Highway miles on a 2008 Civic hybrid

[peterd]

We have just purchased a 2008 civic hybrid. We put about 2000 miles on it and are now at the start of a 10,000 mile road trip. Our best tank average has been about 44 mpg. The worst just under 40 with my lead foot wife driving. Today I will increase the tire pressure to approx. 40 psi. Almost all of this trip will be at highway speeds and we are moderately loaded. What should I reasonably expect from this car in mpg with this type of driving? Any info will be appreciated. Thanks, Pete

[msantos]

Hi Pete;

I would suggest you pump your tires up to 44 psi if you want the best mileage.

Now, the second issue is what do you mean by "highway speeds"?

-Anything above 60 MPH is going to kill your mileage fast. At 60 MPH or slower you can expect 50+MPG.
-75MPH or higher? expect low 40's and it gets worse if you choose to follow everyone's bad habits of going even faster.

The ideal would be 55-60 MPH as that along with some of the techniques in Tarabell's article will get you 55-65 MPG. With a Scangauge and an eye on the IGN and LOD readout you could 70-85 MPG at 55-62 MPH while running the car in the SAHM mode.


Cheers;

MSantos

[peterd]

Thanks, just to clear things up, are you referring to an imperial gallon (I noticed a Canadian address) or are you referring to an American gallon? On US freeways, you will be stopped by the police for driving slower than 60 mph. Pete

[voodoo22]

He means American gallon. The likelihood of getting stopped by the police for going to slow is low, but the likelihood of getting a ticket is even lower. I know people who have been stopped for going to slow, but I only know of one person to ever get a ticket and that was a guy my Dad pulled over who for some reason thought it was wise to tell off a police officer.

[msantos]

Hi Pete;

Yes, if not the metric L/100km, then always US MPG. Personally, I get annoyed quite often at the imperial gallon relic (sorry, I hate useless boat anchors).

Regarding the speed limits:

Always look for any posted MINIMUM speed limits as the lowest permissible speed and that will allow you quite a margin of effective safety depending on the intensity of the traffic. But... regardless of the highest speed limits I suggest never going above 60-65 MPH.
With this in mind, also take into account what the conditions allow you to do and let everyone pass if that is what they truly want to do. Believe it or not, every time someone passes you they are helping your fe along the way - at least a tiny bit at a time.

Cheers;

MSantos

[Ophbalance]

Originally Posted by peterd

Thanks, just to clear things up, are you referring to an imperial gallon (I noticed a Canadian address) or are you referring to an American gallon? On US freeways, you will be stopped by the police for driving slower than 60 mph. Pete

If you're going faster than the minimum speed, and slower than the posted speed, and you're not impeding traffic, there is no law that will allow the police to pull you over and issue a citation. They may pull you over to see if you're drunk/high, but that's as far as it'd go. I've been passed by several patrol cars, all during rush hour times, and all with me going 55MPH or less on the freeways. I've had them ride my rear end like no tomorrow waiting to pull off to an exit at the same speeds with no issues. They've never batted an eye in my direction.

Besides which, the idea of the speed limit is that it's the limit that you can drive in perfect conditions. If it's raining? You can be cited for going the limit as it can be deemed as reckless. If it's dark? Same deal. Fog? Same deal. I would imagine most states detail this in their handbooks. I know PA and NC do.

[peterd]

where I commonly drive, 55 mph is a recipe for a train wreck, unless it is rush hour and then 30 mph is really fast.

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by peterd

where I commonly drive, 55 mph is a recipe for a train wreck, unless it is rush hour and then 30 mph is really fast.

Bottom line is you should go the speed you are comfortable with, but I think you'd be surprised how slow you can go safely in many situations. I can't speak for your situation, but I know everyone I work with thinks I'm insane for going 50-55 mph on the stretch of highway I drive, but after 3 years of driving the 400 series highways around Toronto I have learned that no matter what speed you go, people will be upset. Now that I go slower, my commute is much safer and the biggest reason for this is that people can pass me very easily and when they go to cut me off they are so far in front of me that it isn't dangerous.

You also have to give off body language to the other drivers that you are going slow. For me this means ridge riding and always driving in the slow lane on the expressways.

It took my over a year to get used to driving this slow, but I will never go back and I think you will find most people who have gone through this change of habit will voice the same opinion.

I'm not trying to change your mind on the topic,; like I said; the most important thing is that you drive in a responsible manner which allows you to be same and comfortable. I hope to encourage you to try to slowly change your mindset on this behaviour and feel encouraged to do so, as I was, by the many others who have done the same and are reaping the rewards of slower, safer driving which results in less stress, more money saved on gas, less wear and tear on your car and of course, much better FE..

[Ophbalance]

Ditto to what voodoo has written, and in a much more loquacious and inoffensive manor than I could come up with . I started in steps, moving from nearly 80, to the PSL, then to 60, and now 55.

[shifty35]

Originally Posted by peterd

where I commonly drive, 55 mph is a recipe for a train wreck, unless it is rush hour and then 30 mph is really fast.

This is understood in busy urban areas, but on a road trip? Lower speeds should be even easier to get away with out on the open road.