gershon
06-16-2008, 04:56 PM
I just took a 4 mile round trip. Just now, I was reviewing it and realized how important little things are.
My average mpg so far is 42.6, so I could expect to use 0.093896714 gallons.
Ok, I nailed starting to back out of my driveway, starting just as my bumper hit the curb and using that initial surge to back up quicker. Then I went to the stopsign and saw there was no traffic coming down the hill. So I gave just one little shot of gas to creep around the corner and shut the engine off and coasted to the bottom of the hills. Whee, 47 mpg at the bottom. A new record. And about 3 seconds of engine running time saved.
Nobody was behind me, so I waited for traffic I used to zoom in front of. Then I started and, accelerated and coasted to the curve where I could see if the next light was green or not. It was green, so I accelerated to get the next line green also, planning a glide. Bad luck. A motorcycle made a turn from the intersection behind me.
I like to be predictable with motorcycles, so I DWL'd a bit early up the next hill, and then he turned so I glided into the bank parking lot while FAS'ing.
Now, here come the little things. I used to pull into the parking space in front of the bank. I coasted to a parallel spot by the curb I could pull straight out of. I figure a reverse acceleration saved and 10 seconds of running time. It had the good fortune to be at the top of a hill. So, when I started, I released the brake, and coasted to the driveway which was about 20 seconds away. I waited in the driveway while traffic cleared and then started.
Rather than make a short story long, the next stop was at the other bank. Aha!!!, my old favorite spot in front of the bank was open. Opps, there is one right near the entrance at the top of a hill where I can park nose out. I coasted into it FAS. Another 5 seconds of no engine running. (Not even counting the savings of driving to my old spot.)
When I left, I didn't have to start the engine to get going. Rolled forward a bit, made a U turn and got to the driveway out of the bank. There was a red light. But I realized I could stop at the top of the hill 4 or 5 carlengths back from the leading car. Another 20 seconds of idle time saved. When the light changed, I rolled down the hill, and then started in second. An acceleration from 0 to 12 mph saved.
Overall, I saved a minute of idle time over my usual by doing things a little different. How much does that affect my gas mileage? I burn .24 GPH and I saved .004. This works out to a 4.26% improvement in gas mileage, or 1.8 gpm.
My mpg for the trip? 52.1 mpg. The gauge may be a little off. But I realize now how important seemingly insignifant things are. When I'm planning a trip that will use .1 gallons, a hundredth of a gallon saved is a 10% improvement.
My average mpg so far is 42.6, so I could expect to use 0.093896714 gallons.
Ok, I nailed starting to back out of my driveway, starting just as my bumper hit the curb and using that initial surge to back up quicker. Then I went to the stopsign and saw there was no traffic coming down the hill. So I gave just one little shot of gas to creep around the corner and shut the engine off and coasted to the bottom of the hills. Whee, 47 mpg at the bottom. A new record. And about 3 seconds of engine running time saved.
Nobody was behind me, so I waited for traffic I used to zoom in front of. Then I started and, accelerated and coasted to the curve where I could see if the next light was green or not. It was green, so I accelerated to get the next line green also, planning a glide. Bad luck. A motorcycle made a turn from the intersection behind me.
I like to be predictable with motorcycles, so I DWL'd a bit early up the next hill, and then he turned so I glided into the bank parking lot while FAS'ing.
Now, here come the little things. I used to pull into the parking space in front of the bank. I coasted to a parallel spot by the curb I could pull straight out of. I figure a reverse acceleration saved and 10 seconds of running time. It had the good fortune to be at the top of a hill. So, when I started, I released the brake, and coasted to the driveway which was about 20 seconds away. I waited in the driveway while traffic cleared and then started.
Rather than make a short story long, the next stop was at the other bank. Aha!!!, my old favorite spot in front of the bank was open. Opps, there is one right near the entrance at the top of a hill where I can park nose out. I coasted into it FAS. Another 5 seconds of no engine running. (Not even counting the savings of driving to my old spot.)
When I left, I didn't have to start the engine to get going. Rolled forward a bit, made a U turn and got to the driveway out of the bank. There was a red light. But I realized I could stop at the top of the hill 4 or 5 carlengths back from the leading car. Another 20 seconds of idle time saved. When the light changed, I rolled down the hill, and then started in second. An acceleration from 0 to 12 mph saved.
Overall, I saved a minute of idle time over my usual by doing things a little different. How much does that affect my gas mileage? I burn .24 GPH and I saved .004. This works out to a 4.26% improvement in gas mileage, or 1.8 gpm.
My mpg for the trip? 52.1 mpg. The gauge may be a little off. But I realize now how important seemingly insignifant things are. When I'm planning a trip that will use .1 gallons, a hundredth of a gallon saved is a 10% improvement.