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There will be a meet at the Midlands Honda Dealership located in Columbia, SC just off I-77, exit 22 to Killian Rd on the morning of the 28th of November, that is the day after Thanksgiving.

Waynes Gerdes founder of www.cleanmpg.com and father of the term "hypermiling" will be stopping in Columbia, SC with two of his team mates, Justin and Jennie, while breaking the cross country mpg record in a 2009 Honda HCHII.

There will be a www.cleanmpg.com multistate meet, presentation and then a clinic on hypermiling in a Honda HCHII provided by Kacey Green.

You don't have to be a member of www.cleanmpg.com to join us and learn about safe and efficient driving skills but you will want to when you leave. It's free.

If you can get up early after eating all that Thanksgiving food, come down to Columbia, learn some basic and advanced techniques of hypermiling and meet some good people that really know how to achieve unbelievable fuel efficiency in any car.

And most importantly CHEER THEM ON TO VICTORY in breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for best FE on a cross country attempt of the entire 48 continental United States.


Address for Midlands Honda is:

Midlands Honda
124 Killian Commons Parkway
Columbia, SC 29203

You can www.mapquest.com it for directions from your couch on this link.

As more information is available we will edit this post to include times and any relevant changes.

Please reply with your interest in attending this auspicious event. - Dale

This is a very nice writeup Dale.

Kacey,
Thanks. You can use it if you want. Thanks for setting this meet up too. - Dale

Hi Dale:

___You did not waste any time setting this up and I am looking forward to it just as much as you guys are :)

___Justin Fons is the co-founder of the Milwaukee Hybrid Group, the largest Hybrid Group in the country. He is an old hand at Group meets! He was also one of the drivers at the Insight Marathon attempt and World Fuel Economy Championships this past summer.

___Jennie was recently featured in the Austin to Houston FE_Challenge (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14595) and Hypermiling_– Jennie Chen vs. Houston’s KPRC’s Amy Davis (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14842) News article.

___Here she is in person!

http://106mpg.com/testing/fp/files/FlowPlayerClassic.swf?config=%7Bembedded%3Atrue%2CbaseURL%3A%27http%3A%2F%2F106mpg%2Ecom%2Ftesting%2Ffp%2Ffiles%2F%27%2CuseHwScaling%3Atrue%2CemailPostUrl%3Atrue%2CuseNativeFullScreen%3Atrue%2CplayList%3A%5B%7BoverlayId%3A%27play%27%2Curl%3A%27JennyChen%2Ejpg%27%7D%2C%7Burl%3A%27JennyChen%5FKPRC%2D11pm%2DNews%2D2008%2D08%2D08%2Eflv%27%7D%5D%2Cloop%3Afalse%2CautoRewind%3Atrue%2CautoBuffering%3Afalse%2CautoPlay%3Afalse%7D width=384 height=288 scale=noscale bgcolor=111111 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowFullScreen=true allowScriptAccess=always allowNetworking=all pluginspage=http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer

Local 2 Investigates Extreme Drivers: Amy Davis Reports. (http://www.click2houston.com/video/17140283/index.html)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Barring unexpected changes in plan, I'll be there

I plan to be there with my non-hybrid. :p

You say morning, is there a set time yet or is that to be determined?

not yet, we'll post as we get more info

Excellent! Can't wait.

I may have my grille block installed by then along with my dead foot pedal rest(starting to wear a hole in the carpet):confused:

Hi All:

___Basjoos, Shan, Dale, Kacey... Holy smokes, this is going to be a great meet!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'm going to put up a donation page on the Midlands Hybrid Club to see if we can get some food catered and maybe even give away a SGII, (I'm confident about the food but not so much on getting enough together in time for an SG)

I'm so there. :D And yes, I did cut all my hair off for Locks of Love recently - 13 inches worth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgrzHjidOHM
I've been getting hypermiling jokes about that. They start something like, "Did you cut your hair off to decrease wind resistance when you skate?"

Kacey,

Are you advertising this event elsewhere? I have a friends in the area that might want to say hi. I also create facebook and yelp events and label them open to the public. Is that okay?

Jennie

Sure, go ahead. We'll let our media contacts know, and I'm letting all the customers know too.

Awesome. There's a thread on one of our dog forums now that I'm posting to. People ARE concerned about getting better MPG as dog show folks do quite a bit of driving.

excellent, if we can pack that place even better, there is plenty of parking after all :D

What time? I'd be interested in attending as it's about a 10 mile drive for me.

Also may see if any of my classmates would be interested. Graduate students are both poor and do a lot of driving.

Couch,

I hear you. I prefer the term under poverty level. :D

If I can get off work... I'm there. I *hope* we just have off work that day.

Although it's 100 miles away... I'd love to meet (in person) some fellow hypermilers. Hey Shan... maybe you could drive my car so that I could glean some info from you on getting better FE? :)

I've never been to Columbia before (Even though I live in Charleston). I'm excited. :Banane06:

See you there everybody.

BTW - The honda dealership isn't going to write our VINs down for all our mods (grill blocks, et-cetera) and try to cancel our warranties are they? :eek: :)

What time? I'd be interested in attending as it's about a 10 mile drive for me.

Also may see if any of my classmates would be interested. Graduate students are both poor and do a lot of driving.

Excellent the more the merrier.

If I can get off work... I'm there. I *hope* we just have off work that day.

Although it's 100 miles away... I'd love to meet (in person) some fellow hypermilers. Hey Shan... maybe you could drive my car so that I could glean some info from you on getting better FE? :)

I've never been to Columbia before (Even though I live in Charleston). I'm excited. :Banane06:

See you there everybody.

BTW - The honda dealership isn't going to write our VINs down for all our mods (grill blocks, et-cetera) and try to cancel our warranties are they? :eek: :)

They haven't said anything to me about my mods, and the car has their Logo on the side, I did plan to look at Wayne's VIN plate though, for my own curiosity of where the press cars are sourced, either direct from the factory or from a dealer. the way Toyota seems to work theirs.

Hi Kacey:

___Justin and I will be driving to Southern IL on Wednesday to have the "Honda Civic Hybrid" windshield graphic installed as well as start the reverse run of the Southern – Western Route out to AZ and than CA. I will be picking up 100 more CleanMPG decals while I am there since I am almost out. If you want, we can use some of them to raise a few $’s for lunch?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Cleanmpg_Decal.jpg

___I will get you a VIN tomorrow as I have to run over to my parents and sisters to pick up my Motorcycle helmet and will ot back until much later tonight. It is equipped with MFR CA plates however.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'm going to try to make this... it may be just me, or it may be all 5 + almost 2 of us. I'm hoping it's just me as we'll use less gas that way ;). Or, maybe just me and my eldest boy. We won't be having family down for thanksgiving this year, so I'm not sure I'll get permission to fly this one solo.

I will be picking up 100 more CleanMPG decals while I am there since I am almost out. If you want, we can use some of them to raise a few $’s for lunch?


Sounds great!

id be there but ill be visiting family in OH :mad:
have fun!

I'll need to check if we get the day off work, already used all my hols and sick time. It's 174 miles from Greensboro but it might just be worth it to get my hands on a cleanmpg decal. :)

Well, heck. I've got a long-standing commitment for T-day, so
there's no way I can make it down there from Beantown in time
or even think about doing the "escort thing" around the northeast,
it seems. Oh well, take lots of pix y'all...
.
_H*

WOW! This is going to be great!

I want at least one of those stickers and maybe a few more. :)

Are we still on for next Friday? It is just around the corner. :)

I think so. We're on the way.

I'm coming too.

Yeah are hosts are ready, my GM told one of the owners and he's excited too.

Excellent! Boss just told me I can take off Wednesday too! :bananalama:

I should be there, so long as I get off work (95% certain I do). :)

I can't wait to get my CleanMPG sticker!

Its been pretty quiet on this thread. Is this meeting still on? Also what time does it start?

We're in Maine now. Almost there. :D

In for time info and you(ya'll for the southern experience) keep up the good work!;)

The dealership's materials state 10:00, I guess that give the team chance to catch a few winks and for the participants to go shopping or watch the early morning stampeeds (at the regular retail boxes like BestBuy and Wal-Mart).

They all state to check the Midlands Hybrid Club site, I used the verbage they did for my link, "Double your gas mileage??"

I hate that I'm going to miss this meet. I'm only a couple of hours away in Charlotte, NC. I didn't see it in time to ask for the time off.

I'm one of those silent members and this would have been a great opportunity to meet some of you. Sometimes I feel me and my wife are the only hypermilers in the Charlotte area.

Maybe next time.

Have fun!

Basjoos,

Are you coming out to the meet?

Argh - I'm not going to be able to make it. I'm sorry. :(
I was hoping to meet you all in person and get a CleanMPG sticker. We'll have to plan another meet sometime.

I hate that I'm going to miss this meet. I'm only a couple of hours away in Charlotte, NC. I didn't see it in time to ask for the time off.

I'm one of those silent members and this would have been a great opportunity to meet some of you. Sometimes I feel me and my wife are the only hypermilers in the Charlotte area.

Maybe next time.

Have fun! I sent you a private message. - Dale

I'm going to try and get there. Not sure, though, as the missus is pretty sick.

Basjoos,

Are you coming out to the meet?

I plan to be there.

Are we still on for 10AM???

I'll check w/ the crew when I pick them up in about 2 hours :eek:

I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow. Wayne said I should get some rest, but that'd turn into a full on sleep and I'm not going to let them down like that, if I were to take them up on that nap I'd go and sleep in the car with a key hidden somewhere so they could wake me. Hmm, that sounds like a good Idea, just need to bring a few blankets.

There will be a meet at the Midlands Honda Dealership located in Columbia, SC just off I-77, exit 22 to Killian Rd on the morning of the 28th of November, that is the day after Thanksgiving.

Waynes Gerdes founder of www.cleanmpg.com and father of the term "hypermiling" will be stopping in Columbia, SC with two of his team mates, Justin and Jennie, while breaking the cross country mpg record in a 2009 Honda HCHII.

There will be a www.cleanmpg.com multistate meet, presentation and then a clinic on hypermiling in a Honda HCHII provided by Kacey Green.

You don't have to be a member of www.cleanmpg.com to join us and learn about safe and efficient driving skills but you will want to when you leave. It's free.

If you can get up early after eating all that Thanksgiving food, come down to Columbia, learn some basic and advanced techniques of hypermiling and meet some good people that really know how to achieve unbelievable fuel efficiency in any car.

And most importantly CHEER THEM ON TO VICTORY in breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for best FE on a cross country attempt of the entire 48 continental United States.


Address for Midlands Honda is:

Midlands Honda
124 Killian Commons Parkway
Columbia, SC 29203

You can www.mapquest.com it for directions from your couch on this link.

As more information is available we will edit this post to include times and any relevant changes.

Please reply with your interest in attending this auspicious event. - Dale

This is an exact repost of the first page first post. No changes as I know of at this time. This is for 10AM TODAY....see you there. - Dale

It was great meeting those that came.(slackers are the ones who didn't :p) This was an informative session and great for newbies as well. I think Wayne converted a couple of everyday people. ;)

Here are the pics I took though most were of basjoos car. :p

(If I need to remove any pics just let me know)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3231.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3232.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3236.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3237.jpg

The mod expert, basjoos:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3230.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3229.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3227-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3228-1.jpg

and secret weapons:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3235.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3233.jpg

Nice!
thanks.

Basjoos -

I see you have the same tires as I do... Sumitomo HTR T4.

Quick questions:
What pressure do you run at? I run at 50 PSI, wondering if I can go higher
Have you noticed any really shallow things that look like cracks on the surface of your sidewall near the tread? I seem to have those, I'm not sure if they're dry rotting or if that's normal. They're under warranty from Sears. Obviously I can't tell them the pressure I run them at. And I always lower the pressure whenever I take the car in to get the tires rotated.

Thanks for your help, Basjoos!

Thanks to all who made it out to the meet today, it was very nice to meet all of you from CleanMPG, and even better to get those new Honda owners involved and thinking in terms of MPG for their new rides!

Basjoos -

I see you have the same tires as I do... Sumitomo HTR T4.

Quick questions:
What pressure do you run at? I run at 50 PSI, wondering if I can go higher
Have you noticed any really shallow things that look like cracks on the surface of your sidewall near the tread? I seem to have those, I'm not sure if they're dry rotting or if that's normal. They're under warranty from Sears. Obviously I can't tell them the pressure I run them at. And I always lower the pressure whenever I take the car in to get the tires rotated.

Thanks for your help, Basjoos!

I'm running mine between 60 and 65psi. There are a pattern of fine grooves molded into the sidewall close to the edge of the tread. This might be what you are seeing.

I did the km/l to mpg conversion of the results from the SuperMID when I got home and Wayne got 93.8mpg while driving my car on about a 8 mile stretch of interstate at a range of speeds between 65mph and 45mph. He said it coasted better than any car he had ever driven and would beat anything except an Insight in highway driving at the speeds he was driving at (and that it would beat an Insight at higher speeds where it couldn't remain in lean burn). He also noticed the total lack of wind noise resulting from the streamlined shape of the car. I averaged 65mpg driving both to and from the meeting at the PSL and averaged 62mpg heading home on I-26 at 70mph in heavy traffic where I couldn't do much DWL.

Oh, okay - thanks Basjoos.

I'm running mine between 60 and 65psi. There are a pattern of fine grooves molded into the sidewall close to the edge of the tread. This might be what you are seeing.

I did the km/l to mpg conversion of the results from the SuperMID when I got home and Wayne got 93.8mpg while driving my car on about a 8 mile stretch of interstate at a range of speeds between 65mph and 45mph. He said it coasted better than any car he had ever driven and would beat anything except an Insight in highway driving at the speeds he was driving at (and that it would beat an Insight at higher speeds where it couldn't remain in lean burn). He also noticed the total lack of wind noise resulting from the streamlined shape of the car. I averaged 65mpg driving both to and from the meeting at the PSL and averaged 62mpg heading home on I-26 at 70mph in heavy traffic where I couldn't do much DWL.You impressed Wayne!

Also has me considering the possibility...

It'd be interesting to see how an AeroInsight would perform.

Its amazing what dropping your Cd another 0.1 below the Insight/Prius's stock Cd does for your coasting performance. Wayne was able to FAS my car at highway speeds on slight downhills where the HCH and Prius would be having to run their engines to maintain speed. He said he probably could have gotten 120mpg out of my car if it had been equipped with a lean burn engine. Also that if it had the lean burn engine from the HX, it would probably remain in lean burn at speeds over 80mph. Also that equipping it with the Insight's Potenza RE92 tires would also likely provide a further mileage boost. He also mentioned that he wasn't having to ridge ride to catch the attention of overtaking traffic. The shape of my car alone was enough to jolt overtaking drivers out of their daze.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/princealbert/MPG%20meet/IMG_3233.jpgIs this a hand accelerator?

Years ago in my CRX HF I considered it, but only so I could recline on day long vacation rides.

Chuck, that's his DWL CC. ;)

I'll confess to possibly the most moronic mod made here.

What the hot air intake does is fool the auto computers to burn leaner - effectively make a 1.5 liter engine into a 1.4 or 1.3 liter.

A few days ago, I taped the air intake with duct tape. :eek:

It ran, but was wheezing. :o

Is this a hand accelerator?

Years ago in my CRX HF I considered it, but only so I could recline on day long vacation rides.

That lets me adjust my accelerator over its lower 1/3 of travel (where it is when I am cruising on the highway) much more precisely than I could with my foot and then lock that setting in as a DWL cruise control. If I need more power, as when climbing a steep hill, I can easily press down on the pedal and temporarily override the cruise setting. If I need to stop suddenly, the amount of power put out at 1/3 or less throttle can be easily overridden by the brakes and I normally push in the clutch when I hit the brakes.

Sorry we were late, overslept.

I want to thank everyone for coming out, the staff had a blast, basjoos parked right outside of the sales desk and the managers where quite excited, and knew there was a Honda under all the cladding too!

I want to welcome the two cars and four new hypermilers to the family.

Basjoos the aerosmith,
Thanks for letting me ride with you. I'm really impressed with your ability and what you've accomplished with your car. It's inspiring to actually see up close what you normally only get to view on a computer monitor or at an airport. Cool.

Kacey Green,
Thanks for hosting a fun informative meet. I wish I could have stayed long enough to ride in your HCH, there is always another day.

Shan,
It was cool to meet you too. Good pics of the meet and if you wanna talk B series performance I remember a little.

FordMan,
Glad you could make it, it was worth the trip for sure. You ever need a hand let me know.

Wayne, Justin and Jennie,
I feel priveleged to have had you as guests in my home and I hope you didn't go away too hungry. ;) There are still some leftovers.
I learned some really useful tools and have a better understanding of the techniques you showed us. Thanks for taking the time to show us. As a side note: I'm happy to say my mom is doing great and will be coming home soon.

Good luck on the Guinness! Tailwinds all the way! - Dale

I taped the air intake with duct tape. It ran, but was wheezing. :o

You made it richer? Less air. That's not a failure, that's just an experiment with proven results.

Chuck, that's his DWL CC. ;)

What a great innovation!

I've pondered doing one of those... it would really help. But I'm going to wait until I'm out of warranty.

That won't void your warranty, we use a similar tool but not bolted down, to hold the brakes during a four wheel alignment.

I'm working on another meet, I just need to get a look at December's schedule and we'll either go next month or this January. The Carolinas are full of people who'd enjoy hypermiling if we could peel them off our bumpers for a second and show them the light(foot).

Kacey, I would totally be interested in another meet! I hate that I missed the last one. Perhaps on a Saturday?

Jess

Saturday is really tough for our hosts, but if we do a Sat it'll have to be at Midlands, I'm not allowed away from there on Saturdays (unless its a vacation).

What are all of our Carolina member's days off? Mine is historically Tuesday.

I'd also like to do a new owner clinic for Fits, Hybrids (any brand) and Accords/CR-Vs as related to hypermiling especially.

I'm sorry to have missed this meet. Too much turkey the day before.

Also some unexpected repairs on the fiancee's Escort caused by me destroying a spark plug wire, and finding some really nasty plugs. It runs a lot smoother now.

I work every other weekend. I was off the weekend of this past meeting.

Basjoos, the AeroCivic was a hit, I'll try to make sure we time it so you can attend. Would you mind hosting a session sometime?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/3073852469_113a04b6b6.jpg
Wayne Gerdes giving a PPP on hypermiling at Midlands Honda, Columbia SC, Nov 28th 08

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/3073851511_f6cd4cda9c.jpg
Wayne talking about the big team effort of the Guinness trip, Justin and Jennie
are washing the car.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/3073851973_3d523ee399.jpg
Answering questions from new hypermile acolytes

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3074680434_dd3f352e75.jpg
Basjoos and the Aerocivic

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/3073849263_bc8b5275c8.jpg
Looks like a Honda from this angle

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/3073848845_bcf1e54b28.jpg
Front end detail, with air damp flap closed

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3288/3074682594_0af130743b.jpg
internal antenna and wiper aerodynamics

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/3074682160_31c71af083.jpg
Lower side valance and skirting

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3073847577_2288677ffb.jpg
A whatchamacallit for diverting airflow from the tires. I know I got all technical

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3073847131_2870e4deba.jpg
Smooth underpan and rear detail

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/3073846705_042bc528b2.jpg
Rearside profile

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3074683850_1fd7f92b0c.jpg
Supermidi for OBD1 cars, notice the mileage!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/3074684404_92dfbe6655.jpg
Foot pedal DWL/CC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3074684850_aac7bfc524.jpg
pizza pan smooth caps and front fender skirt detail

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/3073851039_1f9be27505.jpg
Front fender skirt assembly, notice rollers and no wear on tire sidewalls

Would you mind hosting a session sometime?

Possibly, but I'm located in the boonies on a dirt road, not the easiest place in the world to find.

I'm sorry, I meant host @ Midlands if you are interested.