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Hi! I just got a new car after nine years. Probably, one of the less fuel efficient cars a member has, but I'm still interested in driving my Crown Victoria as efficiently as possible...

I have two drives I do most often. I walk and bicycle to work, so that's not an issue.

Two or three times a week, I drive 10 miles to my yacht club. That's out from Cambridge on I-90 to
I-93 south, I get off at exit 12 (3A South) and continue on surface (beachfront) streets for about two miles.

The other reference drive is from Cambridge to Toronto, ON. I've done it in rented Crown Vic's many times, and I seem to reliably get 27.5mpg (10% above EPA highway) if I put the cruise control at around 60mph, the slowest that feels safe on the Thruway.

Any advice is welcome; I'd particularly like to know how to interpret advice for light cars like the Prius or Insight, and adapt it to a much heavier car like my Crown Vic.

The advice for larger vehicles is the same for smaller.

Also, try driving with load ( DWL ) instead of using cruise control.

Yes, although I suspect larger cars have a slower sweet spot for most fuel efficient speed.

Does anyone here have experience DWL using a Ford IFE output? I can't get a number out of the thing except for time series. Perhaps I should just hold the throttle steady (and perhaps add an OBD-II throttle position output or something).

Has anyone ever chipped a car so the CC does some DWL?

The sweet spot is probably about the same. Remember, the EPA has their tests. And all cars are built to exploit the tests. So if the EPA is going to check highway at 55mpg you can bet EVERY car manufacturered is going to aim for their best economy at that speed.

Holding the throttle steady is probably exactly what you want. I haven't tried it myself on your car, but I would guess it would be the same as most other cars.

I haven't heard of anyone chipping their car to affect how CC works, maybe that kind of information can be found on forums specific to your model of car.

From the title, I was thinking that someone wanted to know how to hypermile a boat :D

Hi Gavin:

___Somebody here took a VIC to 35 + on a highway cruise a few years back. I would love to try one out as I believe they should be good for maybe 40 out on the highway ;) Once you get that monster rolling, DWL and DWB will be your best friends.

___I had written a paragraph on the yachts but it quickly became a raving rant and that would be very inappropriate for a new member to bother listening too :angel:

___Sledge, give us a SG-II for the boat and I am sure we could figure something out :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne