My wife and Iboughta brand new 2008 Civic hybrid the other weekend after comparing it to the Prius and a few other non-hybrids. We found the Civic to be more comfortable than the Prius and the controls much better laid out. One thing that kind of annoys me about the Civic though, isn't the "auto stop" feature, but more what happens right after.

For those not familiar, when you come to a stop and the engine is warmed up and the batteries have sufficient charge in them, the engine will shut off. The engine will stay off until you let go of the brake, where it kicks back on running all by itself. Unlike the Prius, when the Civic (at least the 2008 version...) moves, the gasoline engine always runs - there is no "electric only" mode. Which is probably why the Prius is rated higher for city gas milage because it does have an electric only mode.

Anyway, when you let off the brake, the engine starts up and engages the transmission. This moment feels like a manual transmission shifting from neutral into first gear... the car shakes... and fuel is spent. When in crawling traffic or creeping at a stop light, the engine kicks on and off again, wasting fuel. I think the operation would work far better if it would run on electric only for, say, up till 5mph, then start the engine.

From what I've been able to find on ECM mods, post obd2's aren't tweakable. At least I assume that any mods would be done from therein this particular case. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Wow. That's strange. I imagine that would be hard on the engine, and end up just wasting alot of gas. Thought Honda was smarter than that.

Well, unfortunitaly I don't know a whole lot about hybrid cars. I'm sure alot of the guys in these forums do, though. So just hold out for an answer.

 

I too just purchased a 08 HCH and here is how I work AS. As I pull up to a stop light/stop sign the tach drops to zero about the time my speed goes less than 5 mph and I roll to a stop. I found that if I apply (say) 10 lbs to the break - this car isn't going anywhere - I sit there in AS mode. If I back off on the pressure to say 2 lbs - just enough so the car just doesn't roll (or bounce the break), or maybe rolls an inch or two, the engine starts where on I apply about 4 lbs to keep the car from rolling. You will have to forget how your past cars acted and pickup on how a HCH responds to your foot.

I really liked the car before I drove of the lot - now I love it. - My drive is about 50/50 hwy/slower (70/40) and 50% grade (down to work - up to home) 50% semi level - and I'm running about 45 mpg. I just sort of sit and smile when on level road, about 45 mph, the "assist" is sitting at 2 bars and the mpg is sitting at 100 (pegged).

Cal

 

All that fun, and a tax credit ta boot!

 

Hello,

I have had my '08 Hybrid for three weeks now. I have wondered the same thing about this issue. I suggest going back to the dealer and speaking with a tech person. My dealership (Roush Honda in Westerville, Oh) has been very helpful with any questions. I have not covered this issue with them yet. But I would think as good as the engineers are at Honda they have this worked out for longevity and wear and tear.

My other concern is the when you go to park the car, the car does auto stop. Then as soon as you shift to park it starts up again. Tech says this is normal. But it is a little annoying. I guess they figure you may want to sit and stay in the car and need the accessories etc. available.

Take care,

Mike

 

I don't believe the honda hybrid system was designed to run on its own. The prius design has 2 motors with a power splitter in between. It chooses how much power from the gas motor goes towards generating electricity and how much goes towards driving the wheels. The honda hybrid design is almost a normal 4 cylinder engine, with a very thin electrical motor fitted between the engine and tranny. The upside of this is that it's less complex, less bulky, and more compact. I'll bet that your maintenance fees for your honda hybrid system will be much cheaper than the maintenance fees for a toyota hybrid system. So all that said, seanovision, you cannot run your hybrid in electric only mode.

If you want to save some gas in stop-and-go traffic, don't inch forward with the cars in front of you. Just sit there and wait for them to inch forward more than a car's length, then drive forward. Your car will start less. Other cars will cut in front of you, but this isn't going to significantly slow down your trip. It will be frustrating to see at first, though

TurboGP: when parking, bring the car to a stop, turn the key to accessory or off, then shift to park and apply the parking break. Then you won't have an auto-restart. You could do this with normal cars, too, without damaging any internals, so the habit won't just be for hybrid hondas.

 

It cancels autostop in Reverse, so that pedestrians can hear you. Do internet searches about how much of a hazard the Prius is when it is backing up in electric only mode!

Anyway, what I think you are seeing is the car momentarily being in Reverse for a split second on the way to Park. That is why autostop was canceled. I wish Honda would have allowed a small amount of delay, so that people merely wanting to go into Park would not start up the engine.

But no worries, the Civic Hybrid is made to start the engine all the time. It uses the hybrid motor to crank the engine, not a puny start motor like regular cars. I personally stopped worrying about it.