MIMA #008 Jack MPGWhere to begin. Back when I had my '00 Insight 5 spd I learned about the hidden (parasitic) charging. I learned, and knew for certain, it was the main cause that held me back from achiving hyper mpg. I wished for a cure. Then came my '04, wished even more, made the IMA TPS mod, which works but is not very elaborate. Turbo'd the '04, hidden charging still a parasite, learned to force charge to make it stop and drive real lightly to minimize it. What an extreme pain in the ass. Why would Honda do such to a car that was almost perfect, to keep this from the end user? The answers pretty simple, the engineers lost on this issue to the sales holes (marketing).
Then came the '05, my retirement car, turbo'd it like the '04 and Mike's MIMA was in the process of becoming. I, for the most part, followed all threads closely. Now that MIMA is in my car it would be impossible for me to ever own an Insight, turbo or no turbo, without a MIMA. Do I need more options? Might be nice, but the answer is no. Maybe additional battery power so I could drive to town and back without touching the gas pedal, and being able to "plug it in". Right now she'll do 40-45 mph with just the electric, pretty cool. There's also the potential to use the Insight as a generator to power my house as I can force charge on demand.
MIMA, mode 1 that is, is all I could have asked for. Good bye hidden charging, see you in hell. As you know, with a stock Insight to achive a high mpg tank of fuel, you have to keep the average extreme high, especially at the beginning. Once it drops off it doesn't come all the way back. This is no longer as much an issue since 120 mpg is possible without getting shot at. Personally, I do not care about the cost of fuel. Driving with a MIMA is what an Insight should have been.
Now PIMA, mode 2, havn't gone there yet. From studying the effects shared on this, and similar threads (there's that word again!), it appears that coupled with a cruise control, Cakley's or Global, a new level of mpg can be achived. We are going to find out, look out, Tour de Sol. Jack
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