[shuksan]

Searched but didn't find precise comments about this, sorry if I missed it.

After 5500 miles on my 09 Hihy Limited is there any reason not to have the Econ mode going all the time?
It seems to dampen the accelerator quite a bit but that is fine with me as I'm a pokey driver usually looking to max my mpg. Occasionally, when I want to cross a busy street or merge with lots of traffic it's nice to have the Econ mode off and have that extra pep and power but most of the time I don't mind the loss of power if it gains me better gas mileage.

Btw, my mileage went from 23ish to 25ish over the past two months that I've had the car. The mileage has been 25% city/75% highway, mostly from town to the mountains so lots of steepish mountain passes and access roads. I hope my mileage gets better as the temps warm up, the ski rack comes off and the engine gets broken in. These mileage figures are from the display, which from what I've read is usually a little bit generous.

shuksan

 

[Statman]

You can leave it in econ...if you punch the gas it will over ride the econ setting anyway. I do not use it personally and I get about 28.3 mpg...in CO hills.

 

[molover]

I have an 09 HiHy myself. Without using the econ mode, I'm getting 28.8 with 25%city, 75%highway driving. Seems like the econ mode is meant for city/traffic driving. With it on, my mpg on the highway goes down a bit.

 

[Citation4444]

I have tried it both ways, and there's no doubt my mileage is worse with it turned on. I leave ECON off and I'm getting 29mmg. I live in the north GA mountains and drive a mix of city and highway.

 

[Flame Red]

I seemed to have the opposite - I gain about 2 MPG with ECON on. With it on, I get about 27 city (a/c on) with ECON on. GOes down to about 25 with ECON off.

I have noticed that if I buy cheap brand-X gas my milage goes down about 2MPG also. I buy name brand gas it seems to return those 2 MPG. Damn Ethanol I suppose.

 

[rdalemercer]

28.8? I only see that kind of mileage going downhill. Seriously. I am "averaging" in the low 23's - AND I'm running in ECON mode ALL of the time. This is really disappointing.

Is there a way to re-set the system (like rebooting a PC)?

I get better mileage on the highway than I do in town.....which seems to be backwards.

 

[Flame Red]

Is there a way to re-set the system (like rebooting a PC)?

Odd - mine resets automatically when ever I fill it up. I think if you hold down the display button on the steering wheel it will either reset it or bing up a menu so you can reset it.

 

[rdalemercer]

Odd - mine resets automatically when ever I fill it up. I think if you hold down the display button on the steering wheel it will either reset it or bing up a menu so you can reset it.

Sorry - maybe I should have been more succinct. I am wondering if there is a way to reset the whole hybrid system. Maybe my HyHi is in need of being "rebooted" so it will get the MPG that the rest of you are experiencing?

For a short time i was getting ~25, but I'm back to the ~23's again - AND it's getting warmer which should mean that I would get better MPG?

 

[Flame Red]

I would try a 'name' brand gas first. When I use the cheapie gas, I think they shove more of that Al Gore Ethonol crap in there. I loose 2-3 MPG when I use the cheapie gas. When I use 'name' brand - it goes higher. 87 octane is all it needs so don't waste your money on higher octane. Worse on my other SUV.

I would not power down the Hybrid myself. I was reading that can cause the computer to have to relearn and there was a thread that some had to take it back to the dealer to get it to act right - something about the throttle body? But I guess you eventually have to do that when the engine battery dies anyway. But that same thread said something about using a jumper to keep the computer alive.

But you would just pull the negative battery cable for a few minutes if you want to really experiment.

 

[rdalemercer]

I would try a 'name' brand gas first. When I use the cheapie gas, I think they shove more of that Al Gore Ethonol crap in there. I loose 2-3 MPG when I use the cheapie gas. When I use 'name' brand - it goes higher. 87 octane is all it needs so don't waste your money on higher octane. Worse on my other SUV.

I would not power down the Hybrid myself. I was reading that can cause the computer to have to relearn and there was a thread that some had to take it back to the dealer to get it to act right - something about the throttle body? But I guess you eventually have to do that when the engine battery dies anyway. But that same thread said something about using a jumper to keep the computer alive.

But you would just pull the negative battery cable for a few minutes if you want to really experiment.

I only use brand name gas. Mostly Mobile / BP / Shell / Chevron .. sort of that order and always 87 octane.

I have also had two oil changes and am about ~1000 miles away from the 15,000 mile major check-up.

 

[Bob259]

I would try a 'name' brand gas first. When I use the cheapie gas, I think they shove more of that Al Gore Ethonol crap in there. I loose 2-3 MPG when I use the cheapie gas. When I use 'name' brand - it goes higher. 87 octane is all it needs so don't waste your money on higher octane. Worse on my other SUV.

I would not power down the Hybrid myself. I was reading that can cause the computer to have to relearn and there was a thread that some had to take it back to the dealer to get it to act right - something about the throttle body? But I guess you eventually have to do that when the engine battery dies anyway. But that same thread said something about using a jumper to keep the computer alive.

But you would just pull the negative battery cable for a few minutes if you want to really experiment.

I believe that to be true as I had the dealer install Sirius radio last week and it required the battery be disconnectd for about 5 hours and my mileage has dropped a bunch (2-4 mpg) since then.

 

[nick1sp]

if you want better mileage, gotta have patience. My driving habits had to change in order to maximize my mpg. What help me monitor the usage is the "current" meter. That's the one showing up on the MFD. where it shows a 0-60mpg bar and depends on how you're driving, the bar ranges from 10mpg to 60mpg. Keeping the bar high up is a bit difficult at first, but once I get the hang of it, I'm beginning to get better mileage.

 

[rnrn]

Learn to feather the gas pedal

I have an 09 HiHy and I typically hit the gas a bit harder at start to get up to speed and then let go, then touch the pedal again and usually am in EV mode for a bit. I def get better mileage out of Econ mode doing this. I hover around 28/29 with 50/50 here in Chicago and ONLY Big 3 gas goes in- no Ma n Pa gas. Also running Amsoil 0-20 synthetic.

Ross

 

[sirwm]

my gas mileage is only about 21 :headbang:

But the HH still has less than 2000 miles on it.

How long before I get some better mileage ?

 

[rnrn]

Update, my mileage has dropped, which I expected for winter but not this much. I am now around 21/22 mixed which is a huge hit and disappointing. Any ideas, only 6000 miles.

 

[jeffs3820]

my gas mileage is only about 21 :headbang:

But the HH still has less than 2000 miles on it.

How long before I get some better mileage ?

In the winter in colder climates 19-22 is about right. This is my second winter and the pattern has repeated itself. The hybrid part of the drivetrain does not contribute much with short-mid trips in cold weather. That said, I took a 90 mile drive last week on the interstate (55-70 speeds) and that warmed things up nicely so the mileage improved to 26-27. However, back to 20-30 degree city driving and mpg has begun to plummet again. Things will improve when temperatures move to 50+F and the gas stations stop carrying the winter blend.

 

[nick1sp]

my gas mileage is only about 21 :headbang:

But the HH still has less than 2000 miles on it.

How long before I get some better mileage ?

gas mileage depends on lots on conditions. Top conditions are weather, type of gas, driving habits, heater/ac working, tire pressures, conditions of roads, weight of cargo, etc.

I now have less mileage because since I got used to the car, my driving habits have turn back to a bit more aggressive. hovering around 21-23 city driving is consider good for me especially during the winter with heater on.