Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Purchased a used 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid on July 9th 2004, picked it up July 10th with 4823 miles on it. Miles on car were 4823 when I got the keys. Lifetime MPG was 34.4 on the Trip B meter. Here is a synopsis of my first six plus tanks, as I annotated it each day along the way:

General consensus on Edmund;s Town Hall is that the A/C costs about 1-4 MPG. First tank 38.43 (car computer read 37.8)
Second tank read as high as 47.1 in the first 50 miles when I had driven mostly highway miles......dropped to 44.6 after 124 miles with normal commuting....down to 43.5 after 7 days in the tank......Second tank ended up at 40.66 (car computer read 43.1) - short end of stick on that one !!.....
Past midway through the third tank and computer reads 44.2 .....so far, same tank, 449 miles, 44.6. Has been much cooler last few days, have been able to run w/o A/C a lot, thus the 44.6 number.....Shooting for a 500 mile tank !!! Next day, 475 miles, still 44.6, low fuel light came on then went off...will definitely get 500 for this tank !! Ended up with 42.98 for 506.5 miles calculated. Third tank was 45.0 on computer...
Fourth tank read as high as 87.8 (not a typo) for the first 2.6 miles, driven East on Indian School from Sam's Club to 44th street. Read 56.3 after 17 miles. LOOOKKIINNGG GGGGGOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD !!! Reads 54.1 after 23 miles....Reads 51.0 after 98.1 miles.....dropped to 50.3 and then I increased it to 51.0 again after 140 miles.....dropped to 50.7 again after a trip to Mesa Peeds and Holdeman and back to TFMI - going to try tonite to get it back up to 51.0.........193 miles, sitting at 50.3, actuall dropped to 49.9 a couple of times, so it's FIGHTING me to go down !!! After trip to Payson (started 49.2) we came back at 48.8. not bad after 4000 rpm climbing in third gear....back down to 48.4 by Tuesday that week at 498 miles on tank and 4-5 bars left on fuel gauge. Today, 9-1-2004, we are at 48.0 and 519.7 miles, two bars left on gauge, but no low fuel warning yet. My guess is 47.6 by tomorrow and warning light will be on.....NOPE - it went UP to 48.4 again because I was able to avoid A/C usage Wednesday afternoon. Low fuel warning light came on ar 538 miles and 48.4 on the FCD. I'm going to Sam's in Gilbert tomorrow night - going to PUSH it this time !! Ended up 48.4 (48.56 on calc) and 587.5 for this tank.
Fifth tank is sitting at 53.3 after about 345 miles after trip to Cottonwood/Prescott/Wickenburg. Down to 52.6 after 390 miles. A/C usage this week is going to bring it down, because we are in a High Pressure heat wave phase right now...Still on 52.6 after 405 miles.......holding at 52.9 (barely) with 420 miles....53.3 with 528 miles....Still 53.3 at 538 miles....holding at 53.3 after 545 miles....STUCK MYSELF in a jam between broadway and baseline on priest and had to turn A/C on for a few seconds, and the battery ran all the way down, so we dropped to 52.9 at 560 miles, with low fuel light coming on at 559.1..........going for 600 BAYBEE !! Also going to try and get that back up to 53.3 GGGGRRRRRR !!!!!! BACK UP to 53.3 after some good driving, at 575 miles..... BOO-YEA !!! Holding at 53.3 at 600.2 - MY FIRST 600 MILE TANK BINGO DADDIO !! Bars went back up to two bars and low fuel light went out all the way up to 604.7. This tanked ended up 619.2 and 49.71 - BOO HISS !!!
Sixth tank is looking BAD for some reason? 48.0 but struggling - have not used A/C at all. This is strange..... Have milked it up to 50.3 after 60 miles.....looking better.... 51.0 after 76 miles......GOING UP !!.......holding at 51.4 after 94 miles, BARELY-has fluctuated down to 51.0 and up to 51.8, but holding at 51.4.......got it up to 51.8, but a struggle keeping it there.....it has dropped down to 51.4 with only a LITTLE BIT of acceleration usage....hoping to keep it at 51.8 but we'll see.....without the kids this weekend I should be able to get it higher. And on the way to get them Sunday morning, with any luck I can hit the lights good at 37 mph down University and get it up 0.8 just on that trip alone !!! Took the kiddos car seats to Holdeman Friday 9-24 and jumped it from 51.8 to 52.2........we'll see how long it stays !!!! BIG NEWS: I moved the mpg for this tank up to 55.6 by a University Drive drive to Tracy's and back. Caught a lot of lights, maintained 37-42 mph, and it went from 52.2 to 55.6 and is still sitting at 55.6 at 190 miles after my Monday morning commute......BOO YEAH !! Gonna get my first 650 mile tank and my first 50+ MPG tank?????? Holding at 55.6 after Tuesday morn commute at 219 miles.......holding at 55.6 after my Wed morn commute....not moving up or down.....no change after Thursday morning commute, around 250 miles now and 55.6 is the reading. I have started turning the car completely OFF when I have a long coast, hoping to help MPG when I can.....so far it has not gone DOWN, so I do think it is helping....going for my first 650+ mile tank this time...would only have to average 50 to use 13 gallons....If I'm REALLY getting 53, I could go 689.....DROPPED to 55.2 after AGAIN getting stuck in traffic on 48th street b/n Broadway and Baseline....still 55.2 after my Friday morning commute at 265 miles now........going to Rosa's in Mesa today, so I'll bet I can increase the MPG on that trip - maybe up to 57? 57 is the goal !!! Still going, 340 miles and still at 55.6 for now...not much gain from the Rosa's trip, for some reason.....maybe too many miles on the tank now.....LIFETIME on Trip B meter is up to 37.8 now !!! BOO HISS Update: Down to 55.2 for some reason - have NO IDEA why. UPDATE 10-5-2004: ran over a "stop strip" dropped by a local pickup and got two sidewall punctures on passenger side. Trying to get dealer to locate replacements... GGGRRRRR!!!!! EEFFIN Dealer service guys - I had a solid 55.2 and when I got it back from service, it was 54.8 and staying there.....going to try to get it going up again by the end of the week......I now have two new 185/65/14 tires on the back, one size smaller than the front....interesting.....still STUCK at 54.8 after 402 miles - I upped all 4 tires to 40 PSI last night, hoping to help....we'll see !!!.............FCD is TRYING HARD to go down to 54.5 - has done so twice but I got it back up to 54.8. Sitting around 430 miles now.....OK, I milked it up to 55.2 briefly but it is back down to 54.8 after about 460 miles.....Milked it back up to 55.2 after a SOLID drive to Holdeman to give Tracio the car seats...Boo-YA !! OK, all weekend it hovered around 55.2 ro 55.6 and is PRECARIOUSLY sitting at 55.6 right now after my Monday Oct 11th morning commute....I'm betting it's back to 55.2 by the time I get home today....Well, I was half right - it is indeed 55.2, but not until this morning (Tuesday 10-12) did it drop to 55.2 on the commute to work, about 545 miles...OK I milked it back to 55.6 with a trip to Compass on Thomas and to Sams' Club on 20th and Indian School....still at 55.6 after my morning commute on Wednesday the 13th and sitting at 594 miles and THREE FUEL BARS on the fuel gauge. BARELY holding at 55.6 after dropping to 55.2 Wed night after getting caught in traffic going East on Thomas to Hayden to go to Fish N Chips....Fuel warning light came on this morning at 631 miles with one bar left....sitting at 634 miles and 55.6 right now...Going for 700 miles !!! Holding at 55.6 BARELY again at 650.1 miles....Going to give in and fillup tonite at Sams' before getting 700 miles, darnit !! Made it to 683.9 miles, 12.69 gallons. So if you assume I got 54 MPG (which it calced to) then at 631 miles I got 53 miles after the light came on. So at a 13.2 gallon tank, I had one and a half gallons left when the light came on.
Seventh Tank: Filled up Friday 10-15-2004. First 3.1 miles read 93.1, going 30mph North on Kyrene towards Tempe - took a Pic !! After the first Monday commute on 10-18, we are at 57.1 and 38 miles. BOO HISS - after the Tues 10-19 commute, I am down to 56.3. Seems like the coldish weather (<70 degrees this AM) combined with the use of headlights for part of the commute dropped me quickly. We'll see how well it holds up over this coldish snap over the next few days....I calculated that if I get three more 54 MPG tanks including this one I will be at 48.58, making me a HYPERMILER !!! WOO-HOO !!! We'll see....