VX motor in a Insight?

[brucepick]

Geez. From what I can see, the 5-spd Insight seems to be the TOP car for fuel economy, achieving 80-90 mpg when driven with fuel economy as a top priority. Auto trans would still be quite decent - about 60-65 mpg apparently. Don't know which you have.

I think if you apply some basic hypermiling techniques your mpg should go up significantly. Pulse and glide, neutral coast downhill, and other techniques will be your friends.

Have a look at the mpg figures in the far right column on this page
http://www.cleanmpg.com/cmps_index.php?page=garage

I know there are improvements one can make to an Insight but unless you load it up with batteries to turn it into a pure plug-in, I can't see tearing out the ICE.

[budomove]

insighgt has no alternator, so w/o the pack, it can't recharge the battery.

also, it is 3 cyl. and the motor shakes w/o the computer to correct it. if you disconnect the pack, i believe you must also disconnect the system that corrects the engine shake, although the amount of shake is insignificant according to some.

would be cool if it worked, but you'd need to mod it for recharging the battery.

[silverinsight]

The Insight is a complete package, changing it would lessen it. I can get an easy 70mpg at 60mph on any summer day, 80 -90mpg with a little hypermiling.

I think that adding that fourth lean burn cylinder would only decrease mpg's, and add weight. Removing the 200 or so pounds of battery and misc. would do little (+1-2%?) for steady state cruising.

The Insights 1 liter is not an Atkinson cycle, and the compression ratio is approx. 11:1 on the manual and a little less on the CVT, valving is normal. Removing the big battery and DC-DC converter would cause the problems mentioned, engine shake and no 12 volt recharge.

The best way to increase mpgs (my opinion) is to improve already world class aerodynamics, or introduce cylinder deactivation, thermal banking, or add HCCI technology. Not easy on a three cylinder engine.

[rh77]

As these vehicles wear out and become too costly to repair to original condition:

1. They should be inexpesive to purchase
2. (with the batts removed) Light and Aerodyanmic
3. and a great project.

Especially the 5-speed models will provide the best benefit unless the modifier is willing to do a tranny swap. The 3-cyl engine should last forever.

EDIT: adding an alternator and ignition system wouldn't be too bad. The engine is made in other markets for non-hybrid applications, so the parts should be available, right?

[The Toecutter]

As these vehicles wear out and become too costly to repair to original condition:

1. They should be inexpesive to purchase
2. (with the batts removed) Light and Aerodyanmic
3. and a great project.


Especially the 5-speed models will provide the best benefit unless the modifier is willing to do a tranny swap. The 3-cyl engine should last forever.

Ideal platform for either an inline-5 cylinder turbodiesel running on B100 or an electric drive. The Honda Insight looks a lot faster than it really is. If I ever get my hands on one, I will make sure its speed matches its looks, without sacrificing efficiency to any significant degree(if not improve upon it).

I wouldn't call its aerodynamics world class. Sure, it's the most aerodynamic car the automakers have been willing to let us buy in recent years, but cars like the Tatra T77a(.21 Cd), Alfa Romeo BAT7(.19 Cd), Ford Probe V(.14 Cd) and others had it beat decades before the first model ever rolled off the assembly line.

If an Insight were built with a .16 Cd or so, its highway fuel economy would improve more than 20% assuming nothing else is changed.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

the Insight battery pack is about the size of a small suit case, and I suspect weighs about 60-70 pounds at the most, and Honda does not sell them, they do however replace them when they wear out, but they will not sell that part to you.
if you want to swap engines, the Fit suposedly had the same engine mounts(???) or something simaler to that, and if you go out side the US you can get a Fit with the Dual Point Ignition system, that is suposed to burn closer to 100% of the fuel, and burn it faster, giving you a cleaner burn, and more power by useing all of the fuel, a nice efficent engine design, better then V-Tec for efficentcy, but lower power.

[silverinsight]

I wouldn't call its aerodynamics world class. Sure, it's the most aerodynamic car the automakers have been willing to let us buy in recent years, but cars like the Tatra T77a(.21 Cd), Alfa Romeo BAT7(.19 Cd), Ford Probe V(.14 Cd) and others had it beat decades before the first model ever rolled off the assembly line.

[rh77]

The aero-design of the Insight is on the fringe of general public "Acceptance" without ridicule -- anything more, and the public runs away. IMO, I think it's a great compromise of this acceptance, functionality, and FE. Some people still have a problem with it, but so be it.

All I know is that I once drove a 5-speed model around a small town, and honestly loved every minute of it. I hated to give it back!

The point being, a transplant into this platform sounds like a fantastic idea. For example, after one is purchased well-used, and the batts cease to function. It's mass-produced, has the obvious FE goodies minus the drivetrain, and well, is a Honda I'd love to see the results of such a venture.

RH77