GoodCheap
03-10-2007, 02:25 PM
Hello all. I saw the Mother Jones article (via BoingBoing) and I've been obsessed with improving my FE ever since--that's almost 5 days now!
My cars--I have two Toyota Camrys--a 1992 sedan, and a 1995 wagon. They are both 4-cyl. 2.4L automatic.
My Handicap--Because my cars are pre-1996, they do not have OBD II. This means the ScanGaugeII won't work on them. If anyone knows any alternatives to the OBD II monitors, I'd love to hear about them.
My Baseline---Because I'm OBD II-less, I'm stuck with calculating my FE at the gas tank. So far, I've made one base measurement: I drove 25.3 miles on 1.3 gallons of gasoline. That's 19.4 mpg. That's less than the EPA's 22 mpg rating, but it's cold and my commute is shorter that the usual.
My Drive--I have a 6.5 mile commute in the Boston area. There are 11 stop signs/intersections/stop lights on the way into work and it's cold in Boston!
My Changes since Baseline:
1. I can now get to work with only about 4 stops.
2. I've tried DWL, but without a SGII, I'm kind of flying blind.
3. I've started measuring the traffic lights so I can hit them when they're green or so I can know roughly how long to kill the engine if I hit them when they're red.
4. I've started doing NICE-on when possible.
5. I've inflated my tires to max sidewall pressures (44psi)--what a difference! I can really notice that my coasts have more legs.
6. I try not to use my brakes, so I've started taking some corners at ludicrous speeds.
7. Cleaned the car of about 50 lbs of junk in the trunk.
My Plan:
1. Keep measuring my FE every 1 gallon or so while I'm just starting out.
2. Replace my air filter (I can't remember the last time I did this. Does anyone know how much of an improvement I should expect?)
3. Try to do the above more effectively and consistently.
4. Ask lots of questions! Many of you all are blessed with hybrids, OBD II autos, or at least manual transmissions, so I'm going to have to figure out how to get answers to all kinds of questions that the more advanced of you can just *read*!
Note that I do _not_ plan to sell either of my cars for more recent models in order to pursue this hobby. They both work great and if I don't learn to hypermile them, then I can be guaranteed that whoever I sell them to won't be able to either.
----------
"Fast. Good. Cheap. Pick any two."
My cars--I have two Toyota Camrys--a 1992 sedan, and a 1995 wagon. They are both 4-cyl. 2.4L automatic.
My Handicap--Because my cars are pre-1996, they do not have OBD II. This means the ScanGaugeII won't work on them. If anyone knows any alternatives to the OBD II monitors, I'd love to hear about them.
My Baseline---Because I'm OBD II-less, I'm stuck with calculating my FE at the gas tank. So far, I've made one base measurement: I drove 25.3 miles on 1.3 gallons of gasoline. That's 19.4 mpg. That's less than the EPA's 22 mpg rating, but it's cold and my commute is shorter that the usual.
My Drive--I have a 6.5 mile commute in the Boston area. There are 11 stop signs/intersections/stop lights on the way into work and it's cold in Boston!
My Changes since Baseline:
1. I can now get to work with only about 4 stops.
2. I've tried DWL, but without a SGII, I'm kind of flying blind.
3. I've started measuring the traffic lights so I can hit them when they're green or so I can know roughly how long to kill the engine if I hit them when they're red.
4. I've started doing NICE-on when possible.
5. I've inflated my tires to max sidewall pressures (44psi)--what a difference! I can really notice that my coasts have more legs.
6. I try not to use my brakes, so I've started taking some corners at ludicrous speeds.
7. Cleaned the car of about 50 lbs of junk in the trunk.
My Plan:
1. Keep measuring my FE every 1 gallon or so while I'm just starting out.
2. Replace my air filter (I can't remember the last time I did this. Does anyone know how much of an improvement I should expect?)
3. Try to do the above more effectively and consistently.
4. Ask lots of questions! Many of you all are blessed with hybrids, OBD II autos, or at least manual transmissions, so I'm going to have to figure out how to get answers to all kinds of questions that the more advanced of you can just *read*!
Note that I do _not_ plan to sell either of my cars for more recent models in order to pursue this hobby. They both work great and if I don't learn to hypermile them, then I can be guaranteed that whoever I sell them to won't be able to either.
----------
"Fast. Good. Cheap. Pick any two."