Honda Insight Owner's Manual page 80

changes. At the same time, this allows for a more direct connection to the engine, resulting in less slip-loss
- which ultimately leads to higher fuel economy.
5) High-Performance Oil Pump
The Honda Multimatic requires a high-pressure oil pump in order to operate the pulleys at optimum
settings. Therefore, a highly efficient, low-friction oil pump unit was installed as a separate unit. This not
only enhances the reliability of the transmission, but greatly reduces power loss and enhances both driving
performance and fuel economy.
6) Newly Designed Metal Belt
The power transfer belt was newly developed by the Dutch company Van Doorne's Transmissie. With
careful testing, we were able to take the best of both the belt and the engine to make a superb engine with
high output and a wide selection of gear ratios. Additionally, the belt proved to be extremely silent, due to
its many hundreds of elements and the use of highly durable, yet thin metals.
Full Electronic Control The transmission is under full electronic control in order to attain its goals of a
smooth ride and excellent fuel economy. This is largely separated into 3 sections - Gear Ratio Control,
Acceleration Control, and Side Pressure Control.
1) Gear Ratio Control
Gear Ratio is controlled by a pre-set 3D map with car speed, throttle position, and ideal engine rpm as
its 3 axis. The difference between current and ideal engine rpm on the chart is continuously fed back to the
ECU. Using linear solenoids, the four-way valves controlling pulley width are activated.
In order to prove useful in all situations, there are three 3D maps the user can select from. In D(rive)
mode, the upper power band is avoided, resulting in excellent fuel economy. In S(port) mode, the user can
redline the engine.
80