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Sign up for the next FE Challenge here: F E Challenge 13 - 2nd Quarter 2011 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38580)

FE Challenge 12 is complete and in the books!

Winners
Division A - GaryG
Division B - FSUspectra
Winter - Mr. Pancake

Great job to all those that participated, and many thanks for saving gas! ;)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/FE_challenge_12.jpg

Bring it! I'm ready.

I'm in Andrew, div. A, Hybrid and E10 handicaps.

GaryG

I guess I should have given my info too: Div C, E10. :)

Had thoughts about an "Oink" division: Cars over some weight 3500? 4000?, 4sp autos, etc. Eg, attract more cars like mine. Just a thought

Here's the Log
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3618.png

Paul

You know I'm in: division 'B', E10, hybrid, grey outside for the next three months handicaps. http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=3617
Thanks.

I might join this with the Echo, but I'm not the only one who drives it :(

That's a challenge, for sure. :(

Put me in for Div B, with the CA E6 handicap... I'll make a log some time Real Soon Now.

-soD

Andrew, I'll join this time. Same log but cleaned out. The usual handicaps. ;)

Don't expect big numbers -- we are in for a colder winter and my new route is not conducive to the really high stuff.

On the plus side, I've still got a half a tank from my fill at the end of November.

My log is here -> http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=3619

-soD

Andrew,

Please enter me in Div. A, Cali E6/E10 handicap. My log is here:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3620.png

Oooh! Division A is starting to look interesting! :D

I don't expect to better many/any of you, but I do hope to improve my skills and FE.

I got a new fuel filter :) but when it was installed I saw at least 1/2 gallon of gas drain out, and they didn't put it back in my tank. So this tank is gonna be a little low. I'm also probably going to be delivering pizzas again this semester, so that will drop my FE a lot. I'm gonna stick with Division B for this quarter.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3621.png

Handicaps: E10

Andrew, please add me into div A with my recycled challenge log :

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3373.png (http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=3373)

I'm very happy with my 1st fill-up : 951mi @62.4mpg, ie NewEPA+101.3% :)

I didn't pushed the tank down too much as I couldn't make a kilo tank. From the result I could reach 988mi, despite I had to remove the rear left wheel skirt as I found the rear left tire flat because a nail. I couldn't find time to put it back during 2 working weeks : the car was really strange... it was shacking like a boat in the tempest... happily I put it back on yesterday :)

Last week I managed to avoid traffic by leaving home very soon in the morning and as soon as the real time traffic web page was showing the 1st slow down in the evening. I don't know if I'll be able to keep the rhythm during all the winter.

I found that by not using the ventilator in the cabin, I can P&G in the morning when it's cold and the lights are on without impacting too much the battery; I just have to wear a polar sweat and a polar vest and put the heat cabin at maximum with closed vents (heat is then going to the windshield and the legs). Only when it is freezing I use the ventilator 2 minutes while idling :o and scratching the freeze.

div A will be very interesting this winter :)

Denis.

Glad to see you back Denis. Great results. Here's to the first challenge of 2011!

Here's my first entry for the year and quarter:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3493.png (http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&viewcar=3493)

My first fill of this challenge. I have a way to go to catch Denis and Andrew, but I expect my mpg to go up for the remainder of the challenge.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3620.png

Congrats Andrew :thumbs_up:

Darrell, I often wonder what would be my result without all my aeromods... You would have been in front of me certainly.
I built a temporary aeromod (*) last week-end and hope it will be able to permit me to achieve a kilo-tank this winter :) In some places of my daily commute I can see an improvement but not in others, so I don't really know if it's effective.

Denis.

(*) covered the roof extension and the trunk cover with a plastic film to feel more like in Sean's insight ;)
see here (http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/groars-1997-megane-modding-thread-4659-6.html#post191250) for a picture before that last mod

(*) covered the roof extension and the trunk cover with a plastic film to feel more like in Sean's insight ;)

:eek:
:D:thumbs_up:

Looks like I'm going to be at the bottom of Div. A this quarter. :o

Don't feel so bad. I'm looking pretty hard at the bottom of Div B myself...

-soD

:eek:
:D:thumbs_up:

Looks like I'm going to be at the bottom of Div. A this quarter. :o

Unless Andrew gets a lot of improvement, I might be sitting good in this Challenge. This tank took a hit just before XMas with last minute shopping and very windy cold days. Still above 212% right now at 1/2 a tank. My last tank would have been 239% with the handicaps but that was last month and my best tank ever.

GaryG

;) I'll accept that challenge.

Don't feel so bad. I'm looking pretty hard at the bottom of Div B myself...

-soD

I'm not so sure, we've had snow and temps. have been consistently ten degrees below average. I will probably fill up this evening.

I'll be happy if I can achieve and maintain 200% of '08 EPA through this challenge.

I'll be happy if I can achieve and maintain 200% of '08 EPA through this challenge.

Hm. I'm nowhere near 200% right now. :o

(Using less gas is the better goal... using less gas is the better goal... using less gas is... ARG!!! I want my numbers back!!!)

First fill, 53.8mpg. It can only get better from here, right?

Where have I been?! Anyway, LET'S DO THIS! Div A! E10!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3625.png

Welcome! Glad to have you back on board.

I'd like to join again in division B, with the E10 handicap. No marathon is time. I havent created my fuel log yet, but I'll add it later today. I'm borrowing a cavalier from my dad until the attorney gets things figured out with the insurance company after my zx2 died. I've missed being able to really push for fe, which was difficult when I was sharing a car with the wife. I might be a bit rusty and my daily drive has changed dramatically for now. If anyone knows about any engineering firms in the san Antonio/Austin area hiring entry level civil engineers, let me know.

The weather has been much colder for me then the last challenge. Several weeks of morning temps in the teens and daliy temps in the mid low 20s. And its taking its toll

It takes several more "LOD"s to keep the car idling until the engine is warmed up which is 15 minutes.. More LOD needed even coasting in Neutral, the low 4 AT transmssion temp seems to be the killer. Only when I approach the last couple of miles to work (18.5 miles) does its temperature approach 140 F, its normal non summer value and its start behaving somewhere near normal.

I guess this ramble is my way of asking if I should not let the trans try to lock up (its actually hard to get it TO lock up in this state) until the trans get warmed up more? I am going to give that a try.

@25 gallons my van is a rolling fuel depot and it will be another week before I will have results. I always run it down to the last few gallons so I get the benefit of driving some miles with less weight.

I still try my best to get lockup as soon as possible. In my mind, it's better to run a cold engine slower during warmup, and to use fuel for moving instead of just warming up.

Some ATs won't lock up until engine temp reaches a minimum temperature - 137ºF in the AT xBs, for instance. It may be inefficient to drive with a cold drivetrain, but if the engine is running, it should be propelling the car, IMO.

Yeh agreed on protecting the engine, its sneaking up on 120k. Lock up for this AT is relative, its called partial lockup. I declare victory when the input shaft is spinning 50 or less rpm (slip, TCS) more than the output shaft.

I think the trans fluid is a gooey mess when the temp is in the low 20s or lower and not much to be done about it. I was thinking maybe shootign for 100 to 150ish TCS value instead of trying to inforce "lock up". Spinning the TC a little might warm it up to a workable tem.

The engine rpm is not terribly high in either case, 1500 - 1800, 2000 on the outside when its really cold, <=12 F. You're right that it won't try lockup at all until the engine is warmer. Since I have been looking at TCS and trans fluid temp (TFT) with SG, I don't know what the temp is but its clear when it happens.

Around 20 F again today. The first 3 miles is 25 to 25 mph. I put the gear selector in 2 second for that part of the trip. Teh engine warmed up sooner and the tranmssion temp rose to just under 100 when starting the remainding ~17 miles of the trip at higher speeds and things worked much better less load needed and less fuel used. This seems to be a reasonable comprimise

In my experience, faster warmup means more fuel consumed overall. You do use less later in the trip, but the savings are smaller than the initial loss. Something to test, maybe? ;)

The weather has been much colder for me then the last challenge. Several weeks of morning temps in the teens and daliy temps in the mid low 20s. And its taking its toll

It takes several more "LOD"s to keep the car idling until the engine is warmed up which is 15 minutes.. More LOD needed even coasting in Neutral, the low 4 AT transmssion temp seems to be the killer. Only when I approach the last couple of miles to work (18.5 miles) does its temperature approach 140 F, its normal non summer value and its start behaving somewhere near normal.

I guess this ramble is my way of asking if I should not let the trans try to lock up (its actually hard to get it TO lock up in this state) until the trans get warmed up more? I am going to give that a try.

@25 gallons my van is a rolling fuel depot and it will be another week before I will have results. I always run it down to the last few gallons so I get the benefit of driving some miles with less weight.

I think your prescription is more grill blocking.
After you take your daily dose of cowbell, of course.

Dang it, missed the start of the challenge! :p Have to jump in on the next one! It'll actually make me drive better so I don't have such lame numbers!

Ah, it's still January. Join the fun!

As Andrew notes, entries for this challenge will be accepted until the end of January. Come join the fun.

Alright, my first challenge, count me in!:bananajump:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/3626.png (http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&viewcar=3626)

Division B (I guess?), E10 handicap

In my experience, faster warmup means more fuel consumed overall. You do use less later in the trip, but the savings are smaller than the initial loss. Something to test, maybe? ;)

Well, not to overgeneralize, but come on... The only thing heating your engine to a set temperature is an amount of gas proportional to that temperature rise. Should you let it warm up in the driveway and get peak FE the second you leave for work? :p

It would be nice to have a toasty warm car, but I'm not willing to waste the gas to get there. Example this morning: My final coolant temperature was only 170F, after 12.9 miles. DWG for sure, and I could see my breath inside the car as I parked at work.

Nine degrees on the way in this morning, 24 mile commute, only ran the defrost for a few minutes to de-ice the windshield.

50 degrees, light sprinkle/rain... I would say about 5 miles to campus, now that I have to make a detour to drop the munchkin off with the sitter. I don't know exactly how far (and didn't think to reset Trip B on my odometer) because a friend of mine still has my SGII. But I did forgo parking on the 5th or 6th floor of the parking garage for a spot further away in the rain, but closer to my way home. I'd forgotten how nice it can be to walk in the rain (with an umbrella). Much easier to find parking on Fridays too!

Ran errands today in beautiful 50-55º weather. Went to clinic lab for blood draws for the wife and me. Then got her foot braces fitted (to aid her arthritis) Then to a grocery store 30 miles away to buy lobsters for Sunday's birthday dinner. The latter store is on an unfamiliar route, so I got just under 50 mpg going there with all the stops, and only 55 mpg coming home.

Ugh. Dropped 10 more degrees today. This tank is going to be a disaster.

I brought my current tank average up to 200% of EPA, adjusted for Cali/E10 fuel, with a couple hundred more miles to improve on that. Woot! :bananajump: :bananajump:

Drove 70mph ish on interstate (had 2 others with me that aren't as patient as I am). Tank looks like 40-45mpg instead of the usual 50ish.

Alright, boys. It can only go up from here. I would estimate this as about 5-10% of a hypermiled tank. 441 miles @ 30.8 mpg. But it does put the 44+ mpg tanks in perspective!

I may have to pull out of this competition. My son's car died, and I'm thinking I should loan mine to him so he can get to work while we figure out a replacement car for him.

Oh no! That stinks... I hope you can figure it out without it totally breaking the bank! Family is important, good for you to help your son out! :) (Not that you needed me to tell you that...)

On another general note, I never knew I had it in me! Tank is sitting right around 42 MPG for 163 miles so far. Got my best segments yesterday on a 82 mile round trip to visit friends for church a couple of towns over - averaged 46.4 MPG! This is all pending SG accuracy since it was returned to me.

Sorry to hear this Darrell. You can fill-up before and after loaning your car to your son. I don't think this "pause" will give you an advantage as everybody should improve month after month...

I hope this will not last long : I need you in the challenge so I can be motivated ;)

Denis.

I went back and looked at the thread for the Fuel Economy Challenge 11 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35135) to make sure I set my log up correctly. I noticed that I was to select "Quarter-Year FE Challenge" under propulsion... I went back and looked at my log options for this "vehicle" and noticed it wasn't an option. Was this done away with? And if my EPA averages are 25/33 and 2008 EPA averages are 22/30, is my entry of 21/29 for E10 correct? I just want to be fair when I blow Division B away! ;)

Lastly, not that I suppose it matters, but should I be putting my daily results in this thread or in the weekly daily grind thread?

The admins are the ones who can select "Quarter-year FE challenge", it isn't an option for most of us.

It looks like most people have been posting their results in this thread.

...Speaking of which, I managed to struggle my way up to 38 MPG for this tank! Airing the tires back up to max sidewall certainly helped some, and it looks like the tires are starting to wear in.

-soD

I'll finish my current tank and take a hiatus from the competition. I'm planning to leave the middle of next week to teach my son how to drive stick shift and buy cars from dealerships. I have some health classes and meetings to attend in the next 8-9 days, or I'd leave sooner. My son has rented a car for a couple of weeks, so there's no critical need for me to leave immediately.

I'm right around a 54 mpg average, indicated, for this tank.

You know what ? I'm Happy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droopy) : Winter kilotank :)

1000.4mi @ 64.08mpg ie NewEPA + 106.7%
I drove around the gas station a few times ;)

I can't believe it... this tank is :

at the same MPG than Andrew's current one and
much in front of Sean's current %OverEPA


Bad things during this tank :

a full week working at a customer facility : 45 minutes to drive 10 miles, instead of 35 minutes to drive 25 miles...
most morning were with freezing temps, or near freezing and always with lights.


This means the strange back cover I installed is certainly effective :)

Next step ? Beat spring record (68.02mpg ie 1078.4mi) in winter ?

Denis.

Way to go, Denis!!!! :woot:

:D:thumbs_up:

Pre-blizzard fill: 609.5 miles, 11.192 gallons, 54.45mpg. Up a little from the last fill, still very cold and some snow.

Most recent fill for me: 38 MPG. Worse than my average, but getting back up there. Pressing up the new tires, and of course driving on them for 700 miles, seems to be helping their rolling resistance.

-soD

Very impressive, Denis! I'm like Pancake and SODave, just trying for personal bests.

What? No, I'm not trying for personal bests!! I'm trying to win Div B!

OK, so I know I don't really have a chance at that, but I am still trying!! ;)

-soD

190 miles so far, hovering around 41.5 MPG avg, man this tank is gonna be my longest ever I think!

That's awesome Denis! (May I call you Denis?) And whatever, my personal best may end up winning Div B! :p

Thanks Brandon (May I call you Brandon? of course you can call my by my first name).

Hope you'll win div B.

I never won div B, my first challenge and I lost it during the last days, or div A, Sean and Andrew have their names on the first two places. Yes, I'm rather pessimistic about my chances to win div A with Andrew and Sean...
In the "no real time feedback" category I may be the best, but this isn't a parameter...

Denis.

I seem to have division c locked up! If no one else comes in on C just move me up to B

I seem to have division c locked up! If no one else comes in on C just move me up to B

According to the official rules no one else can join after the first month, so, welcome to division B!

Thanks Brandon (May I call you Brandon? of course you can call my by my first name).

Hope you'll win div B.

I never won div B, my first challenge and I lost it during the last days, or div A, Sean and Andrew have their names on the first two places. Yes, I'm rather pessimistic about my chances to win div A with Andrew and Sean...
In the "no real time feedback" category I may be the best, but this isn't a parameter...

Denis.

Don't forget I joined this division A but haven't finished my tank or started that tank log. I should have 225% of the adjusted Hybrid and E10 of 26.5mpg of combined EPA.

GaryG

This will be a personal best tank for me. I'm at 496.8 miles with slightly more than 1/4 tank to go, so I should approach a metric kilotank (1000 km) before refueling. I'll push a few extra miles this week to finish the tank before leaving the competition. I hope to rejoin you, but my son may have my xB a long time before enough money materializes for him to buy another car.

Haven't driven much the past few days, and they have been <4 mile trips. I can't complain though, as it's been 50-75 degrees here, and I talked to my dad in NH who said it was -25 a few days ago.


Edit: Woot first!
I drove a lot early last month! 4 tanks in one month, yikes! I did get a 54mpg tank though :D much better than the 42-46mpg tanks afterwards :rolleyes:

Sorry GaryG, you had to register your first tank during the first month of the Challenge ;)
or is it your car that is too big to be allowed in the Challenge ? ;)

OK, I don't like to be passed during a Challenge :o

Now I feel what Sean may be feeling when a bigger & heavier car than his is beating him... ;)
Your SUV has 900lbs more than my megane and your last tank is at 63.412mpg while mine is at 64.087... :eek: Did winter forgot to visit Florida this year ?

Denis.

Did winter forgot to visit Florida this year ?

I think you're correct.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/USA_temp_2011_02_03.jpg

My tank is not looking as cheery. This crazy cold, school dropoff detour every morning, combined with some unexpected hospital and family driving (things are fine now), and I'm just at 63 mpg / 200%. I'll have more hospital trips soon with the baby due any day.

Hi Andrew

That weather map is soooo funny! Looks like Groar must be living in a place the sun isn't shinning right now.

Glad to hear everything is better with the little one, Andrew! We had a scare a couple of days ago when my 1 year old shook a shelf and a stack of mugs & saucers fell off, a few of them hitting him in the head/face and smashing on the floor... he's got some bruises and a small cut, but he's alright too. His first major act of destruction! And here's wishing you guys an uneventful delivery!:)


And in regards to the map, I thoroughly enjoy my 2.8 seasons in Tallahassee, thank you very much!

One of baby delivery explanation to French children : the stork.

http://cereales.lapin.org/strips1/258cigogne-bebe.gif

Weather in Toulouse lately :

Last 5 days : total of 2 sun hours & temps 0.5-4.3°C (33-40°F).
Previous 6 days : 35 sun hours & temps -3.4-6.3°C (26-43°F).
Average temps for January is during last 30 years : 2.2-9.4°C (36-49°F).


With freezing/near freezing temps during the night, both my car and my house are consuming much more energy :( but the house can get heat from sun during the daytime when we are at home :)

Denis.

190 miles so far, hovering around 41.5 MPG avg, man this tank is gonna be my longest ever I think!

That's awesome Denis! (May I call you Denis?) And whatever, my personal best may end up winning Div B! :p

Holy cats! You're gonna slaughter me in this one. At least I'll have some company in that. ;)

-soD

This fill is nothing to brag about but I'm happy that I used as little fuel as I did over the 75 days the tank lasted me. :) Also nice -- I finally managed to stuff the tank (with an additional 3.025g) so it will be a while before I have to fill again.

The tank rang up at 71.6mpg on the FCD but ended up a bit lower after the fill. It took 10.926g to cover 774.0mi for an average of 70.84mpg. Blah. Hopefully it warms up soon. Today hit a quite tropical 33F while I was driving home and I was able to cruise at 100+mpg for several miles (slightly uphill even!) on the highway again! :D

I'm off to a rotten start in the FE challenge but at least my lifetime average is still just above 92mpg. :o

Hi Andrew and Sean

I just entered my FE 12 Vehicle and first tank and messed something up. It entered in the Hybrid section so can one of you put the data in the FE 12 Challenge and double check Hybrid and E10 handicaps. Andrew told me last year I will have a 26.5 combined rating with those handicaps.

Thanks Guys

GaryG

Hi, Gary! You didn't mess up anything -- only Andrew, Wayne, or I can add a vehicle into the Quarter-Year FE Challenge section. I've added you in and also updated your info in the first post of the thread.

Way to go on that tank!!! Who'd have ever thought an SUV could top 60mpg not only once but for a whole tank!!! :woot:

Congrats GaryG :thumbs_up:
Ford seams to know how to make great hybrids. Sadly as France is the diesel country, only prius, insight, CRZ & RX400h are available in France :(

At least I can console myself by telling me that before the end of the challenge I should have greater improvements than yours ;)

Next week I'll drive only to the airport as I'll be in Paris all week long. Of course the weather forecast is sun only, with (near) freezing temps in the morning and 15°C (59°F) in the evening... The challenge isn't finished yet so I'll not surrender ;)

Have fun,

Denis.

I think you're correct.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/USA_temp_2011_02_03.jpg


Winter in Florida is diferent than what you guys woudl consider winter. 40-50 degree dys are nothing. Down here mid 40 are considered cold and we run the heat! :p

306 miles on 11.7 gallons gets me at 134%, as good as I ever have done in my 5 months here. Considering its averaged in the low 20's F and definitely 10 - 20 when I leave each morning, its pretty good. ScanGuage is helping me step up my game.

Andrew, move me up to B if no one else shows up. I thought the oink division might attract competitors with bigger cars, so far no

I got my goal, 1000 km, with my current tank. I made it with 1.4 gallons still in the tank. 621.6 miles on 10.563 gallons, for a 58.84 mpg average. That's 218% of my adjusted EPA combined mpg estimate, enough to bring my challenge % to 206.26%, and move me into third place in Division A, ahead of Denis.

If I'd filled my previous tank on December 31 instead of January 1, my current tank would place me in second between Gary and Andrew. Now I know I can play with the big boys, so I'm satisfied. Thanks for letting me play.

There's a chance we'll be able to finance a car for my son, & I won't have to loan my xB to him, but the 1000 miles of freeway driving to SoCal & back will make me uncompetitive for the rest of the challenge, so I'd rather withdraw now. while showing the rest of you what I'm capable of.

Thanks Sean for that cleanup on page 1. I've been a bit distracted lately.

Gary - great work! It'll be hard for me to overcome that lead, and I still have baby-arrival hospital driving to do.

No problem, Andrew -- your family definitely takes precedence!

Congrats Darrel :thumbs_up:

Even if I'm sad because after Andrew and Sean, GaryG and you are preventing me to win :(

At least people on the podium do deserve it and I'll try my best to be there ;)

This week I'm far from home and will not commute. I have to walk a few hundred meters between work and "hotel", while restaurants are at a few kilometers... Sadly this morning the taxi experience was so bad... an ugly "clean diesel Audi" with a racer behind the wheel :(

Denis.

Well, I finally, yet begrudgingly, have a tank to post. After only a half a tank, my frickety-frackety SGII display scrambled AGAIN, resetting all my data. :angry: So I drove a mile to the nearest gas station and filled up and reset the SGII. The semi-good news is that the SG-recorded trip MPG and actual odo vs. fuel MPG were pretty close, so my fill-up calibration seems okay.

321.0 miles at 1/2 tank, filled 6.866 to first click, 7.769 to second click (will use another pump next time as this particular one didn't click and spilled gas when filling wife's Accord :sad: but it was the only one available to pull right up to)

Grand (approximate) total of 41.32 MPG!

I'll still take that! ;)

Just in time today, Linear Logic sent another wire (I think it's the same one though) to hopefully solve this issue of the SGII scrambling and resetting itself... Installed it today, and we shall see.

Hopefully this is okay, since it isn't technically a full tank, and I know the rules said no partial tanks. If it isn't, I understand...

That's fine. It's no problem if you don't run the tank down, just that you report all fuel used. 2 short fills gives the same average as one long fill.

No, Denis. I've withdrawn from the competition, so you're in sole possession of third place. Make me proud!

I'm gonna enjoy my lead for awhile. I know it will disappear when the weather gets better for the rest of the country. I think it's in the 50s outside tonight. Seems like the cold front missed us . . .

I'm below 200% now, after a fast 4am hospital run. 62.3 mpg with 1/4 tank left.

I'm below 200% now, after a fast 4am hospital run. 62.3 mpg with 1/4 tank left.

Define fast.

:p Speed limit, +- 5 mph (55 mph roads). Minimal P&G because a 5-10 mph drop was unacceptably slow. The baby was born within 2 hours of arriving at the hospital.

Hope mom & baby are okay. Congratulations!

:p Speed limit, +- 5 mph (55 mph roads). Minimal P&G because a 5-10 mph drop was unacceptably slow. The baby was born within 2 hours of arriving at the hospital.

I see you aren't in touch with the rev limited on your car anymore . . . always entertaining to know what you think "fast" is.

Congrats on the baby! Here's to a safe and uneventful first few months *cheers

There was a time when I'd regularly hit the rev limiter. 31 mph in first, 62 in 2nd gear. :eek: I sometimes miss the lovely Honda Growl when the revs get up there. Then I think about this 62 mpg tank being my worst in 24 months, and I don't miss it as much.

Alright, I know Florida is like the center of the sun compared to most of the US, but it was much hotter earlier yesterday than it was last night.

Here's the story.
My GF and I were driving from my place to her place, which is less than a 1 mile drive. We jumped in my car, and I saw her shivering a bit so I cranked the heat on max and pulled away so it would heat up quickly. I pull out of the university parking lot and onto the connection street to the main road. A cop passes us going the other way, and I don't think much of it, but apparently he turned around because 10 seconds later I see the lights flashing behind me.

My tag light wasnt the right color - supposed to be white but I thought green looked better, and I didn't know it HAD to be white - I just thought it had to be bright to clearly read the plate. And here's the worst part - I wasn't wearing my seat belt.

If you knew me, I yell at EVERYONE for not wearing their seat belts, regardless of if it's my car or not. I know how stupid it is NOT to wear it, but I was so worried about my cold gf that I competely forgot :o

$114 ticket :mad:
He let me off with a warning on the tag light, but got me for the seat belt.

Honestly I don't know how he saw me at all, because it was almsot midnight and very dark outside, maybe he has night vision goggles or something >.>

I'm just angry because out of the thousands of hours I've driven, I think less than 20 minutes of that has been without my safety belt, and the one time I forget, BAM ticket.

/rant

On topic, tank is looking a little low, barely at 40mpg which is low for me. >40mpg is very bad for me, and >50mpg is a great tank

So, uh, are you ranting about your own poor decisions? The cop was clearly doing his job.

He's just beating himself up methinks, and frustrated that he got himself a ticket, and not necessarily mad at the cop for doing it. Cops are now looking out for seat belt violations since it is now an offense that allows a traffic stop. Basically, before this new law went into effect, a cop could not pull you over simply because you were not wearing the seat belt, but needed another reason (faulty equipment, speeding, etc) and the seat belt infraction could be tacked on as a separate infraction.

Sorry to hear! But those are the best reminders going!

So, uh, are you ranting about your own poor decisions? The cop was clearly doing his job.

Pretty much, yes. It's just rather . . . ironic that I would get a ticket for not wearing my safety belt. It would be like a "top" (high mpg) cleanmpg member getting arrested for street racing.

Safety first... I installed in my car a "manual" feature that prevents the car from starting while everybody isn't correctly installed. This feature is called a driver ;) and currently my 3.5 years old boy believe in this feature :)

About heat, I put the car in the state I put it usually before starting, but as soon as I started then my wife is the heat/radio/... master when she is in the car.

In France cops can do random stop to verify license and insurance. They can also stop you if you don't have the seat belt or if you are driving differently than other drivers.

Denis.

I feel your pain. I recently got a warning for 49 mph in a 45 zone, on a long downhill FAS. What irritates me is, even at that speed, I often have people tailgate or even pass me in that no passing zone, going at least 60+. I've wanted a patrol car to slow them down, but it's me he tags.

I filled up. It was ugly. 750 miles, 12.1 gallons = 62 mpg. My worst in 2 years. I blame: E10, extra-cold winter (for texas), school route, hospital visit(s).

Gary, you may have this one wrapped up.

I feel your pain. I recently got a warning for 49 mph in a 45 zone, on a long downhill FAS. What irritates me is, even at that speed, I often have people tailgate or even pass me in that no passing zone, going at least 60+. I've wanted a patrol car to slow them down, but it's me he tags.

Yeah, it's just the nature of the "but I'm 99.9999999999999% of the time the safest driver around" argument. It was just bad luck, honestly. I'm relatively sure I would have noticed and then put my belt on at the light 100ft in front of me.

I haven't been pulled over for speeding, or ever had a comment on speed other than another civvy honking at me because they think I'm going too slow, etc.

Sorry about your tank, Pale. it is very annoying to get such low numbers, for you, but remember that your worst numbers are usually higher than the average driver's best numbers.

Sorry about your tank, Pale. it is very annoying to get such low numbers, for you, but remember that your worst numbers are usually higher than the average driver's best numbers.

Agreed, sorry to hear... but I'd go so far to say that your numbers are better than *two* average driver's numbers! ;)

On my bad days, I also just have to think to myself that I am getting the best gas mileage of any other Spectra in the area... not sure if I can say the country, but it'd be dang close, unless Wayne, Sean, or you, Andrew, drove it! :)

...extra-cold winter (for texas)...


you got that right. I've yet to post my second tank of practically no hypermiling, just 'cause this cold weather gets me down. We were at least fortunate to have only one morning of snow; how many inches did you guys get up there?

We got 2 inches, two separate times, and a coating of ice another time.

Crapcrapcrap! Still below 40 MPG. Even worse than the previous tank, for that matter!! Finally back over 400 miles for the tank, but used almost 11 gallons to do it! I think I'm going to be the bottom of Div B this time.

-soD

Don't worry too much, I'm looking at a 40mpg or less tank right now.

Advanced apology to anyone where the temps are still below freezing:

My confortable temp range is quite high, but my girlfriend gets hot or cold easily, and we had to run the A/C for most of our driving today >.> Tanks is about 1/4 full with almost 300 miles, or just under 40mpg.

I'm in that boat with you too, although my wife is usually cold, so it's not so bad. But now, I'm usually in the car with my one-year old, and that means the A/C will probably be used more often (unless I start building up his tolerance now ;) ). I guess I'll have to feel it out.

In other news, sitting at 243 miles on the tank (still at 3/4) with tank MPG sitting at 42.6 MPG. Hopefully, I'll see a full tank this time without my SGII crapping out and scrambling again... :mad:

First 600+ mile tank! Woohoo! :Banane57:

Gahh, and I'm still stuck behind Sulfuric... must push harder! Must pull out - ludicrous hypermiling!!! :Banane36:

Congrats Brandon :thumbs_up:

Next tank : the kilo-km-tank (621.4mi) ;)

Have fun,

Denis.

Great going, Brandon!! :D:thumbs_up:

Great work!

---
I updated the first page. Sentra, now you're in the right place, just above me. Brandon, 2nd place. :)

Thanks, Andrew, but I don't belong there. If I should add the three tanks that I used driving to San Diego and back, they'd drop me to 183% of EPA and put me in 4th place behind Denis. If I could re-enter the competition since returning to the Bay Area, then I'd be competitive, but I'm not likely to finish my current tank by the end of the month. My current tank is averaging in the low 50 mpg range, but I've driven under 100 miles on it, so there's considerable room for improvement.

My SoCal trip was successful. The main goal was to get my son a car, since he needs one to get to work, and his wife needs their other car for her work commute. My second goal was to teach my son how to negotiate with auto dealerships. We succeeded on both counts. We found a 2006 Hyundai Elantra GLS (AT, my son's not a hypermiler), identical to my wife's car at the third dealership we visited. Negotiations broke down, so we got in my car and were starting to drive away, when the salesman came out, and blocked our way, to make us an offer. When the salesman comes to you, you're in control of the negotiation.

We told him we'd think it over, and went to lunch. I'd had my son help me look up the Kelly Blue Book prices online the night before, for each vehicle we were looking at, so we pretty much knew the trade-in/auction value, and how much profit they were making. We could have saved about $300 by continuing to shop, but those savings would be more than offset by the cost of a week's car rental, or the cost of my plane or train fare to go back to San Diego if I loaned my son my car. So we went back and took the deal. $6400 for a 5 year old Elantra with 70k miles. My wife's Elantra cost us about $3500 more, three years ago

I should fill-up before Tuesday and should pass Sentra. I'm only wondering if I attempt the 1687.1 km = 1048.5 mi to average a tank distance of 1000mi :) not so bad for a winter challenge :D

Have fun,

Denis.

Got an errand at noon. Longer than I thought... finally I filled up at 1057.4mi (drove around the block a couple times to pass the 1700km) and achieved 66.46mpg and a challenge average of 207.57% :)

With this tank the average for current challenge is 1003.0mi/tank :)

Have fun,

Denis.

Got an errand at noon. Longer than I thought... finally I filled up at 1057.4mi (drove around the block a couple times to pass the 1700km) and achieved 66.46mpg and a challenge average of 207.57% :)

With this tank the average for current challenge is 1003.0mi/tank :)

Have fun,

Denis.

Multiple 1000 mi tanks, awesome! :thumbs_up:

Welcome to 2nd place, groar!

Thanks :)

Andrew, just finish your 3rd tank as is and I will have to reach 71mpg with my 4th tank to prevent you to pass... This second place is yours :( except if I can mod my car so much that it looks like a :Banane54: and weight like a :Banane11:...

Have fun,

Denis.

Thanks :)

Andrew, just finish your 3rd tank as is and I will have to reach 71mpg with my 4th tank to prevent you to pass... This second place is yours :( except if I can mod my car so much that it looks like a :Banane54: and weight like a :Banane11:...

Have fun,

Denis.

If you know Andrew, he is coming after me for first place after his warm-up. Good luck everyone!

GaryG

That's the target. I'm not sure I can reach it, but it won't be for lack of effort. :p

Gary, what is your current tank about ? Are you improving as much as Andrew is doing ?

This morning my needle was always at F after 230km (140mi) while it was at 160-190km (100-120mi) during previous tanks... Of course with the more variable temperatures, the guessgauge is certainly playing with me... but what is great is when I left home the daylight was appearing, so after half the commute I switched off the lights :)

Also the afternoon temperatures are really warmer and I have to hypermile as much as possible to prevent the engine fan to switch on :cool: may have to open the grill block soon...

Denis.

Gary, what is your current tank about ? Are you improving as much as Andrew is doing ?

This morning my needle was always at F after 230km (140mi) while it was at 160-190km (100-120mi) during previous tanks... Of course with the more variable temperatures, the guessgauge is certainly playing with me... but what is great is when I left home the daylight was appearing, so after half the commute I switched off the lights :)

Also the afternoon temperatures are really warmer and I have to hypermile as much as possible to prevent the engine fan to switch on :cool: may have to open the grill block soon...

Denis.

Denis, can you take a picture of your grill block? I am curious on how it looks like on your car.

Scott, here is a picture when I installed my test Sunday :

http://www.groar.org/EcoModder/Megane_201103_UnderTray_Front.jpg

I may also simply remove the upper grill block instead of opening the lower one.

For more information, see the thread here on Ecomodder (http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/groars-1997-megane-modding-thread-4659-6.html#post176465).

Denis.

Hi Denis

I can't say for sure what my tank will end up with but I can say my percentage will be going higher than it is right now. My first tank in this Challenge was what I now consider on the low side.

Any time I get a chance to steal the new Explorer from my wife when she is not going back in forth to work, I do. That means I'm not driving the '09 FEH on the weekends and holidays at all.

GaryG

Denis,

Thanks!


Scitt

Filled up on the way home, 56.6MPG. No movement in division B but I'm now leading in the winter division.

Ugh. Filled up last night; under 40 again. :(

In slightly better news, I think I may be improving again. I was irritated enough at the poor tank to push harder today, and I think it may be working.

-soD

Threw down another weak tank. I like 3rd gear way too much. I promise to do better this time.... =)

66.7 mpg 8.4 miles (highest segment) so far, looking forward for upcoming challenge --
:bananalama:

This past week was my best thus far. 50.6 mpg on the tank. After refill I drove for a distance of 52 and got 60 mpg. I took a photograph to prove it. This tank is showing 54.1 mpg, but I'm nowhere near needing to refill as I usually do on Mondays.

iHypermile
Hypermiling is hipper-miling
HIH-II

Signups for the next challenge start in April, so be sure to look for the next thread for FE Challenge 13!

I'm about 2/3 of the way through my current tank... should be done in enough time to post it as my last tank for the challenge... sitting at 41.3 MPG right now, about 6 gallons left. I did stuff this tank and SG is calibrated to a 17 gallon tank to reflect it. 463 miles on the tank, DTE is reading 239 miles... can I squeeze it out in time for a new record? ;)

I filled up. I had about 1/8 tank left. I'm not setting any distance record so there's no reason to push it to empty.

829 miles, 11.11 gallons = 74.617 mpg

That's all for my challenge, so my final is:
2383 miles, 35.233 gallons = 67.635 mpg, 214.7% epa

I filled up. I had about 1/8 tank left. I'm not setting any distance record so there's no reason to push it to empty.

829 miles, 11.11 gallons = 74.617 mpg

That's all for my challenge, so my final is:
2383 miles, 35.233 gallons = 67.635 mpg, 214.7% epa

Well done for such a cold winter Andrew. We had a colder than normal amount of freezing days than last year but still much better than your area. This dirty '09 FEH is cutting through the wind much better than last year also. My landscape took a worst beating this year so I've been using the new Explorer for hauling new plants. Those dirt roads really got it dirty last week and I was seeing an improvement in MPG till my son took it out racing around town. Washed the Explorer Saturday and seen my MPG drop right after.

I haven't finished my final tank in the FE 12 Challenge but it's looking like a 62mpg tank with a final adjusted EPA at around 230% with a 61mpg average. Maybe I should post a picture of just how dirty my '09 FEH is so people here can see what I'm talking about.

GaryG

Looks like I'm not going to finish my tank in time. :p

Looks like I'm not going to finish my tank in time. :p

You know you're a hypermiler when... it's a 3 month challenge and you only put in one tank. :p

*toss* the popcorn in air, opens my mouth and waits for that popcorn to come back down into my mouth...

waiting for next challenge....

1100.7mi @ 70.153mpg :cool:
With the biggest fill-up I wouldn't have reached 1800km (1118.7mi).
I certainly not began my tank with a 100+mpg as I had to go inside the city this morning...
I pumped up my tires to 3.8bar from 3.6 (55psi from 52) yesterday evening. The glides this morning with pumped up tires and full tank were looong :) when I didn't had to brake :o

3rd winter kilo tank in a row :p Am I an hypermiler ? :D

Have fun,

Denis.

You are a hypermiler par excellence, Denis.

You are a hypermiler par excellence, Denis.

Seconded. :thumbs_up:

Thanks :)

I often heard "in a country of blind people, the one-eyed are kings". Since then whatever my result is, I want to improve it :(

I'm often thinking about people reaching 1000mi with a small 12ga (45L as on US prius & gas sub-compact) tank, which is 83.3mpg (2.82L/100). These are kings of hypermiling.

Wayne (xcel) reached 84.3mpg on a full tank during the Civic iCDTi review (http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&viewcar=639), then 88mpg. He noted he drove @ an average speed of 45mph, which is around my average speed during my daily commutes.

My short term goal is to reach a 2000km (1243mi) tank (3L/100 = 78.4mpg) so it can have an impact on people seeing it written on my car :cool:
My medium term goal is to reach these 83.3mpg with a 1320mi (2125km) tank. Andrew will reach 83.3 before I do so, but this will motivate me more ;)
My long term goal is to have a SULEV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SULEV) car (the electric cars will be too expansive during next years...) to replace my old Euro2 diesel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_emission_standards#Emission_standards_for_passenger_cars), such as a Prius. I will be able to directly compare with CMPG Prius experts :)

Great/bad news : I don't have to do my 500km highway trip next week, so my current FE12 challenge result is final. The bad news is that I will have to do it during next FE challenge which will lower my spring result.

Have fun,

Denis.

Did my last fill of the Challenge yesterday. Woot--I finally pulled it back up over 40 MPG, and that's even counting the ~20 minutes of idling at the smog check station. Plus we've had very heavy rain here in the past couple of weeks; one weather station nearby is reporting over 3.5" total over that time. (Sounds low to me, though!)

I think my new tires are finally broken in. Plus I re-focused and worked on applying those basics again!

-soD

Last fill of the challenge. Tank started off with mostly spring-like temps. but with wind and rain and ended with winter temperatures and some sun. Looks like I'll finish in the middle of division B. I look forward to the next round and hopefully it will finally warm up some.

Last tank for me as well... didn't get to test to see if I could get to 700 mark because my &*^% Scangauge scrambled after bump starting from a FAS again :mad: ! I'll have to call LL and tell them it wasn't fixed with the wire they sent me. I took a picture with my phone but realized after I cleared and restarted the SG that the picture didn't save... :( I was going to post the picture here to show what I was talking about. Luckily I was right near a gas station, so the mileages weren't too far off, but I didn't get to change the offset because the SG thought I was doing a fillup on 0.2 miles driven... but the last tank reading I checked that morning was about 40.8 and the fillup came to 38.8, so I just adjusted to 3.0%

So I suppose I am solidly in second place (Sulfuric hasn't posted a tank since January :p). I'm just surprised I brought up my MPG's so quickly. Here's to the Spring challenge! :)

EDIT - so, seemingly miraculously, the picture of the SG did save to my phone... I will post it in the Scangauge issues thread (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showpost.php?p=302411&postcount=14).

Man, we sure have had quite the dropoff/dropout of participation in this one... Is this usual? We haven't had updates from a few people in months!

I'd have more participation but I did a lot of work from home days recently and my route is good 30% shorter -- I just can't use up the tanks that fast anymore! :o

You say that like it's a bad thing. :p

You say that like it's a bad thing. :p


Well, in the sense of awesome FE and longer tanks, no, I'll take the lack of commentary ;)

Just referring to those who haven't posted tanks (or anything on the site at all) in months who were doing the challenge. I know it's no big deal, for "bragging rights" mainly, just stating my observations! :p

I know what you mean Sean... I've never only used a tank a month! Never!

I likes it. :)

Yep, sadly fewer people participated :(

Driving 30% less for Sean means a tank lasts 40% more and a 1600mi tank @120mpg would last more than a 3 months challenge :) Does MN offers 3 months of weather compatible with 120mpg ?

Have fun,

Denis.

Yep, sadly fewer people participated :(

Driving 30% less for Sean means a tank lasts 40% more and a 1600mi tank @120mpg would last more than a 3 months challenge :) Does MN offers 3 months of weather compatible with 120mpg ?

Have fun,

Denis.

It does but unfortunately I'll never get a chance to experience it because my route is no longer compatible with such numbers. :p

I've got 1/4 tank left now (5 bars) and I'm using about 1 bar per 2 days.

Man, we sure have had quite the dropoff/dropout of participation in this one... Is this usual? We haven't had updates from a few people in months!

Probably due to the weather, mileage pretty much sucks for those of us that actually have winter. A hypermiler really isn't a hypermiler until they've made it through an entire winter; summer is easy.

Just got my last tank in several days ago.. haven't taken time to update until now. Didn't turn out too bad. I forgot about that decent tank two tanks back. On to the next challenge!

hey! wait! I want "no scangauge" listed under my handicaps as well!!!!!! lol.

hey! wait! I want "no scangauge" listed under my handicaps as well!!!!!! lol.


Done, and a great job for "flying blind"! ;)

I'm still sitting at 3 bars on my tank. :p

Here's the new one: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38580

Done, and a great job for "flying blind"! ;)

Thanks! I would get one, but I'm working on the MPGuino from ecomodder. At this rate, i won't have it finished for another year.......... lol

I finished my final tank today going 851.2 miles on 13.633 gallons of E10 = 62.4mpg. Took some pictures of my OD and computer tank MPG which was wrong at 69.7mpg. Never used my iPhone to take pictures but my wife had our camera and I had too.

GaryG

Gary, those numbers are just stupendous coming from an SUV! Bravo!!! :woot:

Yep Garry's results are so great... In absolute MPG he does nearly as well as my "light" (compare to the average sedan) diesel.

With the fusion and the escape, Ford does know how to build efficient hybrids. When will they know how to export them to France ?

Denis.

Well, I finished up my tank and after speaking with Andrew I went ahead and added it here. It didn't change my standing any.

Boy can you tell I've got a new, less efficient route by looking at my graph!!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/cha896.png

:o

Well, I finished up my tank and after speaking with Andrew I went ahead and added it here. It didn't change my standing any.

Boy can you tell I've got a new, less efficient route by looking at my graph!!

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/cha896.png

:o

Not quite, ehem...winter division winner for FE 2011 Qtr. 1 Mr. Pancake (after the competition is over fills not withstanding).

Ooh. I missed that at the bottom. :(

Mr. Pancake and RLC, you guys may want to re-confirm ;)

Sean reached 1082.2mi with his last tank. Do I have the longest one with 1100.7mi :D ?

Clearly this is the last time this year that I'm in front of Sean...

Denis.

Mr. Pancake and RLC, you guys may want to re-confirm ;)

I believe that was the point I was trying to make, I won the winter division but it now appears that I didn't because Sean was allowed to enter a fill that occured outside of the time frame for the challenge. If Sean had made that fill a few days earlier I would be fine with it and graciously admit defeat but he did not and I am not fine with it.

Hmmm... sorry about the mess, guys. Sean called me and I debated and finally decided on putting it here. My reason being, the tank took place for almost 2/3 of the challenge, and only 5 days of the new one.

I agree with Pancake. He won Winter Division by the rules. It doesn't mean anything to Sean, but we should encourage Pancake for his good job under grueling conditions.

I wouldn't say it doesn't mean anything to me, but yes -- Pancake won the winter division and I've no wish to take that away.

I think it wouldn't be fair to handicap Sean's Spring challenge with a Winter tank that lasted 60 days in Winter and 4 days in Spring. His next tank should last more than 2 months so it should be the only one in his Spring challenge. IIRC several people have been able to register a tank a few days after the "end" of a challenge.

Now if Sean wishes to give back his Winter Challenge 1st place then it's his own decision.

Only my point of view.

Have fun,

Denis.

I agree with Pancake. He won Winter Division by the rules. It doesn't mean anything to Sean, but we should encourage Pancake for his good job under grueling conditions.

I agree also. As an example, I filled-up sooner than I had too because of the rules. On the 31st of March the last day of the Winter Challenge, I had another 20 miles of gas in my tank. I don't pack my tank full at fill-up, but I drain it 50 - 55 miles past zero miles to empty and add 13.6 gallons each time. If I had waited another day past the 31st, I would have had a 64mpg tank instead of a 62.4mpg tank because I would have divided 870 miles by 13.6 gallons. I now have a 1/3 of a gallon more than I normally would have at fill-up with my next tank, but it will work out okay in my LMPG Log later.

The problem is Sean would have clearly won the Winter Division if he had chosen to fill-up on or before the 31st because of his mileage at that time. It doesn't matter to me that Andrew called it like he did but then again??? Pancake thought he had won a few days ago.

GaryG

So are we calling the challenge then?

Div A - Gary G
Div B - Sulfuric (MIA...I'll admit, I'm a little bitter... ;) )
Winter - Mr. Pancake

I have a screen shot of the standings before RLC entered his last tank and will post the image of it shortly... Challenge tanks can now be reset for the next challenge if you so desire.

Andrew, I hope you don't mind that I have kind of taken over this for now.. I know you've been a little busy ;)

Brandon, I think you can have B. Sulfuric's absence for 2/3 of the challenge looks like a forfeit to me.

No, I don't mind. Thanks, actually.

Fair enough... anyone take issue with this? :D Although, I guess this means I'll have to move up to Div A for FE13... ;)

I have cropped the image of the results to reflect this change and will post it shortly.

Sulfuric should have moved to Div. A after his win in the Fall 2010 Challenge, anyway.