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In my manual (I don't have it in front of me so I will try to remember it the best I can) it says something to the effect of it can be towed with the front (drive) wheels on the ground if necessary. It says turn the car on, shift to D4, then to N, and turn the car off. Then in a following section it says if you have to tow do so for less than 50 mi and under 35 MPH. So, does this mean I can FAS under 35 MPH? By the way, it's a '96 Honda Accord if that matters. It is also an automatic.

Hi, Damionk -- yes, FASing under 35mph would be allowable based on what you've related here.

Thank you Sean. That's the answer I was hoping for since I tried it out a little earlier today. Just want to get some more practice in before taking it to the main roads, so I will just stick with in town for now. (Very small town by the way, only about a mile across.)

Thank you Sean. That's the answer I was hoping for since I tried it out a little earlier today. Just want to get some more practice in before taking it to the main roads, so I will just stick with in town for now. (Very small town by the way, only about a mile across.)

That's what my manual says ;) I fas like there's no tomorrow and no problems whatsoever.

The instructions are the same for my Odyssey. I nice-on for the highways, and FAS in town, from 35mph down.
(sometimes I'm daring and fas as high as 40mph! :eek: :D)

(sometimes I'm daring and fas as high as 40mph! :eek: :D)

I was just thinking about that today. I thought to myself that I doubt 35 MPH is an exact speed, and that the engine or transmission would explode in a fiery ball visible from space if I turned it off at 36 MPH.:D

I can assure you, they don't. ;)

I'm a bit more daring I dare say...I glide ICE off from 60-40 ;) You really don't have much opportunity to FAS from 60 since there's not many places where you can coast from 60 to a stop. ICe off coast = engine back on before stop, Fas = engine back on AFTER stop

I'm a bit more daring I dare say...I glide ICE off from 60-40 ;) You really don't have much opportunity to FAS from 60 since there's not many places where you can coast from 60 to a stop. ICe off coast = engine back on before stop, Fas = engine back on AFTER stop

From the glossary for FAS:

coast to a stop or pre-determined lower speed depending on conditions. Recover by starting up ICE via key to IG-III, release to IG-II, and engage transmission with a rev match to continue on your way

Auto-stop refers to stopping the engine, not the vehicle...

On the rev matching note I have learned that I have to rev match above 30 MPH or I get a good jerk when going into gear.

On the rev matching note I have learned that I have to rev match above 30 MPH or I get a good jerk when going into gear.

I get the same thing too. Most of the time, I don't even rev match as my auto tranny can handle shifts from N-D very well at 0-2000 rpm.

I get the same thing too. Most of the time, I don't even rev match as my auto tranny can handle shifts from N-D very well at 0-2000 rpm.

Me, too, on my Tercel, but my wife's Civic needs rev-match to make it smooth. Maybe it's a difference between Toyota and Honda auto trannys.

It sucks at night because part of my dash doesn't have a back light and the needles don't have any kind of lighting either so I have to guess or turn on my dome light. Can anyone tell me if the scanguage has a back light and if it's always on or just if you push a button? It gets rather frustrating when I'm trying to slow for a speed limit change and I have no idea what speed I'm at since I'm still learning the car and how it behaves.

Yes, the sg has a backlight that's always on. You can even change the colors!:Banane40:

Could you get a small LED flashlight and attach it near the gauges for night driving? Maybe with a red filter so it doesn't blind you...

I already thought about something similar...may stop by autozone later this week to see what I can find.

(sometimes I'm daring and fas as high as 40mph! :eek: :D)

I tried a fas from 50mph-40mph for probably half a mile in an automatic that simply specifies "short distances at low speeds", because I was stupid and didn't bother checking the manual beforehand. Anyways, I fas below 20mph now because (i've mentioned it before, but no one's really confirmed or dismissed it) I figure that's a low enough speed and a short enough distance to not damage anything.

I tried a fas from 50mph-40mph for probably half a mile in an automatic that simply specifies "short distances at low speeds", because I was stupid and didn't bother checking the manual beforehand. Anyways, I fas below 20mph now because (i've mentioned it before, but no one's really confirmed or dismissed it) I figure that's a low enough speed and a short enough distance to not damage anything.

No worries, my manual says exactly the same thing (up to 47-48 MPH) and I do that for several 2 mile segments per day for several months now without issues, but on the highway I do NICE-on coasting instead.

can i do it in my Civic as well, i dont know what model it is in the USA but pictures of it is here

http://clayton4115.gallery.netspace.net.au/Civic-2005-7th-Gen

I drive a 2004 Chrysler T&C and FAS at 55 to 60 mph for about 1/2 to 1 1/2 mi at several places on my daily commute. I get so used to doing this that I do it also on a 3 mi hill where I can get up to speeds of 80 mph. I have encountered no problems so far but I should ICE and slow down because I feel uncomfortable at that high speed. jiminpa

My g/f has only had her 95 Volvo about 6 months. I've been coasting NICE-on only the past few months and already noticed it doesn't like shifting back into gear at speed (above 40 mph). It is difficult not to coast NICE-on, because it rolls so nicely - it keeps speed so well. However, after reading posts like this, I decided to check the manual. It too states, tow at low speeds, for limited distances. Time to change driving habits before I pay for some expensive repairs.

-Colin

Just to be sure it is noted here -- coasting in neutral with the engine running will *NOT* damage your transmission.

I have a 94 Corolla manual. There is a slight hill in a 45 zone that let's me coast for about 1/2 - 3/4 mile. Is there any reason I should NICE-on instead of FAS? I speed up to about 50-55 then FAS down to about 30-35...


And whats this thing with rev-matching? I put my car in N, turn it off, and switch back to ICE-2. When I turn the car on my transmission is still in N.

Colin- What you are doing is different from what I was asking about. As Sean said NICE-on will not cause any damage. The hard shifting you feel is your car telling you that you need to rev-match. I get the same thing over 30 MPH in my car, so what I do is, with the car still in N, give it a little gas to get the RPMs between 1500 and 2000. The shift back into gear is much smoother.

I have a 94 Corolla manual. There is a slight hill in a 45 zone that let's me coast for about 1/2 - 3/4 mile. Is there any reason I should NICE-on instead of FAS? I speed up to about 50-55 then FAS down to about 30-35...


And whats this thing with rev-matching? I put my car in N, turn it off, and switch back to ICE-2. When I turn the car on my transmission is still in N.

I'm confused. Do you have a manual or automatic? Are you talking about 2 different cars? Unless you mean putting your manual car in neutral. In that case, instead of using the starter to start your engine, you can use your transmission to bump start the engine instead. This should save some charge on your battery.

With regard to rev-matching, once your engine is started, it's best to increase the engine rpms to the speed of your car at the specific gear that you're going to use prior to shifting into said gear. Otherwise you'll feel a slight jerking motion as the transmission spins up the engine to the appropriate rpm and put more wear on your car's clutch.

BTW, anyone try NICE-on P&G on a semi-automatic transmission like VW's DSG transmission? From the description of the transmission, it sounds like shifts into gear would be much smoother than either automatic or manual transmissions.

I'm confused. Do you have a manual or automatic? Are you talking about 2 different cars? Unless you mean putting your manual car in neutral. In that case, instead of using the starter to start your engine, you can use your transmission to bump start the engine instead. This should save some charge on your battery.

With regard to rev-matching, once your engine is started, it's best to increase the engine rpms to the speed of your car at the specific gear that you're going to use prior to shifting into said gear. Otherwise you'll feel a slight jerking motion as the transmission spins up the engine to the appropriate rpm and put more wear on your car's clutch.

Bump-start the engine?
I can do that...?
I need to learn how to do that ASAP, that would be great.

Sulfuric, when you're rolling along in Neutral ICE-off, to bump start what you would do is make sure your ignition is turned on and then depending on how fast you are rolling you might choose 2 or 3rd gear, lets say you're rolling along at 10 mph, push the clutch in and select 2nd gear then just slowly let the clutch out, the engine will fire up and hey presto ICE-on again.....

Yeah I just tried that a few minutes ago.
I was going about 35mph, shifted to 4th, and slowly let out the clutch until the ICE-2 signs went away. I can't really hear the engine start, so I just look at my oil and engine status lights, and since they turn off when the car starts, I use them as indicators. Seems like a much easier way to P&G, though I've never really tried it.

Is there a directory for users by location? I need to find another hypermiler in the Tampa Bay area...

When you bump start you should use a very brief contact -- not a slow, long contact -- of the clutch to get the engine to start. Pick a gear higher than what you would normally use, then let out the clutch pedal quickly (but smoothly) until you get just the briefest of contacts before pressing the pedal again. The idea is impart only enough "impulse" to the engine to get it to turn over and catch -- any more is a waste and will use more clutch surface than needed. If you don't get it on the first try, give it another shot with a slightly longer contact duration.

If you execute this properly you'll barely feel anything transmitted to the vehicle at all and you'll keep clutch slippage to a tiny fraction of what occurs when starting from a stop in 1st. Once the engine is running, just rev match to the proper gear and continue on your merry way. :)

Is there a directory for users by location? I need to find another hypermiler in the Tampa Bay area...

Yes there is, but there are so many of us now that the interface is quite slow. Click on the Research link in the green menu to the left (5th from the bottom). Be patient -- it takes quite a while to load these days.

That's cool. So you don't have to let the clutch out slow. Pick a higher gear and have at it! That's what I like to hear. I might have to start doing some Fas ing soon myself and this will come in handy.

When you bump start you should use a very brief contact -- not a slow, long contact -- of the clutch to get the engine to start. Pick a gear higher than what you would normally use, then let out the clutch pedal quickly (but smoothly)

Last time I bump started anything was probably a motocycle and then I would always let the clutch out real fast at the same time slam my butt down on the seat to keep the wheel from skidding

I have been more or less double clutching when bump starting. I will let the clutch out quick to start the car then push it back in, then depending on what the situation is, I will let it out again and continue on.

Piggybacking this thread-

Does anyone FAS at night? If not, other than the battery wearing out prematurely, what else would be effected.

I do FAS at night. Be aware that your turn signals will likely not function during the key event and your wipers will likely freeze where they are until the key is returned to the ON position. Because of this I often take care to time events so that they are not noticeable by other drivers. For example, I'll put the wipers on intermittent and FAS in tempo with them. I'll also FAS before or after signaling.

Depending upon the way your HVAC system works the fan on vent may also act a little different. My Elantra is nearly instantaneous. The Insight takes a bit to ramp the fan back up. The Insight also seems to always calibrate the heater core opening (I can hear servos running after every FAS if I have the heat set to something other than lowest or highest temperatures).

Thanks Sean!! I do notice the turn signal operation and my headlights dimming a bit. I have a new battery but I am sure that this may be putting a strain on it.