Shot across the bow signaling the diesel invasion of America is about to begin.

Hi Tim and Jeff:

___The technique(s) I began using this afternoon appears to be working but if you are in a hurry, expect the 70 - 80 mpg numbers at 55 - 65 vs. the 80 – 100 mpg numbers at ~ 50



___This thing has 3 efficiency modes and all appear to be related to the 3 sets of ECO LED’s shown in the pic above in the upper right corner next to the Speedometer. That pic was from earlier this week in the heavy rains. 6-LED’s lit appears to mean this thing is running on that single - low load – max FE - tuned swirl intake port and the highway numbers while DWL are between 1.9 and 2.9 L/100 km between 47 and 55 mph while DWL and DWB. With 4 LED’s lit during light accel’s, she will hold between 3 and 4L/100 km with an occasional peak of 5L/100 km. When you drop down to just 2 LED’s during a faster accel, 6 - 10L/100 km is the nasty result. What I did tonight is a little different. After realizing these ECO lights may mean more then just a lava lamp to peg for max FE, I thought back to that intake port tricks that Honda uses on the iCDTi. Tonight I pulled out all the stops and concentrated on keeping those ECO lights pegged through long up hill’s and either going into Fuel cut on the longer downhill’s or holding just 1L/100 KM while the iFCD begins its goofy dance between the two while on the highway. Above 57 is where you being to lose the 5th and 6th LED and that 2.9L/100 km maximum if that helps? These LED’s are tied together so you only see 0, 2, 4 or 6 lit, not any other combination.

___For the LS and MS P&G runs, I was using 3 ranges and I was using them in traffic with beyond Prius deadly results.

___For the 18 – 45 kph mostly unmolested P&G and stop and crawls, I was using 2nd and 3rd. A clutch start at 18 kmh and run 2nd up to 1,100 – 1,150 RPM. A very fast shift to 3rd and run that up to ~ 1,250 RPM’s at ~ 44/45 kph and FAS. This yielded as low as 1.6L/100 km (147 mpg) but she mostly held onto 138 after ~ 10 miles and even after the ¾ - 1 mile long blast to 65 mph before I get back off the Interstate and back onto a frontage road while crossing the Des Plaines River Bridge on I-55.

___For the 24 – 55 kph stop and crawls, I was using 3nd and 4th. A clutch start at 24 kmh and run 3rd up to ~ 1,350 RPM. A very fast shift to 4th and run that up to 1,400 RPM’s and FAS. This yielded as low as 2.0L /100 km (118 mpg) but she mostly held onto 2.1L/100 km or 112 mpg.

___Below 17 kph, you are stuck with the Push button start and a quick first and maybe second if you have built enough buffer and the traffic moved a few car lengths and then FAS … Avg. kph was 80 kph as of this morning and is sitting at 74 kph now. I do not believe the averaging calculator takes into account FAS time so maybe 60 - 65 kph is the average with yet another 3.5 hour stop and crawl tonight coming home. O’Hare was absolutely murder again tonight :angry: but the new found rate and ranges blew through all expectations.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

 

Hi Sean:

___I use higher speeds and RPM’s in the gassers. For the Accord w/ Auto, she sucks fuel like a drunken sailor down that low so I will pull a max 2,350 – 2,400 RPM pull from maybe 15 on the bottom and 40 - 50 mph on the top and let her glide, glide, glide to wring anything out of her on the back roads or stop and crawls where applicable. The Ranger takes a slightly lower RPM (1,500 – 2,300) in whatever gear is appropriate for the traffic. A harder accel for sure but her top end falls apart due to the aero and gearing

___Tim, the iCDTi is about perfect for the L and MS P&G’s and darn near perfect in the Chicago style stop and crawls. The only place a hybrid (Prius) appears to have a leg up on the iCDTi is in that 3 – 10 mph stop and creep stuff where you can run a Prius under EV forever while the rest of us no matter what we are driving die a slow and painfully fuelish death While ramped up to 60 +, only the Insight stands a chance. The iCDTi cannot quite grab onto what an Insight allows when it comes to FE on the LS P&G’s but she can take down an Insight at 55 +. With all the extra amenities, huge performance advantage and safety HW most crave in an automobile today; I see a lot of Insight’ers purchasing this exact vehicle when and if it becomes available here in the US without question. It is just weird that this thing has all these toys (4 range headlight leveling, ABS, 4-wheel discs, seat height adjustment, tilt and telescopic wheel, steering wheel controls, VSC, front, side and side curtains, heated mirrors and rear defrost, dual view drivers side mirror, a ton of radio controls and display(s), an HCH-II like FCD including some very interesting items on the TC screens albeit a tad smaller, magic seats, nice sized hatch with a cool under floor compartment … and this is the base!) yet allows some outlandish FE on both the highway and the city/suburban routes for those that want it. This thing pulled over 3X’s its Urban/Extra urban combined tonight on the back roads and the only other vehicles I have driven that are even remotely capable of that is the Insight and Ranger and both lack the toys most expect in their vehicles today!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

 

Hi Sean:

___I can only hope they bring this one over with a minimum of screwing it up for North American consumption?

___I experimented with some HS Close-ins this afternoon and the results were rather poor at best. 13 – 18 degrees C with 15 – 25 mph head/side winds to battle coming home this afternoon. I hit the Interstate at 117.6 and proceeded to lose it quickly with 60 – 75 mph Close-ins thinking it would help? Revs touched 2K at 71 mph if that means anything. Anyway, the 6 ECO bars could not be maintained for any length of time and the iFCD would run between 1 and 5 all the while the aFCD was climbing and climbing and climbing. She went from 2.0 to 2.4 L/100 over ~ 15 miles and I said that is about enough of that experiment for the day When I got home, I thought I had better take a good look under the car and find out why this thing can cruise at slower highway speeds without burning fuel like a mad man as well as why the HS Close-in’s did not maintain her numbers rather then dropping through the floor like they did?

___Here is what I saw …

Front – Full length aero underbody panel.


Rear – Full length aero underbody panel.​

___Not only was the bottom covered almost from front bumper fascia to rear bumper fascia, the rear tail pipe outlet(s) were in cased into the bumper structure and their was no gap from the under-body panel to the front bumper and none from the rear under-body panel into the rear bumper fascia either. I think Honda spent some time in the wind-tunnel with this vehicle given the attention to detail that this underbelly cover(s) revealed. Even the plastic push pin connectors are snugged up tight to the edges!

___Good Luck

___Wayne