50MPG is only the tip of the iceberg with this car. On the highway (only with the manual transmission) the car activates lean burn mode and gives you just enough power to maintain your speed which helps you achieve well over 60MPG. My friend modified his insight's lean burn mode and gets over 80mpg with the AC running. A world record of over 120mpg was achieved in this car and the damn thing came out only in the late 90s! Honda overengineered the hell out of this thing. I was never into fuel efficient cars but this one is pretty damn cool and underrated.
I have this exact car. And yes I get excellent MPG. My personal best was a 45mi stretch on the 101N at 100.5MPG. But I was hyper-miling and going about 55 while semi’s blew past me. Yes I’d like to know how to do the lean burn mod also. That would be real nice.
@@ayedee73 I have this car as well. I bought it in May 2010 and in August to October of 2012 I managed to get 1,692 miles on one tank at 126.1 mpg. Sadly, it is no longer on the road as of August of this year. However, I now have a 2001 and look forward to what I can do with it.
See---- this guy is the definition of enthusiast. You can tell he loves this car and knows this car up and down. He doesn't have to go fast, he doesn't have to tear ass around a track. Fast cars with thousands of dollars spent on them don't necessarily mean you are an enthusiast, it can literally just mean you like fast cars.
Love the talk about the battery tech update. Feels like the same kind of deal as putting new RAM and an SSD in an older but serviceable computer - new lease on life.
At 1800 LBs hell yes you can. There are some folks who've put S2000 K series engines in them, and a few out there in AWD. This platform is extremely underrated.
I own a 2000 Honda Insight with 200k miles on it. These cars come from the factory with 165/65/14 Bridgestone Potenza RE92s, which Bridgestone still makes. I average about 55 to 59 mpg per tanks, which should go up a bit a bit when the summer blend fuel hits markets shortly. It's super comfy and the ultimate sit in traffic car, even with the manual transmission.
Lht performance boosted a couple of these and DOUBLED the power numbers over stock. Not blazing fast at 0-60 in 7 but the best your gonna get for a car that gets 75 mpg all day every day hwy. My best tank with a craptastic battery was 686 miles on ten gallons. With manual control and lithium ion you can get 125-150 mpg hwy. Side note - K20s can be tuned for lean burn mode and get ~40mpg and still be boosted at the same time. Yes please.
What a hilarious car. Never realized what a hidden gem the 1G Insight was. Sounds like you could basically swap all the important bits from a DC5 Type R into this and have a pleasant little death trap.
B-Series Honda engine with a Lithium battery pack and a tune on both would make this car a freakin' epic little pocket rocket. It's so light as it is; you could really turn one of these into a proper canyon carver.
Not sure if this was said yet, but Honda did engineer this car, knowing that the batteries would one day either die or be rendered obsolete, so if you get an example with a bad battery, they can run indefinitely on just the three cylinder engine without hybrid assist. Worth noting.
Michael Cohen the IMA motor weighs a little over 70 lbs. Certainly heavy, and it is suggested it be removed with tool assistance, not straight force, but not the heaviest battery in existence.
Yeah but it’s completely gutless without the IMA. The gears are way too tall for the amount of torque the 1L engine puts out. I just got one with a bad battery and it will barely accelerate up a hill in second gear from 30-40. Still it’s nice that the car still works, sadly it won’t pass smog with a bad hybrid battery since it throws a check engine light.
The coolest car for me on the channel! I hope the dude comes back with some mods again. Ethanol, turbocharged, modern hybrid powertrain and batteries of course... whoa baby! I had no idea these are so damn cheap!
The coolest hybrid economy car ever. Check the dash out. Shame there are none (or close to none) in Europe, I'd totally get one for economical transportation purpose and then something fun on the side.
I don't have many fans right now but I am so happy for your Matt. I am so inspired to get on this automotive RU-vid wagon and be able to hold meets and share with the community. Keep up the great work dude!!! Peep that r34 thooo
just goes to show, electric motors aren't holding us back in tech. it's the batteries, once we figure out what's best for batteries, we'll have cars that can go thousands of miles on them.
Nick Nack I wonder if there's a way to harness solar at standstill and wind power in movement like a mini turbine underneath or a dyno to a drive shaft to add more charging + range. The argument for renewable/alternate power vehicles is starting to win me over regardless of how much I love the sound of combustion engines. Electrical wiring however still does scare the crap out of me.
Or Fuel Cells NOT based on Hydrogen H2. Mulitple Electric Motors is just awesome for Vehicles. The issue how do we have a massive electricity supply onboard. My guess is SOFC & Alkanes around Propane to Pentane size. Which also can be synthesized from CO2 aka Fischer Tropsch process. BEV are awesome, but for well developed areas. I come from Australia, an FCEV that can survivor the Outback would be awesome. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell#Comparison_of_fuel_cell_types
I literally just searched your channel yesterday for a one take of the original Insight. Glad you drove one and liked it for what it is. Next, drive a K-swapped one.
very cool, not the most exciting ca performance wise but these are some of the best episodes where the owner is very knowledgeable about what they have
There is an insight that Autocrosses in central Florida. He pulls the exhaust and has a dryer dust from the passenger ac vent to cool the batts. So awesome!
I honestly dont think he like how you were driving his car. I dont know if I'm overthinking but his body language and a fee remarks told me he wanted you to chill and just cruise.
I am the proud owner of an 01 insight with a manual transmission, of course, at 350k miles. Best car I've ever owned. Very surprised the owner is using wider tires. I experimented with wider tires and found it to be a mistake as my fuel economy and acceleration suffered greatly!
"I tell ya what for a car that gets 40 mpg, this is perfectly, appropriately quick...Of course I have been full throttle for about a minute and a half." lol
@Cooper: The world’s least-smart poodle 61 is the rating with a mediocre driver averaging 70mph with the AC on. That's tbe modern EPA standard. If you're attentive enough to hold it in lean-burn, the old rating of 70 is more realistic. I averaged 72 from Port Angeles to Portland with the AC on. Best ever on a perfect day, tail wind, drafting trucks and no AC, I got 86 mpg on a 200mi run. But that's a unicorn number.
Lmfao this was funny. "I've been going full throttle for a minute and a half". The most intense launch ever. "I've been going full throttle for a minute and a half" You should do an intensely modded version!
Yea, GM took all of them and crush them. I Think you have few cars left only in museums... :( just Watch "WHO killed the electric car". Imagine if they developed that from that time :P they could be better than Tesla (Maybe) :D Ask your teacher about Experience With the car?
check this highly modified one near Canberra: www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/44937-turbo-w-intercooling-alternator-motec-management.html#post484609
I use to own one of this and also a S2K2001AP1, I sold the first gen Insight and kept the S2K but I must admit that I miss driving that electric car cause it was like a game/challenge when ever I drove it to charge the battery as much as possible and not use the gasoline.
I think people have seen the Concorde more times that they've seen this 1st gen Insight. However, I think everyone should see this car in person at least once. And maybe one in red color. This car looks absolutely like nothing else on the road. It is so small, that a Honda Fit looks like a small SUV when put side to side. Unbelievably small in all directions, length, height, width. Very clear Honda tried to cut down the weight. I think it's even smaller than a Lotus Elise. It has such an unusual shape as well with the rear end that gets less wide. Looks like Honda wrapped this car around it's two seats and kept everything to a minimum. The only downside think it's the engine noise. The one I've seen did sound like an old two stroke engine (a bit like a Trabant for those who know). Maybe there was something wrong with the exhaust, but the sound was forgettable. But really I hope this car goes one day in a museum just for it's shape.
I've been looking at Insights lately to offset the terrifying MPGs of my RX7 and Turbo Volvo, if you guys want an interesting look in to a different kind of modding, check out the Ecomodder forums. Some of the stuff they do for MPGs is really fascinating, from hot air intakes to crazy aero mods, shit's fun to read about for sure!
I have a 2000 Honda insight Manual transmission. Highway only at 30 miles an hour 150 miles per gallon for 7 miles on the way to work and back home. Round-trip work and back home -130 miles per gallon. In the summertime cold weather makes the tires less efficient cold air has more aerodynamic drag. My car has hot air intake- bumper to back bumper under
Almost 50% more weight and nearly twice the fuel used. It's not an update of this car. there is literally no other car in it's class because even 3 cyl economy cars aren't all aluminum, ultralight, ultra rigid, or have anything near this low of drag.
been searching for one for yrs,as a shell to take my 2010 si strip it all and put it all in the insight,230whp stock k20 would do the trick for me in there,would be like going from k swaped integra to a crx chassis(yes 400pds off the si as it is)
Common misconception with getting shocked by 220 in a house. It almost never happens! getting shocked by 220 requires you to be in contact with BOTH hot legs going to the machine at once, which is actually very difficult to do. I almost guarantee you got shocked by 1 leg (120v) before you had time to come in contact with both at the same time.
Rob Hull the worst zap I have received by far was from a 24 volt phone line. not joking. and I've been zapped by 120 and 277v circuits dozens of times. its all about how well your grounded and the load on the line.
If you look at the 2 cars next to each other, the CRZ looks like what should have been the 2nd gen Insight. farm5.staticflickr.com/4082/4938517567_55e22409a3_b.jpg
How does the electric motor couple to the rest of the drivetrain? Is it directly attached to the rest of the drivetrain with some reduction gears and adapts as you shift? Is there a torque converter added inbetween?
I might actually finally grab a pair... very unique and cool sunglasses. I know Matt knows his shit too, and if you've been wearing these for all these years, must be great.
Matt you shouldn't wear polarized sunglasses when driving, polarization works great for fixed or slowly shifting point sources but in a car you are moving in multiple axis rapidly. The result is a visual effect that impairs depth perception.
It doesn't matter if the lenses are polarized, if the lenses are poor quality it can impair depth perception. Literally every study I've read said the lenses are what cause it not them being polarized
