How to improve fuel economy on a hybrid car?

Hi,

there is very little you will want to modify on a Civic Hybrid, Honda does have this down to a science.

In over four years of researching and presenting hybrid information, I have yet to see any mechanical modifications that will make a substantial difference in mileage that are worth the investment.

Increases of 20% on a vehicle that gets 40-45 mpg when driven well only add up to an increase of 8-9 mpg.

That is a great increase, but after market mods that cost $12000 and more to try and achieve an additional 10 mpg just aren’t worth it.

Spend the $12-15000 on solar cells and a solar hot water heater for your home and make a real difference in your energy usage.

What I have seen are major increases in mileage only when the driver changes how they are driving.

Plus, modifications to the hybrid system will void your warranty, so you are going to be taking chances with your $25,000 investment.

However, there are some basic things you can do that will not change the basic hybrid system. And all of these are free, or will cost you very little.

1. Avoid ethanol blends, you will get lower mpg. Ethanol is grain alcohol and is not as energy dense as gasoline. We don’t need to get into what a boondoggle ethanol production is, just know your mileage will go down by about 10% per 10-15% of additional ethanol blend.

Honda and Toyota both state you should not put E85 in your tank (it will cause various problems in the fuel delivery system because of the increased alcohol content).

2. Buy a digital tire gauge and check your tire pressure at least once a week. Throw away the cheapy stick gauges, they just aren’t accurate enough.

Never use the pressure stamped on the tire itself, that is the maximum safe pressure from the tire manufacturer. Use the pressure from the driver’s door frame sticker. Over inflating slightly is ok, but don’t go above 4-5 extra psi or you will cup your tires and wear them out faster.

Cupping is when the middle of the tread wears before the outside of the tread because the tire has too much pressure to keep all the tread flat on the road.

3. Keep your Civic repaired, very little things add up.

Not long ago, I spoke to a Prius owner who was consistently losing about 4 mpg, no matter what. I discovered he had a broken tire air diffuser in front of one tire. A tire air diffuser breaks up the air flow in front of the tires, lowering drag and improving efficiency.

That one broken piece of black plastic was causing a 3-4 mpg loss and things like that add up quickly.

4. Consistently maintain your Civic, using the Honda guidelines as a minimum. I always recommend, and personally do, take my vehicles in to a local Toyota dealer for service. I have the oil and filter changed every 3000 miles, and the tires rotated every 6000.

There will be some people who say this is excessive, but I’ve seen quite a few vehicles that do not perform like they should because people don’t maintain them well.

Just don’t go to a cheapy lube, that is asking for trouble.

5. The tires on the Civic Hybrid are middle of the road tires, pardon the pun (just about every tire is from every manufacturer, this is not a slight on Honda). They are a blend of comfort, good rolling resistance, and safety. There are definitely better tires out there, and when your original OEM’s wear out, replace them with better ones.

I went with Yokohama’s for the last set at 42,000 miles, and have been very satisfied with them. I normally get over 40-42,000 on the first set of OEM tires rotating them every 6000 miles, plus checking the tire pressure weekly.

Good luck.