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View Full Version : First attempt at FE driving.


LoneWolf
05-12-2006, 10:46 AM
My old style of driving was not very FE at all. Mainly cause I was always cruising at high rates of speed.
I didn't accelerate hard (4000rpm shifts) but I would set the cruise way above the speed limit.

So Monday I decided to try some of the new things I learned on here.
But I didn't start with a full tank... It was about 3 ticks below full On the 04' gauge, which visually it looks like between 3/4 and 7/8 full.
From full to that mark was the old style driving. 100km in 80km/k zone and 125km/h in the 100km zone.

The rest of the tank down to when the warning light came on was with new style of driving.
My current route to work is 63km or 39 Miles one way. so double for round trip (126km 78miles).
The old route for this current tank break down was 44km in 80km/h zone, 18km in 100km/h zone.
Today after filling up I took a different route in that is all 80km/h zone. 3 more stop signs but all slower speeds.
Next week I will have new results for even better average.
This week I drove slower (50MPH or 80km/h in the 80km/h zone and 108km/h inthe 100km/h zone so I matched the speed of the big rigs that are governed to 65mph that way I didn't pass them and they didn't pass me.)
I also started using new techniques like P & G, D/WL, D/WB (which I was already doing, just not to the same extent I was this week. I'm 101,000 km on the car and still have 70% of both front and rear orignial brake pads left). I do not have a scan gauge or any other messure of determining what my rates are execpt overall milage.

I did 644km on 42 liters of fuel.( warning light was on for about 40 km)
so this works out to.
L/100km - 6.5217
UK MPG - 43.3145
US MPG - 36.0662

For reference on my old FE :eek: .
My Old style of driving was getting me about 500km for 39 liters of fuel.
L/100km - 7.8000
UK MPG - 36.2161
US MPG - 30.1556

My next tank will all be all in the slow speed zone, and with my tires at 32Psi.
They were at 30 psi for the above results. (205/60/15R)
I know they are wider than stock and may reduce my FE a bit but the added safety from the increased handling is assuring when you have to swerve for deer and other criters on the road in the early morning.
Many a skunk, groundhog, rabbit, etc have been saved with a sharp swerve around them.

I only FAS when waiting at the train tracks for a train. and sometimes when hitting certain red lights that I know are long.
I do not shut my engine off when coasting. For me its a safety thing on the country roads I drive on when there are many farm trackers out about on the road and wild life.

Only other mod from stock is the RedLine Full Synthetic Tranny fluid.
I use honda's 5w-20 in the engine.

I'm also a serious car audio buff. I have more than 120 pounds of audio equipement in my car all the times. 85 pound sub-woofer box with one 12" sub. two 24 pound amps and a 1 farad Cap. One amp for sub and one for the four 6.5 and four tweeters in factory locations. Along with all four crossovers on plywood backing installed in the truck and 4 gauge power wire running to the truck. I enjoy my crystal clear sound from high-end JL audio speakers and amps since I'm in my car so much each week.

Well Thats my first long post.

I don't think that too bad a result for my driving with the extra weight.
I'm looking forward to see what my next reulst will be.

johnf514
05-12-2006, 12:24 PM
Congrats for getting that MPG up there! While I may not be able to persuade you to remove some of that audio equipment (which might give you a 1 or 2 MPG US boost) I must request that you inflate those tires to a much higher PSI. Unless there is something about those tires I don't know about, you should be driving with them at 40+ PSI. 30-32 is just too low.

Good luck hypermiling!:)

LoneWolf
05-12-2006, 12:48 PM
I had them up to 42+psi for half a day but the sound was too much to take for hour long commutes.
Too many splits in the road creating a very loud annoying sound like a basket ball bouncing.
I am going to slowly adjust them up to a comfort level for my ears. 32 is just the start.
Next week I will run them up another 2 psi and I'll see how it goes from there.

tigerhonaker
05-12-2006, 01:30 PM
I had them up to 42+psi for half a day but the sound was too much to take for hour long commutes.
Too many splits in the road creating a very loud annoying sound like a basket ball bouncing.
I am going to slowly adjust them up to a comfort level for my ears. 32 is just the start.
Next week I will run them up another 2 psi and I'll see how it goes from there.
Hi;

I was about to suggest that you increase your tire pressure to the (Max) listed on the tire sidewall. Then I read your latest Post here. Your right that with increased tire pressure you will feel and hear all the bumps Etc. in the road. So as you have pointed out in your Post, just increase it to the point that you can live with.

Good-Luck and hope you will continue to enjoy our www.CleanMPG.com Forum.

Closing remark, if at all possible try not to take off at high RPM'S. The slower you can excellerate and not get run over the better your FE (Fuel Economy) will be. FE works in two ways, Slower speeds and much slower take-offs from Stops if at all possible will increase your FE. :D

psyshack
05-12-2006, 02:03 PM
LoneWolf

Good job!

You should be breaking the 40 mpg mark anytime.

LoneWolf
05-12-2006, 02:28 PM
Thanks for the Feed Back.

Here are adjusted Shift points that I focus on shifting at now.
1st to 2nd is at 2000-2100
2nd to 3rd is 2000-2100
3rd to 4th is 2000-2100
4th to 5th is 2000-2100

Some of the stop signs I have to stop at are on a slight down high grade. These I take off in 2nd gear, since the car starts rolling when I take my foot off the brake.I engage the Clutch smoothly @ 1000rpm. and gravity aids me since I just barely touch the gas peddle and the car pulls away smoothly.
There is 2 stops that I can do this on.

brick
05-12-2006, 04:05 PM
Sounds like you are making a good start! 20% right off the bat is fantastic, and there's plenty of room to grow from there. Just keep up the practice and don't let a bad tank get you down. A ScanGauge or other feedback (a vacuum gauge would be a good, inexpensive alternative) would do a lot to help you re-calibrate your right foot in real time. You would be surprised at how much of a difference small changes in throttle position can make at a steady cruise, and it can be very hard to tell without extra instrumentation. With more practice you get to know "I should be at xxx mpg (or xxx mmHg) at this speed and grade, I'm not at that number so I should back off a little." This is not necessary, but very useful.

LoneWolf
05-18-2006, 01:48 PM
Well topped up the tank today since price was lower than its been in a while. (**** yo-yo pricining Canada).

#'s work out to 37.903 US MPG.
Going to up the tires another 2psi tonight and see how that changes the next tank.

xcel
05-18-2006, 02:22 PM
Hi Lone Wolf:

___You are heading in the right direction but you do have to break away from what you consider safe and what is possibly safer in most cases. I am on the aggressive side of pushing tanks so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Increased tire pressures improve handling, not hamper. FAS’ing will not hinder your ability to control your car to maneuver around tractors and other wild life. The weight will only be a slight detriment to your FE so I would not worry about that as much as some might say. About those RPM shift points … I would be shifting at far lower RPM’s myself but that is just me. Anything over 1,500 in the Ranger and I know I am wasting gas. A SG will prove this out but just experiment a bit and you will find your own comfort zone. Another item you might want to start considering is alternate routes to get away from the lights and signs. The country roads sound perfect for pulling out all the stops as I use country/frontage roads to give me that Warm up P&G boost myself. If you are moving slower, the critter’s and tractor’s that may pop out are so much easier to contend with then if you were traveling at 108 km/h by a long stretch. There is perception and reaction time let alone the actual physical stopping distances to contend with and if you have ever doe the math on this, 100 km/h type stopping distances should scare you to really drop off those speeds while learning the techniques many here take almost for granted …

___So far you are doing great and with that, it is up to you as to how far you want to go. An 04 Civic LX w/ a Stick is good for darn near a 52 - 54 lmpg here in the Midwest. Up in the Great White North, you have the much longer and colder winters to contend with and your FE will be smashed during those below 0 degrees F stints but in the late spring/summer/early fall, you have some serious hypermiling capability yet to be discovered. Take the baby steps first with each and every technique and with a few more weeks/months of practice, you will soon be punching out 50 + mpg segments and tanks as if they were nothing. You have a great car for this so take advantage of its capabilities and you will be a convert in no time flat. I am just giving you a bit of encouragement because you “ain’t seen nothing yet” imho :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

philmcneal
05-19-2006, 01:34 AM
haha i just realized this now, you have the same car as me. That used to be me man!!!!!! No really! At least you beat my lifetime average of 35 mpg ;) looks like I have compeitition hehe.

Is your car an SI? (vtec engine?) if not then i can give you the BEST TIPS.

edit: wow you don't! but your config is a sedan hmmmmmmmm nah i doubt it'll be different. lol you want a scangauge for cheap? ;)?



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