HFS's car thread | Nearly-5000-miles update
- Thread starter homeforsummer
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- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Yeah, those seem to struggle unless you're incredibly gentle. People seem to be averaging in the TwinAir cars what I used to average in my regular 1.4 Panda 100HP without any eco tech.
It's generally the turbocharged stuff though - the naturally-aspirated 3-pot cars are quite frugal, but slap a turbocharger on there for extra performance and real-world economy seems to suffer a fair bit too.
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Now the weather has improved again I've begun to attack the headlights once more.
If you ignore the colour differences caused by the ambient light (though how much better does the paintwork look in the sun?...), it's pretty clear to see the difference in the headlights.
Top left is how they both started, and almost as yellow as that makes it look. Top right is probably 75% done. Bottom two are probably 95% of the way there, and the surfaces are smooth enough that you get that slight rainbow refraction effect in them from certain angles. Probably put two hours into them so far but well worth the time for the end result.
In other news, a few motorway runs have seen the mpg creep up, now on about 64 mpg for the tank.
Still getting positive comments on it too. Guys at the local hand car wash love it. Even the guy behind the counter in the Post Office when I taxed it the other week started asking about it.
Top left is how they both started, and almost as yellow as that makes it look. Top right is probably 75% done. Bottom two are probably 95% of the way there, and the surfaces are smooth enough that you get that slight rainbow refraction effect in them from certain angles. Probably put two hours into them so far but well worth the time for the end result.
In other news, a few motorway runs have seen the mpg creep up, now on about 64 mpg for the tank.
Still getting positive comments on it too. Guys at the local hand car wash love it. Even the guy behind the counter in the Post Office when I taxed it the other week started asking about it.
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- 23,974
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Headlights look like new! Need to get one of those kits to work their magic on the Forester's cloudy lenses. Will look so much better now i'm trying to flog it.
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
It's definitely worth it. Was sceptical the kit would work as well as it claimed, but I shouldn't have worried. Twenty-odd quid and a few hours' labour and from five paces they look as good as new. Didn't drive it at night with the cloudy lamps but I imagine it's rather easier to see now too.
- 3,948
- Sturgis, MI
- GTP_ty00123
I see what you did there...
Looks pretty good. 64mpg is pretty impressive, too. Is that with a bit of hypermiling or just regular driving?
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Bear in mind that's UK gallons, so in Yankee gallins you're looking at about 53 mpg. Which still isn't bad, but American owners keep telling me they're getting 70 mpg out there, so I've got some way to go!I see what you did there...
Oh, and that's regular driving. Bit of thrashing in there, but also generally sticking to speed limits, including on the motorway. Does 75 mpg ish (UK) at 70 mph.
ThanksCloudy headlights make me instantly hate a car-- so many owners neglect them over here it's ridiculous. Glad to see this Insight is being well taken care of.
They're a pet hate of mine too, instantly makes any car look unloved even if, like this one, it had a full history and a massive stack of paperwork with it. Does amaze me how many people let headlights go completely opaque.
- 1,494
- Portland / Or /
- Barefoot_Driver
I just replaced the passenger headlight housing in my wifes car. After years of sanding buffing and shining it just wouldn't unhaze anymore. A deer took out the driverside housing so the car looked strange for the past several months. The drivers side was shiny and new and the passenger side was barely translucent.
With the new housing it reversed and the housing we replaced a couple of months ago looks old and hazy and the new one looks perfectly clear. 200$ apeace (almost) is alot but its more than a cosmetic change. It helps to see and be seen. Next is HID projector lights for her car.
Watch out for those buffer/shiner kits, they only work up to a point then nothin'.
I heard that rubbing WD40 and some other compounds on the housing will shine it up again but I wasn't willing to test it while the light was still on the car and I forgot to test it before my body guy threw out the old light. :facepalm:
Your ride looks years newer with the new shine. 👍
With the new housing it reversed and the housing we replaced a couple of months ago looks old and hazy and the new one looks perfectly clear. 200$ apeace (almost) is alot but its more than a cosmetic change. It helps to see and be seen. Next is HID projector lights for her car.
Watch out for those buffer/shiner kits, they only work up to a point then nothin'.
I heard that rubbing WD40 and some other compounds on the housing will shine it up again but I wasn't willing to test it while the light was still on the car and I forgot to test it before my body guy threw out the old light. :facepalm:
Your ride looks years newer with the new shine. 👍
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Thanks
And yeah, mine wasn't too far gone that it couldn't be brought back, but I suspect there's probably a limit on how bad you can let units get before no amount of buffing will clear them.Just been out for a night-time drive. Can confirm the cleaned headlights actually work very well on dip and high beam, and I've not even put the new bulbs in there yet. Certainly better than I was expecting.
Took a quick general snap. Turns out night time isn't really night time when there's a full moon...
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- 2,235
- Norway
Damn the design is really timeless, at least considering how funky it was when new.. Thanks for making me feel bad for my faded headlights lol. Yours came out really well.. Love the car.
Would be cool to see this car lowered.. It should be good for the mpg figure too amirite
Love the car.Would be cool to see this car lowered.. It should be good for the mpg figure too amirite
- 6,092
- Phoenix, AZ
As someone lives in a place with the most hours of sunlight per year in the country, yellow-eyed cars are a common sight. Good to see you've fixed that. 👍
- 23,800
- Philippines
Slacker. I've done that with a regular old Toyota 1.5 in mixed use.
Of course, that was driving at a maximum of 45 mph on the highway, with the AC off and coasting every single chance I got.
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Filled up for only the second time the other day, so this latest tank will be more representative than my first!Slacker. I've done that with a regular old Toyota 1.5 in mixed use.
Of course, that was driving at a maximum of 45 mph on the highway, with the AC off and coasting every single chance I got.
Been to visit a friend this weekend. Over around 500 miles of largely motorway, partly twisty country roads driving, it's averaged 75 mpg UK (62.4 US). Was 80 mpg (66.6) on the way down, but traffic brought the average speed down a little there and there was a fair chunk of country roads and stop-start stuff in between the two longer journeys, which probably explains the drop.
You know you're in an economical car though when the readout is hovering over 50 mpg (up a motorway incline, foot to the floor) and you're thinking "pah, that's crap"...
Getting used to the gearing too. Second is basically perfect for country roads - it'll take you to 70 mph, so you can basically stay in 2nd for an entire twisty road, and there's enough power to make it quite good fun. Trying the tires at 40 psi too (think they're rated for 45) and it livens up the steering quite a bit - actually quite a nice car to punt down a country road and begins to feel as light as it actually is.
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Heh, it's funny when I think of what my previous cars averaged. Fiesta was around 48 mpg. MX-5 was mid-30s. Panda was 43 (bang-on the official number). Rover, on the single tank I had it for, was about 50.And I'm amazed as my current tankful is 31.2mpg
Or to put it another way, the previous most-economical cars I've driven have been the diesel Smart, which managed about 72 mpg on a motorway run, and the Civic 1.6 diesel, which is by far the most economical family hatchback I've driven at about 68 mpg.
Both are very impressive and show how far cars have come on in recent years, but both also run on diesel (which is more expensive than petrol and always sounds nasty) and neither is as fun to drive. So I still consider that a win.
- 8,221
- Drayton Bassett, North Warwickshire
- Duffers999
- Clark Duffy
I imagine if they'd made the insight with today's tech it would be even better, I'm amazed how well mine can do on fuel considering size and performance, i get better/equal fuel economy than a work mate with a 2 litre four pot early Mk3 Mondeo.
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Yeah, it's actually really frustrating. A decade of engine development, a more powerful electric motor and some of the latest tech would make it even more impressive. The 'leccy motor in particular - having driven recent hybrids, plug-ins etc, it's that initial shove of torque you miss from the older-tech Insight.
Again, I like the CR-Z but the Insight shows how much potential they wasted - 200 kg lighter, more attention paid to aerodynamics, and it'd be an absolutely cracking car. It's a pity daft EU emissions regs have effectively banned the lean burn function - it's what allows the Insight to do 100+ mpg at 70 mph on light engine loads. I'm sure the fuel savings in regular cars would more than offset the extra NOx produced under lean burn.
It's crazy, isn't it? I look through old car mags and I'm staggered at how poor the average car used to be on fuel. Most 1990s stuff couldn't even average 30 mpg in Autocar's weekly road tests, now they're regularly at 40+. That's before you even consider that the average car is far quicker, safer, better equipped etc than its counterpart from 20 years ago.
- 23,800
- Philippines
The CR-Z is the ultimate triumph of form (and marketing) over function.
I don't expect Fit-level space from a three door, but I would expect Fit-level packaging, and the CR-Z doesn't even do that. All that free underchassis space left by the mid-mounted fuel tank is wasted, and instead you have a vertical battery pack that takes up both rear seat space and trunk space without providing enough electricity to creep in traffic or keep the AC on at a stop.
If Honda had given the CR-Z the supercapacitor banks Mazda uses, it would be over a hundred kilos lighter and possibly more fuel efficient, too.
Shame. It's lovely to drive. But the sacrifices made for that (nearly) useless hybrid system...
I don't expect Fit-level space from a three door, but I would expect Fit-level packaging, and the CR-Z doesn't even do that. All that free underchassis space left by the mid-mounted fuel tank is wasted, and instead you have a vertical battery pack that takes up both rear seat space and trunk space without providing enough electricity to creep in traffic or keep the AC on at a stop.
If Honda had given the CR-Z the supercapacitor banks Mazda uses, it would be over a hundred kilos lighter and possibly more fuel efficient, too.
Shame. It's lovely to drive. But the sacrifices made for that (nearly) useless hybrid system...
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
The funny thing is I'm not sure I'd just want the economy on its own - I can think of a few modern diesels that'd do 60+ all day long, but the thought of owning them would depress me.
This one's as much about the styling and engineering for me. Done a couple of longer journeys in it now - went to Farnborough and back last week, the return journey via London, and averaged 80 mpg. That was aided slightly by cruising at 60-65 on the way back, partly because I wasn't in a rush and partly because for about 3/4 of the journey it was raining.
I have to say, the Insight isn't the quietest of cars either, one of the ways they've saved weight is by reducing sound deadening materials. But it's not so loud that I really notice it (more that I'll notice how quiet other cars seem) so I don't mind. It's mainly tyre noise. Engine is pretty quiet and wind noise isn't a major factor until you're doing 80 or so.
But as a long-distance cruiser I can't really fault it. It'll do 70 mpg easily at the motorway limit, I find the seat really comfy, and it's far more stable than I'd been led to believe they were. I'd heard things about them wandering around a bit at speed but honestly it feels pretty planted to me.
This one's as much about the styling and engineering for me. Done a couple of longer journeys in it now - went to Farnborough and back last week, the return journey via London, and averaged 80 mpg. That was aided slightly by cruising at 60-65 on the way back, partly because I wasn't in a rush and partly because for about 3/4 of the journey it was raining.
My fuel log on Ecomodder, where I was keeping track of it, shows 33.8 average. My best tank was actually about 42 mpg, which I recall was mainly motorway cruising at maybe 65 mph. I didn't tend to blast down motorways too quickly in it because of the noise...I'm on 27.1 now
I have to say, the Insight isn't the quietest of cars either, one of the ways they've saved weight is by reducing sound deadening materials. But it's not so loud that I really notice it (more that I'll notice how quiet other cars seem) so I don't mind. It's mainly tyre noise. Engine is pretty quiet and wind noise isn't a major factor until you're doing 80 or so.
But as a long-distance cruiser I can't really fault it. It'll do 70 mpg easily at the motorway limit, I find the seat really comfy, and it's far more stable than I'd been led to believe they were. I'd heard things about them wandering around a bit at speed but honestly it feels pretty planted to me.
- 23,974
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
Instant ten horsepower, YO!
Or not. Mainly it's part of the "if I look after the car, the car will look after me" school of thought. Good maintenance bits, rather than whatever is cheapest at any one time. De-gunking the EGR plate is next on my list, which honestly will probably make more difference to how the car drives than an air filter will, but then an air filter takes two minutes and the EGR plate is an hour and plenty of scrubbing with a wire brush.
CAMAROBOY69
Premium
- 18,567
- Michigan
- CAMAROBOY69
- 27,217
- United Kingdom
I figured if I'm going to replace bits here and there, I may as well replace them with good bits!
CAMAROBOY69
Premium
- 18,567
- Michigan
- CAMAROBOY69
They last forever too. I bought my very first K & N filter when I was around 16 years old for my first vehicle, a 67 Chevy truck. I have used that same exact round filter for at least 10 other cars for the last 20 years. Its the same filter I currently use for my Camaro. 20 year old K & N filter. Insane it still works!!! A bit dark looking now even after all the cleaning but still works 20 years later. I really should think of getting a new one.
