Today was quite an accomplishment for me. A month ago I thought that i would be struggling to keep my tanks above 50MPG. But today, I recorded 60 MPG on both the drive to work AND the drive back home! Previously I was only able to crack 60 on the way to work which is -200 ft elevation. To work, -200 ft elevation, 56F, 8 MPH headwind, 60.13 MPG From work, +200 ft elevation, 74F, 15 MPH tailwing, 60.17 MPG. Current tank, 195 miles, 59.2 MPG.
Hi Dan: ___You have blown right through Tom’s 10% challenge without even thinking about it! Those old Civic’s are the goods, aren’t they … Congrats and keep up the excellent segments. It won’t be long and you will be making your Prius II FE monster machine look dated! That is making a statement given the del Sol is 10 years older ___Good Luck ___Wayne
I don't know how you did that, considering a Del Sol is not economy-oriented. The elevation is starting to sould like marathon runners talk about elevation and hills.
Well actually Tom's challenge is for 10% over 60MPG for me. He is a meanie and likes to see me sweat. 66 MPG is 83% above the combined EPA estimates. That is equivalent to 118 MPG on an Insight or 92 MPG on an HCHII or 101 MPG on a Prius. Maybe I could do it on an optimized test course but for my daily commute? Im gonna need some help with this. Perhaps some extreme modifications are in order?
Hi Dan: ___Although I could not come close to doing this each commute, I did see 117.x mpg’s 3 times while I owned her. I know other Insighter’s who have actually seen higher FE on shorter segments! You will blow your current numbers out of the water with no mods when its warms up a bit … I promise ___Good Luck ___Wayne
Honestly, when I bought the car I was crossing my fingers for 45 MPG. I am as surprised as you are. The Del Sol came in two trim levels, S and Si. I have the S trim level which is a few pounds lighter than the Si and has the same engine and transmission as the Civic DX which has a 34/40 EPA rating vs a 34/38 for the Del Sol. I assume that the lower highway rating is due the the horrible .378 CD. There is about a 400 lb weight advantage with the Del Sol but it does not show up in the EPA numbers.
With the Prius, certainly better FE when warmer. But the penalty seems less with the Del Sol so the gain from summer temps may be limited.
