unicycle
07-25-2008, 09:04 PM
Hi, everyone. This is my first post on this forum, tho I participate A LOT in the smartcarofamerica (dot) com forum. This car has made me an obsessive hypermiler. In fact, my license plate reads HYPRMILR, so that's pretty obsessed!
LURCH
The car took a few minutes to get used to -- it was weird trying to drive off the lot and into Manhattan (NY) traffic bc of the automated manual tranny...it almost needs to come with an hour with your own instructor. There was more than expected lurching, but at speed (and once you're used to driving the car), you get accustomed to the way the car handles, and it lurches less, too.
LURCH -- from the Addams Family
... could fit in this car. It's surprisingly roomy! I have had 6'4" occupants and some who were really heavy, and they all felt comfy in the car, to their universal surprise. The car looks like it's designed for the average 14-year-old, but it's the most comfortable car I've ever driven. It could use an armrest, tho.
CONDITIONS
WHO
Just me. And I keep the car pretty light.
WHAT
Mine's the smart fortwo, US (gasoline) version, model 451. It takes high octane. I fill up in NY with 93 octane. I have also filled up often with 10% ethanol (in NJ), with no noticeable change in mileage.
WHERE
I've driven an average of about 800 miles a week, my commute consisting of 85 miles each way from home to NYC. About 85-90% of the miles on this car are from the highway, with all but 1% of the remaining miles in my quiet town, where the mileage is still quite good. That last 1% is NYC miles, which aren't as bad as you'd think due to my knowledge of The City and the fact that I can generally avoid bad traffic there. So most of my car's miles are low-traffic highway driving.
WHEN
I drive at odd times (not rush-hour), so I can P&G without causing problems for other drivers.
HOW
I tend to average about 55 mpg on the hway while P&Ging as often as 4x/mile. I draft occ'ly, tho generally the trucks travel too fast for me (70+). I've had to use A/C for most of July, but June was pretty clement and didn't require it. I use P&G + coasting in Neutral, tho I have concerns about tranny wear.
OK, FINALLY the MPGs!
The smart holds only 8.7 miles in its tank, and there's a light when you reach the 1-gallon 'reserve' (it's part of the 8.7 gal). I once managed 417.8 miles on a tank with about .2 gallons left, averaging about 52 mpg for that tank. This was back in the cooler weather. In recent weeks, I've learned more about HMing, so I've nearly made up for the use of the A/C. My average over a whole tank is about 45-46 mpg recently, and it's nearly 44 mpg since I bought the car (in May), over 27 fillups.
SUMMARY
I'm getting better at HMing, and the mileage of late has hovered over 45 mpg (occ'ly approaching 50 mpg). P&Ging seems to be worth about 2 mpg when I put the car in N versus letting the 5th gear re-engage (leaving the car in D).
I love the car. It's a fun drive, and it's attention getting. I esp'ly love how easy it is to park in NYC -- one of the toughest cities to find a spot in. The mileage is great, and the car is holding up well.
LURCH
The car took a few minutes to get used to -- it was weird trying to drive off the lot and into Manhattan (NY) traffic bc of the automated manual tranny...it almost needs to come with an hour with your own instructor. There was more than expected lurching, but at speed (and once you're used to driving the car), you get accustomed to the way the car handles, and it lurches less, too.
LURCH -- from the Addams Family
... could fit in this car. It's surprisingly roomy! I have had 6'4" occupants and some who were really heavy, and they all felt comfy in the car, to their universal surprise. The car looks like it's designed for the average 14-year-old, but it's the most comfortable car I've ever driven. It could use an armrest, tho.
CONDITIONS
WHO
Just me. And I keep the car pretty light.
WHAT
Mine's the smart fortwo, US (gasoline) version, model 451. It takes high octane. I fill up in NY with 93 octane. I have also filled up often with 10% ethanol (in NJ), with no noticeable change in mileage.
WHERE
I've driven an average of about 800 miles a week, my commute consisting of 85 miles each way from home to NYC. About 85-90% of the miles on this car are from the highway, with all but 1% of the remaining miles in my quiet town, where the mileage is still quite good. That last 1% is NYC miles, which aren't as bad as you'd think due to my knowledge of The City and the fact that I can generally avoid bad traffic there. So most of my car's miles are low-traffic highway driving.
WHEN
I drive at odd times (not rush-hour), so I can P&G without causing problems for other drivers.
HOW
I tend to average about 55 mpg on the hway while P&Ging as often as 4x/mile. I draft occ'ly, tho generally the trucks travel too fast for me (70+). I've had to use A/C for most of July, but June was pretty clement and didn't require it. I use P&G + coasting in Neutral, tho I have concerns about tranny wear.
OK, FINALLY the MPGs!
The smart holds only 8.7 miles in its tank, and there's a light when you reach the 1-gallon 'reserve' (it's part of the 8.7 gal). I once managed 417.8 miles on a tank with about .2 gallons left, averaging about 52 mpg for that tank. This was back in the cooler weather. In recent weeks, I've learned more about HMing, so I've nearly made up for the use of the A/C. My average over a whole tank is about 45-46 mpg recently, and it's nearly 44 mpg since I bought the car (in May), over 27 fillups.
SUMMARY
I'm getting better at HMing, and the mileage of late has hovered over 45 mpg (occ'ly approaching 50 mpg). P&Ging seems to be worth about 2 mpg when I put the car in N versus letting the 5th gear re-engage (leaving the car in D).
I love the car. It's a fun drive, and it's attention getting. I esp'ly love how easy it is to park in NYC -- one of the toughest cities to find a spot in. The mileage is great, and the car is holding up well.