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Every single time I drive my FIT, I'm doing advanced hypermilling. Eng off more than on lol

What I have gone bug eyed nuts about is the wind and in particular how it can make the FE change.

Anyone else looking for flags, staring at ehe SG display and feeling the slow or long glide times like me? It's huge on my FIT.

For example, I have a 18mi section of I-95 that is on my route to/From work. It's mostly North/South as you would expect. I pulse to 60mph and FAS coast back to 50 and as low as 45 (traffic dependent).

On this section and these speeds (flying man) I have seen a decent tail wind help me get a +70mpg segment, Typical is 55ish (no wind) and a battle when in a head wind to get 50.

Maybe it's just me, but I find this fascinating.... the affect on FE :eek:

Hi, Paul -- the effect on the first gen Insight is quite pronounced as well. Frustratingly so. My Elantra doesn't seem nearly as affected by it, but then again it isn't nearly as aerodynamic and has way the heck more horsepower.

Yes, I'm a card carrying flag checker. :o

I've noticed this as well in the Prius.... cold temps don't hurt nearly as much 10+ MPH winds. It'll easily knock 4-6 MPG off my trip north in the mornings.

Since I aeromodded my car, winds have little effect (1-2mpg, less than the typical temperature/driving variations in day to day driving) on my mileage or on the car's feel when I'm travelling at normal highway speeds. Before the mods there could easily be a 10mpg difference between the upwind and downwind legs of the trip and I could feel the headwinds slowing down the car or requiring the use of more power to maintain speed and tailwinds increasing the coasting distance.

kinda hard to answer cause most time we get strong winds here is the winter storms. In the summertime we get a light breeze but not like in winter. and yes i check flags when i can. I check when i leave work and there one other place halfway home i can check too

I've been keeping records of wind speed and direction on my commute for some time now. ;)

20 mph headwind = -6% mpg, or -4 mpg
20 mph tailwind = +6% mpg, or +4 mpg

That's at my normal commuting speed. The part where the wind affects me, and I'm not sheltered by trees and such, I'm usually running 30-40 mph. I'm sure higher speeds would make an even bigger impact.

I can not quote numbers but it is huge for my Yaris also. I check the morning weather for wind direction and speed and I have a window cubicle that I can check before I leave. Not that I can do anything about it but it prepares me for the commute and possible horrible numbers.

Rain is also a killer for my Yaris. I believe it is as much the rain hitting it as the water on the road.

My records show a >10% hit with rain and water on the roads.

The Insight-I doesn't even like damp roads. :p

I find that if I can *hear* the water churning / hissing on my tires, that's when the mileage starts to degrade.

Rain can drop my mileage 10 to 15 mpg depending on how thick the water is piled up on the road.

Rain can drop my mileage 10 to 15 mpg depending on how thick the water is piled up on the road.

At what speeds? I'm assuming your operating at a higher rate of travel than a more conventional hypermiler. - Dale

Typically 55 to 70 mph, but dropping to 45 to 50 mph if road conditions deteriorate. The Nokian Hakkapelitta R 175-70-13 winter tires currently on my car have a greater mileage drop on wet roads than my Bridgestone Potenza RE92 165=65-14 summer tires.

20 mph headwind = -6% mpg, or -4 mpg
20 mph tailwind = +6% mpg, or +4 mpg


I'm usually running 30-40 mph.

I'm sure higher speeds would make an even bigger impact.

try it and report back :Banane37:

I'd like to if it can match the Fit with the High speed stuff I do.
60 to 50 to 60 over and over and over.... lol

This link is pretty interesting.

http://privatenrg.com/Crosswinds.htm#Crosswinds

Nothing worst than having a strong headwind on a trip and getting a strong headwind on my return because of a change in weather or a sudden storm. At home before I leave, I keep an eye on my beach cams http://www.evsjupiter.com/main.htm and most of them give wind direction and speed as well as the temperature. Just comparing them along the coast for 110 miles the wind direction and speed varies quite a bit on most days. I'm also a flag watcher during my trips to modify my P&G techniques. Headwinds mean slower roads and speeds and wind protected areas if possible. The best days for me are days with the wind under 10mph but when I see 15mph and up I start making adjustments in my routes and speed. If I have a good tailwind, I generally decrease my pulse distance and increase my speed for that long neutral glide. If I have a strong headwind, I increase my pulse distance and decrease my speed to build my SoC for a longer EV segment fighting the wind. This is what is so much better in the '09 FEH because it can be much more resistant to headwinds and stay in EV with the CC.

The FEH is not bad in the rain unless it is heavy and there is flooding. When I have to turn the headlights on because of rain that's my signal to slow things down which is a good idea anyway. At any rate, adjusting techniques with the conditions is a must for me.

GaryG

FE loss into a headwind is intuitive. Long before I was a hypermiler, I managed a 45 mpg tank from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas in a Nissan Sentra wagon at 70 mph - 450 miles on 10 gal, with a 30 mph tailwind. The return trip was into a 30 mph headwind at the same speed, and we only got 30 mph.

It is very frustrating. If I notice a drop from normal the first thing I do is to start looking for flags or plastic bags stuck in the barbed wire fences to check the wind. Rain is also a devil. I find that if I continue no normal 55 to 60 mph into a head wind I will loose 5-6 mpg (10%). But as soon as I note a headwind I reduce my speed by enough to get the AIR SPEED down to 55 to 60. Its the AIR SPEED that is important to my Insight (1st gen). I have found that the wind resistance really goes up as I go above 55 mph on a calm day. If I have a head wind of 10 mph I drop the road speed to 45 to 50 mph to maintain my fuel mileage. Of course a 30 mph wind speed cant be compensated for ... if you want to get there today.....What really frustrates me is that even a very slight breeze causes me to loose mileage. Of course its easier to compensate for. I have learned that any speed above 55 mph hurts mileage but in 5th gear the car is more drivable in hilly country nearer to 60 mph.

Rain on the other hand is a real mileage eater, and cant really be compensated for. Even lower speeds dont prevent the 5 mpg hit. But I have found that I can mitigate it some by staying out of the "ruts" where the water collects. I stay just to the right or to the left, if traffic is light, of the normal track where the asphalt is worn down into ruts that gather the water. Also, Interstate highways are much better as the concrete has a rougher surface than an old asphalt road so the water has grooves to drain it away. Also, Interstate highways really help mileage in another way. If the traffic is heavy it is all moving in the same direction and creates a wind of its own in that direction. Sort of "groves in the air" and you get into a groove and can go at a higher speed without loosing mileage.

I have been thinking about using an old trick that we used to use in flying. Its called "Pressure system navigation". I used to have a program that I could plug in the air pressure at the destination and the air pressure at the departure point along with the magnetic heading. The program would plot an "S" shaped path between the two points that was the most fuel efficient path for an aircraft to take. It was longer in distance than a straight line, but because it utilized the winds it was the the most fuel efficient at any given speed. I think doing that in a car would help, but it would be difficult because you cant drive a precise path because often the roads dont go where you want to go. But it might worked in a modified way.

But the main thing I have learned was that when the mileage starts going to hell I have to just talk to myself and say, "Jim, its not your fault and its not the cars fault, just calm down and enjoy the ride because God has just decided that someone needs the wind and you just have to go along with him/her."

I feel for the wind when I start out the day walking to the truck (about 100 yards from the house to the truck).
When I leave work I have a half mile to walk, so I have a really good idea what the wind is doing by the time I start the truck.

And I still look for the wind socks, flags, construction ribbons, weeds, trees, etc. to see what the wind is doing.

With the Ranger it can make a huge difference. I get really good FE as long as my wind speed does not exceed 45-50 mph.

I can usually DWL at 50 mph for 35 mpg. Last night the headwind was so bad that I was at 70 LOD, 25 mpg for 50 mph.
At time my back roads don't even help much due to my particular gearing. With a 20 mph headwind I can't maintain 35 mpg while DWL at 30 mph.

Hi All:

___Lesson to be learned is there is only one good wind, that being from the right or left rear quarter out to about 20 degrees to a direct tail. Everything else sucks ;)

___Some have the worst kinds of commutes. Light tail winds in the morning and heavy head winds in the afternoons. Working afternoon shifts back a few years ago, this was the case with strong head winds all the way out and when leaving after 11:00 PM, nothing but cooler temps. Working days, it was just the opposite with a little front quarter head wind in the morning and usually a nice and warm rear quartering tailwind coming home. When working nights, it was just colder temps both ways so it did not matter.

___Good Luck

___Wayne