first then dialing it down every few minutes until you are comfortable. If conditions allow, driving with the windows cracked open a bit at lower speeds and no AC is best.


Cheers;

MSantos

Good luck on the '03. I agree with the above. If you have not already done so pump up the tires some. Other than an InsightI, nothing gets better than a HCHI with a stick.

You may be interested in the "cal pod" modification which allows you to disable assist. http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23498&page=2 That thread describes the benefits of the modification, there is a link I posted within the thread for the how-to instructions.

I had seen some mention of that already, thanks for the link.

I just took it on a long trip over the weekend - about 350 miles. Over the course of the trip it averaged 54 MPG, which is pretty phenomenal in my book. First of all I averaged between 65 and 70 the whole trip, mainly because going any slower scares me on I-35. The trip up was going straight into a 20+ MPH headwind, plus there was lots of traffic and occasional traffic jams. I also drove around town for a decent bit of it. All things considered, I am very happy with the mileage.

Also, I have actually had it at a full SoC several times. I've only gotten into forced recharge once, and that was when I had only done around town stuff for a while.

The clutch mod would help significantly with the forced regen issue around town. Out on the highway it is relatively easy to keep the car out of assist, but it really wants to use a lot of it in the first 3 gears.

Yeah, I've noticed that its almost impossible to keep it out of assist in the lower gears.