Welcome to CleanMPG [Archive]

tbaleno

02-18-2006, 10:09 PM

Please take a moment to introduce yourself and what you would like from our forums.

As an introduction I will tell you a little about myself. I'm middle aged, I have owned an 03' civic hybrid since Dec of 02'. I guess that makes me an early adopter. I have modified my car with a few electronics (car audio stuff mostly.) I am politicaly moderate so you will see me taking both sides on occassion.

My goal for this site being one of the two original developers is to promote high mileage in what ever vehicle people choose or are forced to drive. Environmental issues are secondary to me but not to Xcel (who is the other owner of the site) who keeps me balanced and makes me pull my head out of the sand some times.

I hope you find this site useful and I hope to try to keep it balanced between the Environment and driving for high mileage.

tigerhonaker

02-18-2006, 11:46 PM

Hi tom;

The FE 03 HCH I person. It will be very interesting to see how you do this summer compared to the winter months in Chicago.

Terry

tbaleno

02-19-2006, 01:35 AM

I am expecting about mid to upper 50s.

tigerhonaker

02-19-2006, 01:49 AM

I am expecting about mid to upper 50s.
Tom;
I think you are right and will do just that.:D
Your the Man.

Terry

xcel

02-20-2006, 12:17 AM

Hi All:

___I will introduce myself here as well … Besides being a hybrid and non-hybrid hypermiling enthusiast, I enjoy automobile discussions of a technical nature WRT (with regards to ;)) just about any year, make, or model. A good friend at work owns a brand new and chipped Ford F250 PowerStroke w/ the 6.0 L diesel and an 04 Jetta TDI. Another friend owns an 05 Ford Escape HEV. Yet another owns an 05 Prius II. And of course my good friend Tom with his HCH-I. I am a member of many non-hybrid automobile sites given the non-hybrid Accord, Ranger, Corolla, and MDX in my stable. That last automobile can cause controversy on the purely hybrid sites of course :o Hopefully with the help of some of our current and future experienced hypermilers helping out (Dan, you qualify for that title by a huge margin!), CleanMPG’s presence can help teach others some of the hybrid and non-hybrid specific hypermiling techniques needed to improve their own FE.

___I am also one to go head to head with regards to Automobile discussions and need a moderating influence like Tom to pull back on my reigns every once in a while. If you find a thread I am participating in getting a bit heated, don’t worry, Tom is PM’ing me and telling me to take an hour or two off to collect my wits and let the thread cool off before that next reply. If you want to speak with Tom or I one on one about the site, the sites content, need help with a particular technique, or understanding of a discussion(s), we hang around in Chat far more then we really should and will offer whatever advice we can …

___Finally, I post a ton of acronyms. I know it can be hard for the new member to keep up but we have some plans to help and once the basics are down, I can only hope to change the way the world thinks about FE and Emissions no matter what or where they drive.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Texashchman

05-10-2006, 02:36 PM

tbaleno

05-10-2006, 02:41 PM

Yeah. Lots of people from greenhybrid, insight central, prius chat etc. Glad you found our little refuge where we talk about driving efficiently.

philmcneal

05-10-2006, 03:30 PM

I own a 7th geneneration civic coupe with a manual transmission and without the non vtec engine (which is a good thing because the vtec gearing is more agressive (extra 500 rpms per gear) than my car). I was always driving for mileage, every now and then I always get 35 (6.5) ish tanks on my city to city driving. But then over at greenhybrid I saw some pictures, pictures I thought were not real until I examined them with great depths....

These pics were an accord getting 50 mpg segments on his drive, and it wasn't some petty number like 30 miles or 50, it was at least over 200! I'm like what the heck man, if he has an accord and an automatic tranmission, then I should be getting at least 60 or something! It doesn't make sense, how is that possible? Did he had some voodoo curse?

So to find out the answer I searched the high and lows over greenhybrid and couldn't find any real answers to how that person achieved such high figures. With almost giving up I asked the public for an answer, and unfortnately they gave me none. Then a hand of someone having a similar car specs like mine but his mileage figures at least double mine, reached out to me and said, "hey you look like your ready for the real mcoy. You don't have to find the answers there ;) let me show you the way!"

And then I was here. and now that 35 mpg tank is gone, im climbing towards 50 baby!!!!!! Then 60 when I finally decide to jump out of my stock car. YES STOCK, all that's changed was from 40 psi to 60 psi (my tire can support 51) and then driving in a manner where I would piss off so many people from time to time, but at the same time I've never seen my Trip A odometer counted so high before the gas light comes on (850 km/528 miles in city driving). Oh one more thing, I still feel the time to get to my destination has not changed at all. Amazing isn't it? The secrets of the red light is finally revealed!

tigerhonaker

05-10-2006, 10:17 PM

I just found this site and I se alot of members that are on or have been one another site. Nice to see everyone. I own a 04 HCH with a avg. of 54.4 mpg with over 51,000 miles. I also own a 01 Chevy Tahoe that my wife drives 10 miles roound trip to wok and we use it to go to Flyball tournament. Would be hard to get 2 dogs wife and equipment in the HCH. kevin

Welcome to CleanMPG and you are correct that alot of these folks have been on other Forums and some of us still on occasion Post on those other Forums now.

Hope you enjoy our Forum and look forward to seeing and reading your Post here.

BTW, I own a HCH II and Love it. :D

Texashchman

05-10-2006, 10:17 PM

Chuck

05-10-2006, 10:22 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

tigerhonaker

05-10-2006, 10:24 PM

Dang do I need to proof read,sorry.kevin

Nope, you don't need to do anything. ;) You should fit right in with the rest of us and our skills. I can't (Type and Xcel can't spell) and Tbaleno well that's another story. :p

lyeinyoureye

05-24-2006, 02:53 AM

Hi everyone,
I just got out of college with a degree in math and enjoy tinkering with anything and everything. I'm particularly interested in these old vw diesels because they seem to get great mileage in the city (~45mpg) and not much better highway (~50mpg). This is almost soley because of their horrendous .44 coefficient of drag, which from my point of view, is desirable because if I can drop the drag coefficient into Honda Insight/Toyota Prius range ~.25-.28, while using low rolling resistence tires, I may start seeing ~75mpg city and ~90mpg highway based on comparing (using the static road load force equation) a 2000lb vehicle with RR=.015 and Cd=.44. to one the same sze with RR=.0092 and Cd=.25 at average speeds of 20mph city and 48mph highway (old epa testing figures).
Naturally, if I could pull these numbers off I'd be jumping for joy. But I can still add synthetic oils for a 2-6%? gain in drivetrain efficiency, and possibly turbocharge the engine to increase volumetric efficiency, and hopefully, engine efficiency by 10-25%. Ideally, I'd like to see over 100mpg, but I'll be happy with ~75mpg. ;)

tbaleno

05-24-2006, 03:16 AM

That sounds great. While you are working on your mods, spend some time surfing the site and reading up on all the techniques you can use to increase FE. A combination of techniques and hardware can do wonders. Take a look at krousdb, he is an example of someone who does a great job at blending the two pieces of Fuel Economy.

krousdb

05-24-2006, 05:16 AM

lyeinyoureye

05-24-2006, 05:25 AM

Sounds good! In terms of driving habits I think I should stop shifting early and let it rev up a bit (unless I can find a nice residential street to idle in 4th down ;)). If you compare this chart of volumetric efficiency of the 1.5l volkswagen idi diesel engine (I have a 1.6l, but the only difference is the 1.6l is bored out more)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid160/p9296f9b1fc7a1dfaec33db4fe686d1e0/f4e36792.jpg
To this speed/rpm graph for my transmission where the x-axis is rpmx1000 and the y-axis is speedx10. (The info's from a vw gear calculator site)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/thaticktockman/GYtranny.jpg
You'll notice that in order to reach and stay in the peak volumetric (and also torque) band, I need to shift into 2nd at ~18mph, 3rd art ~35mph, and 4th at ~60mph. Unlike my usual 10mph,23mph,35mph. I'm sure I could see gains by somehow cutting off fuel when coasting, but that's a bit hard given the mechanical constraints of the engine. :)

Edit- I think the corresponding increase (the increase in city versus highway) comes from my use of roughly half of my possible current RR along with half of my current Cd. In reality I think my tires have a lower RR than .015, so dropping to tires with .0092 RR won't result in as much of an increase (then again, wikipedia gives .030 for a car on asphalt?). Another problem is I don't have an place to go consistently, so testing is wasting gas to an extent.

krousdb

05-24-2006, 05:45 AM

I find that shifting low and early yields the best results for my 1.5L gasoline engine.

whitevette

08-14-2006, 04:33 PM

Hi, all!
This is my 1st entry on this forum...I came from <MPGresearch.com....which just got "hacked" badly! So, I'm just freelance-surfing! It looks as tho' MPG is a hot issue, lately (read "efficiency"?). -whitevette:Banane37: :Banane12: :Banane12:

whitevette

08-14-2006, 04:50 PM

Nice to see a diesel rabbit owner here! Your car has great potential, but sometimes theoretical calcs don't yield the real world results that you would expect. Since aero drag is a function of velocity squared, IMO you won't see much benefit to aero mods below 40MPH so a change in your city FE won't be noticeable. Low RR tires and synthetic oils? Yes I have done that too. I can't tell for sure, but my guess is that synthetics might be good for 1/2 MPG. LRR tires do help, in my case about 3 MPG.

Please keep us up to date on your progress toward 100 MPG. Also remember that quantifying the effectiveness of a modification can be very difficult unless you have perfected your driving technique. This is because when you see an increase after doing a modification, you cant be sure if it was due to the mod, due to better driving, or some of both. The placibo effect comes into play.

This is my 1st attempt at a response(I'm new, here. All forum sites are different)...so I'm wondering if I'm doing right?
The "placebo effect" is tough to deal with! Everybody has a "value received" ego...which makes any change worth it! Right?
About aero mods / less than 40 MPH...right on! P=1/2 rho v squared ! Who ever saw a car with a pitot tube? (I had made one!) .City driving destroys MPG, too! Even the mighty diesel! Synthetic oils are REAL good for sinking your wallet, too!

Chuck

08-14-2006, 04:52 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

We are sorry you are having a rough time a MPGreasearch.com - it happens too often. :(

Hope you will enjoy being here!

whitevette

08-14-2006, 05:06 PM

whitevette

08-14-2006, 05:17 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Hi! Is this where one "checks in"? I'm a "newbie" from another site (all are different!) , so I don't know the navigation tricks at all! -whitevette :Banane37: :eek: :Banane12:

tigerhonaker

08-14-2006, 05:29 PM

Hi! Is this where one "checks in"? I'm a "newbie" from another site (all are different!) , so I don't know the navigation tricks at all! -whitevette :Banane37: :eek: :Banane12:

YES, You are in the right place to (Check-IN). :)

Welcome to www.CleanMPG.com

tiger

Rosendale Roc

08-17-2006, 11:13 AM

Hello people, my name is Rocco, and have been a long time advocate of saving fuel, and the environment. I live in NY's scenic and historic Hudson Valley, half way between Albany and NYC. Rosendale is between Kingston and New Paltz, exits 18 and 19 for you Thruway drivers. I think I will be visiting this place quite often to see what's up with today's fuel economy.
I didn't realize that there was a term for what I was doing, until I listened this AM on Air America, and heard Rachel Maddow talking about it. She interviewed Wayne Gerdes, and I was in awe that I had been doing these things all along. It all started with my first car.
I had a 1964 Chevy Nova that consistantly got better than 30 MPG. That was with the GM straight 6. It was a boxy little number. Sporty too. It had a big chrome plated valve cover, because it was the SS model. Bucket seats that were indestructible. A 2 speed "slushbox" automatic. It was my first car, and I loved it. It was so cheap to run back in '74, during the first fuel "crisis." I went everywhere with that car.
I have driven everything from little sports cars to big trucks. I even had a truck driver job driving a box truck around NY for a few years. My first NEW car was a 1997 Saturn SL1. I got around 38 MPG in it routinely. It was totalled in my driveway, so I got a 2000 SL1, which also got the same mileage. I ran that into the ground in 3 years, and got a 2003 SL1, the last year that they were made. That got totalled on some wet pavement, and poor shoulder conditions, I swear it looked like there was a regular shoulder there. I rented a Grand Am, until I settled with the insurance company, liked it, and still have it.
I got it because it has a little more mass than the Saturn, which would have saved me in my spinout accident. Go figure.
I would like to get an electric or hybrid for my next vehicle. I have a 21 mile one way trip to work each day, and would like to squeeze as much mileage out of my car as I can.
It's kind of ugly at times, when every other vehicle is a big truck. I think that a lot of them are going to be for sale soon. I don't know how people can afford to drive them. Besides, a big truck is no substitute for inadequete genetalia, and it is my belief that a lot of men AND women have these monstrosities because they lack control of some part of their lives. It's just really tough having to deal with them every weekday.
Well that's my dollar three-eighty and eleventy two cents,
See yas around!
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/190.png

Chuck

08-17-2006, 11:34 AM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Glad the word is getting out.

Just to make is easy, the pictures of HybridFest 2006 are here > Hybridfest - July 22 2006 COVERERAGE (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1497&highlight=hybridfest)

Had no idea it would turn out as well as it did.

N1JI

08-23-2006, 06:20 PM

Hi everyone. I also heard about this website on Air America's Rachel Maddow show, and was thrilled to find out that there's a name (and a group of enthusiasts) for what I've been doing for years. There are so many more techniques to get better FE posted here than I've ever thought of -- All I've ever tried before is keeping my speed down, coasting in neutral, and avoiding hard acceleration. I drive a 2004 Scion XB and have been averaging 35-37 MPG overall (once as high as 39). Since discovering this site I've increased my tire pressure from 29psi to 40psi and am trying hard to avoid sitting at red lights. I'm also treading even lighter on the gas pedal than before -- It's amazing how little gas you need to get up to speed if you don't mind waiting a few extra seconds.

I'm still on my first tank since making these changes so I don't know how much of a difference they'll make. I have noticed, though, that I can coast slightly farther on the same hills than I could with the lower tire pressure.

One question: How come the Honda Insight drivers seem to get much better FE than the Prius users?

Thanks, N1JI

N1JI

08-23-2006, 06:23 PM

Forgot to mention... I also have a brand new Chrysler Town & Country minivan I bought for my wife. I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze at least 30 MPG out of it (it's rated at 26 MPG highway)

Chuck

08-23-2006, 06:29 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

...One question: How come the Honda Insight drivers seem to get much better FE than the Prius users?

A Honda Civic Hybrid is a much closer match to the Prius - the Insight is a different and smaller vehicle. While I don't know their mpg, it seems pretty close overall (Prius vs. hybrid Civic)....

The Insight seats only two and has aluminum construction. It weighs only 1,800 pounds - a big advantage. The ICE is only 125 pounds.

xcel

08-23-2006, 06:46 PM

Hi All:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and I hope you have all found a new home where you can learn from those that have come well before us all and then more importantly, teach others in the future how to improve their own FE for all the reasons we have posted over the past 6 + months now here at CleanMPG …

___Rosendale Roc, sorry I missed you a few days earlier. Welcome indeed.

___Whitevette, just give yourself some time and online Internet forums such as ours will become second nature to you. Once you get the feel and flow of the place, have fun as that is why we are all really here for, right ;)

___N1J1, the Prius can be coaxed into some truly outstanding numbers (See Teddy-Girl’s recent world record in the Article section or look up the Prius II Marathon Attempt write-ups). You have probably already seen or have read a number of posts and articles here at CleanMPG or elsewhere around the net about these. When it comes to the king of hybrids, the Honda Insight weight ~ 50% less then that of a Prius II, maybe 80% of the frontal area of the Prius II, an even cleaner CD, and an ICE and propulsion package that absolutely bleeds FE at the expense of some std. comfort items most might consider mandatory in today’s automobiles …

___I hope you have the chance to go out with someone that knows how to swing the Prius II to its limits and then go out with someone who knows how to swing the Insight to its. The Insight was designed and built as a no-holds-barred fuel economy machine the likes the world has never seen before and the EPA numbers it receives are so far below its known real world capabilities it is absolutely shocking. On a much more somber note, the Insight has been discontinued as of this month or last and it is to bad as those that had the opportunity to drive or own them know exactly what the rest of the world may never have the opportunity to experience once driven in the manner they should have been and after being setup with just the basics … You have no idea how much I miss mine and what a mistake it was to have sold it when I did :(

___Please keep an eye on Randall’s ““ World record distance on a single tank of fuel is in the process of being broken!” (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1606 ) thread as I have a feeling he is just about now surpassing the farthest distance ever traveled on a single tank of fuel in a mass produced and non-modded automobile that any of us know of. He is one of the best and someone we can all learn a thing or two from.

PS. N1JI, when we get through with you and that Town and Country, you will be getting 30 from it going back and forth to the grocery store down the block let alone any kind of distance on the highway in it ;)

___Good Luck and welcome all.

___Wayne

elblat

08-23-2006, 10:29 PM

Hello all,

I love messing with vehicles and FE has always been a hobby. We have two Geo Prizms (Toyota Corollas) with the 1.6l engine and manual tranny. The 94 usually gets 40MPG with tanks of 45 or more on long highway trips. The 93 gets about 38 with 42 being the best I have achieved. The last few tanks in the 93 (which in theory, should be as good as the 94, engine drivetrain body tires tuneups identical) have been better after I put in a cheap cruise control (these cars are very quiet and it's easy to inadvertantly go fast). I think the 93 is just more worn, you can smell a little oil burning when it's cold, but I haven't checked the compression yet to see if it's rings or valve guides.

The more interesting beast is the Land Cruiser. It is a 1977, 2-ton jeep-like thing, with a primitive I6 (copied from the 1930's chevrolet 225 "cast-iron wonder"). It is optimized for low-end torque and durability, so the engine weighs about 800lbs and redlines at 4000 RPM. I get about 10MPG in city, and 14 highway (12 before cruise control and larger tires). Yes this is horrible, but I put less than 1000 miles a year on it, mostly 4x4 rescuing people and going to remote rocks in the desert and mountains, or rescuing stuck or broken vehicles, or hauling loads in a trailer.

http://infohost.nmt.edu/~bob/pictures/060816/monster_island_rain_01.jpg

The interesting thing about it is that I sometimes get tanks of 18 to 20MPG. I assume that those are tailwinds helping. The drag on this box-like 4x4 must be horrendous. Some evidence that aerodynamics rule the show here is that on trips with mostly four-wheel-drive low-range, average speed less than 30MPH, I average 15MPG. Also, usually going 60MPH will net better economy than 55 or 50, perhaps due to the carburator or intake system.

Anyway, I will prolly be very quiet for a while and try to soak up as much of you all's knowledge as possible, and try a few mods since my vehicles never break down (owning Toyotas is boring if you like to wrench like me).

Thanks all,
Bob.

Frisch41

10-22-2006, 10:01 PM

I became interested in this site at the hybridfest 2006. Before that there was just IC and I didn't learn to much there. I have a 2000 5sp silvertone W/a sunroof and tint. just had a block heater put in and in IL that shure helps in the mornings. I have learned more about my cars possableties this year then in all the pryor yrs. you guys keep up the good work.

Chuck

10-22-2006, 11:22 PM

Thank you, Frisch41. :)

95Outback

11-22-2006, 12:55 PM

I'm a college student right now studying ceramic engineering in Rolla, Missouri. I work on solar cars and am planning on going into the electric car industry. I drive a 1995 Subaru Outback, and love racing. I have a bit of a battle going on between my racing side and my wanting to not screw up the environment side, so I'm joining the forum as a way to encourage my inner hypermiler, and not give in to my rally racing side. I think the best I've gotten outta the Back so far is 3 or 4 over EPA estimates. I'm hoping to get better, but percentage-wise I don't think I'm doing too bad since that's >10%.

tbaleno

11-22-2006, 02:29 PM

Welcome! I'd be happy with 10% but my commute won't let me get it :( Now if I had a prius on my commute watch out!

xcel

11-22-2006, 03:13 PM

Hi 95Outback:

___Welcome to CleanMPG! IIRC, we were recently linked from the University of MO. for our mission which I thought was quite fitting.

___Given your racing/autocross bent, we have a number of possible future outcomes with that as well. The IRL has been running M100 (Methanol - a renewable if produced properly) and has just switched over the E10/M90. Formula 1 may be adding hybrid tech to the cars for both fuel savings and increased performance. NASCAR may be heading towards ethanol to replace their LEADED high octane gasoline they are currently using. And of course there are the Le Man’s cars including the recently introduced Audi R10 running that monster fast and quiet TDI. One of the two Audi’s creamed the field at both the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Man’s this year. We had a few posts about the semi-modded Prius which achieved > 130 at the Bonneville Salt Flats a few years ago as well as a Diesel powered monster that recently broke a world record at > 320 mph just a few months ago! And how could I forget the Tesla EV! You can find all about these cars and achievements in both straight up posts and News items here at CleanMPG with a little sleuthing :D

___Here are a just few for the record books ;)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/F1_Hybrid.jpg
Formula One Hybrid Prototype.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/F1_FE.jpg
Our favorite coming into Turn 1.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Audi_R10_Leader.jpg
Audi R10 ahead of the Porsche at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/512/Aston-Martin_chased_down_by_the_mighty_Audi_R10.jpg
Aston Martin DBR9 being hunted down by an R10.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/JCB-at-speed.jpg
DieselMax at > 320 mph for the world record.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Prius_II_Speed_Machine.gif
At 130.8 mph, who said the Prius wasn’t fast ;)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Tesla_Roadster1.jpg
Tesla EV: 0 – 60 in 4 seconds.

___And of course our main goal to help you lower your fuel consumption and your emissions no matter what you are currently driving.

___Good Luck and I hope you enjoy what you will find.

___Wayne

antidarkness

12-01-2006, 02:44 AM

I am proud to finally a member. I ran across this site a few months ago and i was intruiged. I am facinated by making things better, especially improving efficiency.
I noticed i have one of the oldest cars on the mileage logs.
wonderful job everyone.

brick

12-01-2006, 12:39 PM

Welcome! I hope that you have found some information to help you out. Don't forget to take advantage of the 'Start Your Journey Here' forum if you would like suggestions tailored to your particular driving conditions. That's also a good place to ask questions if you read posts that go over your head...we tend to get a little carried away with the acronyms and technical jargon, which can be tough on a first-time reader.

xcel

12-01-2006, 12:46 PM

Hi Antidarkness:

___Welcome to CleanMPG as well! And about your nick, what does it stand for as I have all kinds of ideas and all of them are probably 100% incorrect ;)

___Ahhh, a 1990 Celica. Decent performance and it has never been tapped for fuel economy gains that I have ever heard? I cannot wait to see what you can do with it. If you need help with the jargon or have a question, Tim (Brick) pointed you in the right direction. Sit back and take your shoes off, read a weeks worth of posts and then start banging away on that keyboard. Hopefully we will be able to help you with any number of suggestions to lessen your footprint and to place some of those petro-dollars back in your pocket :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

antidarkness

12-18-2006, 01:25 AM

I appreciate such a warm welcome. Improving efficiency is what gets me up in the morning and occupies my daydreams. I'm excited! i've been studying the acronyms.
btw I also love led flashlights (and now headlights!) . Antidarkness is my handle for those forums.
-Tim-

Chuck

12-18-2006, 09:07 AM

antidarkness, a bunch of guys in the Frostbelt are envying your warm commutes that don't whack the fuel economy. ;)

oldguy3939

12-28-2006, 12:15 AM

Hi all.
I read about this site in mother jones news.
Being nosey, I had to come a check it out.
I like what I see so far.
Most of my cars donot lend themselves well to fuel milage.

An 06 mustang GT, 24 mpg on the highway, 18-19 in town. But this should improve as the car only has 4500 miles on it.
a 99 mustang convert. 3.8 V6 auto. it's getting about the same as the GT in town.

My work car is a 88 ford Taurus. Hey it don't owe me anything. 3.0 V6, It stays around 20 mpg. I have a lot of work related "stuff" so I am hauling around extra weight.
I live in Las Vegas NV. So my commute is not the same all the time.

Anyway, This looks interesting.

xcel

12-28-2006, 01:12 AM

Hi Oldguy:

___We can make that Mustang or Taurus sing any way you want :D Back in 88 through 98 (before I knew anything about hypermiling, the old Sable LS was good for around 35-36 through a mostly highway jaunt and high 20’s around town. Today, anything less then 35 in most any weather condition would be unthinkable.

___Just remember your FE is only limited to what you really want to get out of those two Ford’s up to and including 2.5 - 3X’s EPA for traffic less short jaunts. The Ranger below picked up her 37 + lmpg while hauling around landscape trailers for some of her miles and I am sure you are now imagining what your Stang and Taurus are really worth once we get you through Hypermiling Boot Camp :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

psyshack

12-28-2006, 09:21 AM

Welcome oldguy

The stangs and sedan should come up a bit mpg wise if you use some of the idea's here. I guess the biggist and must important ones are slowing down and lighting up on the throttle. They are my demons.

In my experiance the high hp sleds seem to have always rewarded me with better mpg on the hwy. Slowing down just a tad, letting the engine relax and pull or push the car with out excitement has worked well for me in the past.

A member here has a vette and has reported high 20 mpg tanks if not 30 mpg tanks on the hwy by just slowing down and basecilly little the car run down the hwy just off idle. :) a high gear and a large v-8 equal just loffing along. :)

Have fun
psy

Chuck

12-28-2006, 11:22 AM

oldguy3939,

Welcome!

I'm thinking of the French proverb: "The more things change - the more they stay the same"

Had a 1974 Opel Manta subcompact 30 years ago - think of Yaris or Fit-sized car. It got 20mpg on five-mile trips, 30mpg on 50-mile highway trips. Getting a 1974 Civic with a standard and it had over double the fuel economy and more acceleration (no automatic fluid transmission).

I see progress as you have a substantially larger car that can beat that 1974 Opel Manta. :)

161horsepower

02-24-2007, 01:37 PM

Greetings!

I'm new to this forum and sought it out when I realized how fantastic my mileage was after I applied Wayne's techniques (Mother Jones) to my driving, in addition to those I already used. Right now, in the cold winter months in Green Bay, WI, with running the engine awhile in the morning before I take it out on the 55 mph highway outside my house, I'm getting 30 mpg town and 41 mpg hwy in my non-hybrid manual, 2005 4 cyl Accord.

I have yet to use high tire inflation (need to keep good traction around here on the snow) and I don't go extra slow, but I am driving engine off when I can, coasting, drafting behind semis on the highway, planning ahead for stops, etc. Just the usual.

I have 2 questions for the group--typically how much does it cost to get a mpg guage installed in a Honda? and how much faster does a starter wear out, typically, if you are shutting your engine off at stops and can't roll to get it going again?

Look forward to chatting!

xcel

02-24-2007, 02:20 PM

Hi 161:

___Welcome to CleanMPG! I take keen interest in the new members as they develop and especially since your make and model choice is so similar to mine. You have a great ride if I do say so myself :D

___What most here will recommend is a Scangauge II. There is a Group Buy over at Priuschat as we speak. I should probably start one here as it is the most important tool in the toolbox for most of the non-hybrid drivers and even some of the hybrid drivers in fact! From there, try to apply the hypermiling techniques you learn and become skilled with while out on desolate roadways to your normal everyday driving routine. Owning an Accord with a stick while SG-II equipped is about as close to nirvana as one could ask for from a true mid-sized sedan imho ;)

___About the starter … I have over 75K miles on my own with maybe 18,000 starts and re-starts to date without issue. I did replace the OEM 12V w/ a higher CAP Optima Yellow-Top about 6 months ago but not because it was shot (it was well within its OEM CCA capability as tested), it was my consummate belief that if you are not accelerating or at steady state cruise, the ICE should be off in most instances. With the lights on at night, the smallish OEM was not quite ready to be put through the test I was asking of it on a daily basis :( Once SG-II equipped, you are going to see some spectacular numbers this summer from your stick equipped Accord I can guarantee!

___Feel free to ask whatever questions you would like and we will see if we can’t help get those numbers up even higher.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

g33x0r

04-10-2007, 02:11 PM

Hello everyone,

I dont' have a hybrid ('98 Ford Escort sedan) but I like the idea of this site. I'm somewhat of a technical dude. Have my BS in CS and I work in IT, and am interested in all things techie and scientific. I do have a question, I haven't looked at a lot of different threads yet, but is this hyper miling thing doable with a non-hybrid? I'm waiting to see what is going to come out in the next couple of years before I buy a hybrid or fully electric car. My handle is just geek talk for "geek", I use it for all my forum accounts, but my name is Ryan, doesn't matter what you call me as long as it's not bad lol. I live in Oregon, near Salem, work in Salem so I drive over 10 miles to work every day and my wife does too. She has a Pacific with a V6 that gets around 18-19 on average so I'm definitely interested in increasing the milage any way we can.

- Ryan

Chuck

04-10-2007, 02:16 PM

Hello everyone,

I dont' have a hybrid ('98 Ford Escort sedan) but I like the idea of this site. I'm somewhat of a technical dude. Have my BS in CS and I work in IT, and am interested in all things techie and scientific. I do have a question, I haven't looked at a lot of different threads yet, but is this hyper miling thing doable with a non-hybrid? I'm waiting to see what is going to come out in the next couple of years before I buy a hybrid or fully electric car. My handle is just geek talk for "geek", I use it for all my forum accounts, but my name is Ryan, doesn't matter what you call me as long as it's not bad lol.

- Ryan

Definitely.

Although hybrids have made hypermiling more popular, people have been doing it as far back as the 1930's. While the term was not yet coined, it was described in a Reader's Digest article in the 1970's

xcel

04-10-2007, 02:33 PM

Hi Ryan:

___Welcome to CleanMPG!

___Hypermiling techniques are just applicable to non-hybrids just as they are to hybrids ;) In some cases, a non-hybrid owner has an advantage (high speed FAS’ing above 40 mph in many Non-hybrids vs. a built in Glide/Warp Stealth in a Prius II or EV-Glide in an HCH-II as two examples) but hybrids will always yield more when pushed then the non-hybrids depending on type of car being discussed given their design.

___Our future is almost guaranteed to be all-electric and is only a matter of time. Gasoline is far to energy consuming from an energy balance standpoint vs. an EV on electricity. Think of gasoline as an energy carrier similar to the way H2 is for a Fuel Cel Vehicle today. Pumping the raw crude, transporting to a pump site, pump to the refinery, refine, transport to the station and pump back into your tank … a gallon of gasoline consumes just as much electricity for the same miles traveled as never pumping the stuff out of the ground to begin with. If instead we used that electricity to drive a BEV or PHEV, we would be ahead of the game in so many areas. Very strange that we are stuck with this completely upside down method of transport until the Battery packs become a tad more robust and/or inexpensive enough for the general populations consumption. I personally cannot wait :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

tbaleno

04-10-2007, 02:49 PM

While it might look like this site is heavy on hybrids, you will notice in the mileage logs section the hybrid/non hybrid entries are about equal.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

ArtFox

04-18-2007, 04:56 PM

Hello fellow enthusiasts!

I suppose I am neutral in the sense that I own both a 5sp TDI and CVT HCH.
I even have a 1987 Mercedes Turbo Diesel wagon destined for SVO conversion.

My wife commutes in the Honda Hybrid and is squeezing 48mpg.
I drive the VW Jetta TDI wagon and average about the same.

Mods include a ScanGauge II and passenger rear mirror removal for the VW.
Shopping for new tires for the HCH as the car was purchased used with new non-OEM
Goodyear Assurance M+S P185/70R14 on it.

Chuck

04-18-2007, 05:34 PM

Welcome!

Don't worry about diesel and hybrids - both are definitely welcome here. :)

ArtFox

04-18-2007, 05:39 PM

Thanks!

Say DF... if you reference "Delta" in your forum name and live that close to DFW, you wouldn't happen to be a pilot would you? :)

Now to work on my automated signature for these postings

Chuck

04-18-2007, 05:43 PM

Thanks!

Say DF... if you reference "Delta" in your forum name and live that close to DFW, you wouldn't happen to be a pilot would you? :)

Now to work on my automated signature for these postings

No - it's a reference to the "hot rod" shuttle in Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok got on to Paris for wanting bling-bling tails on the shuttle. :D Just thought is would be funny if a 24th century shuttle was named after a 20th century car - why not name a 21st century car after that shuttle?

diamondlarry

04-18-2007, 05:49 PM

No - it's a reference to the "hot rod" shuttle in Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok got on to Paris for wanting bling-bling tails on the shuttle. :D Just thought is would be funny if a 24th century shuttle was named after a 20th century car - why not name a 21st century car after that shuttle?

I just saw an episode a few nights ago where the Delta Flyer had to come to the rescue of Voyager. And, it was piloted by Janeway!:D

ArtFox

04-18-2007, 05:57 PM

Computers!

I grew up in Plano and Frisco before moving up to the midwest in the late '70s.
My father was an airline pilot out of DFW. That is why I asked.

This is also an excuse to check if my signature is working :D

xcel

04-18-2007, 10:01 PM

Hi ArtFox:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and by your sig, I see you are doing quite well with your TDI! One of these days I want to get my hands on one for a longer term drive just to see how the SG-II reacts to the Fuel Pressure and FE parameters as well as see what she can do at various accel rates and steady state speeds. In other words you have a heck of a vehicle that this old hypermiler has great respect for ;)

___Whereabouts in SE Wi. do you live as I live just south of Kenosha myself. The Milwaukee Hybrid Group is having a meet in Oak Creek this weekend (I have to work unfortunately but am thinking about sneaking up there for the first ½ hour or so before having to depart) and I am sure you would enjoy the group and the gathering.

___Chuck, this one is for you …

Deflector Shields for Spacecraft a Reality? (http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/906920/deflector_shields_for_spacecraft_a_reality/index.html)

“Scotty, we need more power to the forward deflector shields” :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

oleblue

04-25-2007, 01:02 PM

Hello All,

I have just returned from Lunch and filling my forth tank of gas in 2007 Yaris Liftback. I used the tips and I have read on here and got 44.48MPG this tank. The best I had gotten prior to that was 40.9MPG. I drive pretty easy most of the time anyway. But I must admit this was fun. I have a 65mile commute everyday. I would guess my rural/highway split to be 30/70.

Thanks to all for the info.

How do I start logging my mileage? I see the mileage logs link, but not where to add new ones in.

tbaleno

04-25-2007, 01:30 PM

Click the mileage logs link, then click the link on the page that says Add Vehicle.

brucepick

04-25-2007, 02:57 PM

I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of you folks with truly high FE cars, adding a tank to the log maybe once a month. I top off daily as a way to get FE feedback data without SG2.

xcel

04-25-2007, 04:06 PM

Hi Bruce:

___My next question is when and what will be your next vehicle ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Chuck

04-25-2007, 08:29 PM

I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of you folks with truly high FE cars, adding a tank to the log maybe once a month. I top off daily as a way to get FE feedback data without SG2.

On the "greener side" (pardon the pun) of the pasture, I get ashamed when I hear Civics and Prius' geting 60, 70, or better mpg....i.e. what would they do in my 5-speed Insight?

madman

05-08-2007, 06:01 PM

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum thing but a long time hypermiler (although I had never heard the term before this). Anyone who has ever spent much time riding a bicycle should be able to get better FE in their auto just by applying the same principals. (You would not pedal up a steep hill as fast as you could, or pedal down the other side after creasting it would you?) Anyway, I think that there is alot of usefull info on this site and look forward to applying what I can to get more miles out of every drop of gas. I bought my 07' Prius in March and have been getting between 50.6 and 57.8 since new. I kinda stumbled onto the "warp stealth mode" by accident a few days ago then read all about it right here yesterday. AMAZING. I got into the mid-60's on my commute home yesterday and more of the same today;) . I drive 41 miles each way 50/50 split hiway/city with some fairly big hills as well. I look forward to learnig more about this awsome car and hope to get alot from all of you "vetern hypermilers"

Thanks for all the help so far! Madman

Dan

05-08-2007, 06:32 PM

diamondlarry

05-08-2007, 06:34 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG madman! Make sure you make a post in the intro section in case your first post gets buried in this thread. It sounds like you are doing many things right and your FE can only go up from here.

tigerhonaker

05-12-2007, 11:50 AM

pascalhorse

05-16-2007, 02:42 PM

Hi everyone.
I live in Vinita, OK about 75 miles north of Tulsa, OK. I live in the country have to make 2 trips to town per day to get my daughter-in-law to and from work. I drive a 1986 Lincoln Town Car most of the time and a 1994 Ford F350 IDI Turbo desiel when it isn't broke. Right now it's broke. I saw a news clip on the news about the hypermilers and was really impressed. I didn't know it until then but I have used some of the principals that was mentioned years ago when I was low on fuel and had to make what fuel I had last. Anyway, I wanted to join this forum and am hoping that I can gain some insight on how to make my Lincoln go farther on a gallon of gas. I have already tried it this past week and have increased my fuel mileage from 18.6 to 23.9 MPG. Now I am looking for it to go even higher if possible.

Chuck

05-16-2007, 02:48 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Been thru Eastern Oklahoma a couple of times recently.

brick

05-16-2007, 03:18 PM

Welcome! I'm sure there's plenty you can do with that Town Car with a little practice. The most important thing is to be consistent, and the lower fuel bills follow shortly thereafter. Why not post a thread in the "Start your Journey Here" forum? A few details about your driving environment would help us pinpoint what is most likely to give you results.

okie mom

05-23-2007, 12:17 AM

Novice hypermiler, but hopeful learner here!

Purchased my HCH two weeks ago and lovin' it.

I had already resigned myself to driving at or below the speed limit when gas prices exceded $2.50 in my previous car, a Pontiac Vibe. Actually this was a big step for me to go Honda. We were all raised on GM vehicles (I think Dad's belt buckle even says General Motors) and I was driving my 4th Pontiac.

But the time had come for a change...Honda made a great deal for me and so here we are!!

I'm beginning to get the hang of hypermiling...it is easier when I am alone in the car. Visiting with passengers tends to distract me from my training...old habits can come back when I'm distracted.

I love pulling onto the highway with a downhill in the front window. Really love the Auto Stop...it was the idling that killed the mpg on the Vibe.

What I love the most is driving by the gas station and waving at everyone else!:)

mparrish

05-23-2007, 12:34 AM

Novice hypermiler, but hopeful learner here!

Purchased my HCH two weeks ago and lovin' it.

Welcome to cleanmpg Okie Mom! We have a few fellow Okies here, as well as a few south of the red river. Looking forward to reading some of your numbers in the daily grind.

psyshack

05-23-2007, 12:44 AM

Welcome okie mom!

Fellow okie here with a 06 civic ex. Im sure you will be getting great mpg in a very short amount of time. Start using the gas log here. Post your daily numbers if you like. Lots of good info and people here.

Enjoy yourself
psy

lorax

05-29-2007, 06:32 PM

Hi Just traded in my 2003 Subaru Outback for a 2007 Toyota Corolla (Auto). Today I got up to 41 MPG driving from Chicago to Champaign, IL. I am driving to Knoxville, Tn tomorrow. Looking to exceed EPA estimates by 10+ MPG eventually. Any tips/tricks would be helpful.

Right Lane Cruiser

05-29-2007, 06:47 PM

Welcome, Lorax! Nice choice of car -- if you are willing to work at it I think you should be able to achieve your goal.

Have a look around at the articles on the front page -- there are lots of getting started tips mixed in with the more advanced stuff.

As a start, get those tire pressures up to max sidewall!! Drive under the speed limit, and read up on both DWL and DWB (both are links you can click on to get to the glossary here). If you are doing city driving, do your best to not stop by timing the lights. If you do have to stop at a light for longer than about 10 seconds, turn the engine off.

And a huge factor in improving your mileage is having the ability to see instantly what effect your actions are having -- look into getting a ScanGauge. It is worth a whole lot more than what it is sold for when you are shooting for high fuel economy.

Good luck and ask lots of questions!

Chuck

05-29-2007, 11:10 PM

dnasmyth

06-01-2007, 11:33 AM

BailOut

06-01-2007, 12:08 PM

Welcome aboard, dnasmyth! 59 MPG is a great start on your type of vehicle. :)

psyshack

06-01-2007, 12:10 PM

Hello to all just found your site. I have been driving a 03 Civic Hybrid (Manual trans) for 120,000+ miles. I have no idea what I have averaged over the life of the car, but I know it was better than my prior car (2000, Audi S4). My best fuel ecomony on a long trip was 59MPG going from Orlando Flordia to Boston MA (about 1350 miles). That was messured at the pump (my gage always is a bit higher than I really get).

Looking forward to getting even better milage with tips from this site. I don't do much breaking. I am still on my orignal brakes and my machanic tells me there is lots of life in them.

See you around.

Jim Smyth

Welcome!

I would think there would be a lmpg stat buried in your fuel read out display. Then again I could be very wrong about that.

At any rate a HCHI is capable of laying down some great numbers.

Read up and post up. We would love to hear how your doing on your daily grinds and what tips and tricks you use.

psy

xcel

06-01-2007, 03:54 PM

Hi Dnasmyth:

___Welcome to CleanMPG! The HCH-I w/ a stick is my favorite family hybrid for highway use and you have a good one.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

tigerhonaker

06-02-2007, 01:15 PM

Hello to all just found your site. I have been driving a 03 Civic Hybrid (Manual trans) for 120,000+ miles. I have no idea what I have averaged over the life of the car, but I know it was better than my prior car (2000, Audi S4). My best fuel ecomony on a long trip was 59MPG going from Orlando Flordia to Boston MA (about 1350 miles). That was messured at the pump (my gage always is a bit higher than I really get).

Looking forward to getting even better milage with tips from this site. I don't do much breaking. I am still on my orignal brakes and my machanic tells me there is lots of life in them.

See you around.

Jim Smyth

:D Hi Jim,

Welcome to www.CleanMPG.com (http://www.CleanMPG.com) :D

120,000 Miles on the Honda Civic Hybrid I. Way to go. I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid II and I am about to Wear-It-Out. 10,000 Miles on it. ;)

Glad to see that you dropped by here and hope you will continue to drop by Often.

Terry (tiger)

Bob&Reena

06-03-2007, 04:31 PM

BailOut

06-03-2007, 04:54 PM

Welcome aboard, you two! Just let us know if you need any more questions answered.

Chuck

06-03-2007, 08:38 PM

We (wife & I) recently bought a 2007 Prius and have about 500 miles on it.

I saw an AP article in the Las Cruces NM Sun-News on May 30, 2007, titled "Hypermilers". I read it and found that it included this web site, cleanmpg.com run by Wayne Gerdes.

I checked the site out yesterday, registered, read Wayne's article on Hypermiling, and tried out "Pulse Glide", "Warp Stealth", etc. and found they work great and provide considerable increase to my fuel economy (FE). I also had some questions which Wayne quickly answered by email.

I am very impressed with the site and how it is run and will be visiting often.

Couple of years ago on my Dallas to Colorado Springs trip, I met someone in the Texas Panhandle hailing from Raton, NM. He was hauling a couple of tons of A/C equiement with his Ford F350, but on his time he drive a Prius and gets about 45mpg in the Southern Rockies - not bad at all.

tigerhonaker

06-03-2007, 10:43 PM

We (wife & I) recently bought a 2007 Prius and have about 500 miles on it.

I saw an AP article in the Las Cruces NM Sun-News on May 30, 2007, titled "Hypermilers". I read it and found that it included this web site, cleanmpg.com run by Wayne Gerdes.

I checked the site out yesterday, registered, read Wayne's article on Hypermiling, and tried out "Pulse Glide", "Warp Stealth", etc. and found they work great and provide considerable increase to my fuel economy (FE). I also had some questions which Wayne quickly answered by email.

I am very impressed with the site and how it is run and will be visiting often.

Hello Bob & Reena,

Welcome to www.CleanMPG.com (http://www.CleanMPG.com) . Congrats on your New 2007 Toyota Prius. As you read there is the Forum Admin. by the Name of Wayne Gerdes and also another person worth mentioning I think. That person is the other Forum Admin. Tom Baleno and he is a Behind-the-Scene Software and Computer guy that keeps the Forum Running Smooth. These two guy's thought up the www.CleanMPG.com (http://www.CleanMPG.com) Forum and have done a Very-Excellent-Job with it.

Enjoy your Prius and drop by this Forum Frequently. We love New Members and their thoughts.

Terry (tiger)

psyshack

06-23-2007, 06:35 PM

Highly ImPriused

07-02-2007, 10:28 AM

Hello all. I've become a semi-regular over at priuschat and thought I'd pop in here as well. This site is a great resouce. Many thanks to all who make it happen and contribute.

JimboK

07-02-2007, 11:32 AM

Good to see over here too, Highly!

xcel

07-02-2007, 10:15 PM

Hi Bob&Reena and Highly ImPriused:

___Let me personally welcome the both of you. (2) new Prius’ added to the cast helps make the world a better place one less gallon at a time I always say ;)

___Good Luck and welcome.

___Wayne

mattcass

07-03-2007, 01:36 PM

Hi everyone. First post on this forum.

I drive a 98 Golf (2.0 L gasser) and I've been tracking my mileage since May 2005 on my home-made spreadsheet. I'm from Canada and think in L/100 km so that's all I've calculated! My best mileage has been 6.67 L/100 km on the highway and worst has been 10.4 in the city (but that's when I was barely driving, lots of short trips). Overall average of 8.73 L/100 km.

Hopefully I can use some hypermiling techniques to boost that up before I sell my car in February, only ride my bike, and get unlimited mpg!

xcel

07-03-2007, 06:25 PM

Hi MattCass:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and if you have not seen the Mileage Data Base yet, click on the mileage logs link above. You can view the entire list in Metric, Imperial or US gallons if you wish. Once you start inputting tanks, the rest comes naturally ;)

___Good Luck and welcome.

___Wayne

wrightgal

07-16-2007, 11:11 AM

Hello to all on the CleanMPG site:

I found this site through PruisChat and decided to check it out. I own a 2007 Toyota Pruis - package #5 (everything but leather seats). I love this car. Coming from a 2000 Chevy Blazer 2dr which got only 16mpg in the city and 23-24mpg on the highway. I am currently getting and est. 48.5 mpg in the Prius and have filled it up twice (both times just below half way mark) in the month and half I have owned it. I do mostly a 10 mile commute daily with city driving but on lesser traveled roads. If I time it right I can catch the green lights and limit braking.
I decided to join after reading some of the topics on Pulse & Glide techniques to improve mileage. I think I have already been doing this, just playing around with energy screen to see how high I could get mileage ratings to go. I have a stretch of open road with only one traffic light for about 2 miles. I accelerate to just under 40 let up on the accelerator (so I am coasting with no arrows)and set my cruise control. I have found the cruise control actually seems to accelerate 1-2mgh more after setting and reason why I decelerate before setting. This seems to let me coast for the entire stretch with no gas and no assist from generator. My mileage goes to 99.mpg while coasting. I am going to practice using the mentioned techiniques more closely as I have just been experimenting on my own. I am not real technical and so some articles on these techniques for non-tech, like myself, would be helpful, as would an explanation of some of your abbreviations. I have figured out some of them but others escaped my entirely.
I am very interested in improving my mileage and enjoy all the other info available on these sites. I have a much better understanding of how my Prius works after reading all the posts on PriusChat. Hope to get more here. Thanks!

xcel

07-16-2007, 11:35 AM

Hi Wrightgal:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and you certainly picked the right car for the times. Congratulations on its purchase!

___A little note about gliding … Using CC under EV draws from the pack hard and the payback is not all that fuel friendly. If you can, get her into a no-arrow glide and bleed off speed to a lower speed target while still holding the glide whether that be 31, 33 or 35 and then pulse back up to 40. Optimal comes from a bit larger spread at a bit lower speeds but for a new Prius owner, take your time and find your own road. Leave the competition level Hypermiling to the committed (as in asylum committed is a place I think some of us should consider ;)). You and your Prius will learn to do some great things together. Another little tidbit, even changing your Glide (coast down) and anticipation habits into stop signs and lights, turns and such will improve upon her FE capabilities tremendously!

___Don’t expect her to show you everything or for you to be at the top of your game over night but be prepared that once it happens, you will never look at automobiles in the same light ever again ;)

___Finally, you not only did yourself a favor but you did all of us a favor with possibly the best choice of vehicle purchase available at this point in time.

___Good Luck and welcome to CleanMPG!

___Wayne

wrightgal

07-16-2007, 11:57 AM

Hi Wayne -
Thank you for the welcome. I feel good about my purchase and I try tospread the word to everyone who shows an interest. I feel that if everyone drove hybrid vehicles like this we would not be in the energy crisis we face now.
Appreciate the tips and will practice my P&G technique. Hopefully, I can achieve this blissful state!
Sincerely - Wrightgal

SSixty

07-17-2007, 11:39 PM

Hello to everyone here at CleanMPG.

I am new to the forum. I've been looking around here and there ever since an article regarding the hypermiling topic caught my eye. Since then I've been thinking about the topic quite a bit. Right now I am in a 2001 Volvo S60 non-turbo. Not the most FE vehicle, but I won't part with it. Its an excellent car, but its a bit fussy for a DIY-noob. I would like to get the car as FE as possible. I just purchased a ScanGauge so I am waiting for that to arrive.

Besides advise on improving fuel economy I am just looking to strike up good conversation with everyone. I am also a member of VolvoForums.com, so hopefully there's some Volvo folks here.

brick

07-18-2007, 07:33 AM

Welcome! I'm a former Volvo person (a 740 wagon followed by a non-turbo S70). I really loved the S70 until parts started falling off of it, but my understanding is that I got a bad year of an inferior model by comparison to what you are driving. Yours has a better drag coefficient, too ;) .

If you feel like it, post up some details in the Start Your Journey Here forum so that we can get a baseline for where you're coming from. Info about the car (stick vs. auto) your commute (distance, highway vs. city, etc.) and how you drive now ("left lane driver" vs. "right lane driver") would be valuable.

Ordering that ScanGauge was an excellent first move, too! That feedback really shortens the learning curve. And be sure to ask lots of questions along the way!

ponypie

10-22-2007, 04:39 PM

Hey, all.

I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve our mileage and reduce emissions. We own and operate a 2005 Honda CRV and a 1994 Toyota Camry (V6 XLE), the latter with about 130k miles. I have tried various technological add-ons, some of which have been spectacularly unsuccessful, others more useful. We will be trading in both vehicles in the next year or so, with the Camry being replaced by its hybrid namesake.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to using the good information that I've already read on the site.

Paul Beckman

Chuck

10-22-2007, 05:10 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Covering the radiator with cardboard is one thing you might want to consider to speed up engine warm up time.

Hey, all.

I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve our mileage and reduce emissions. We own and operate a 2005 Honda CRV and a 1994 Toyota Camry (V6 XLE), the latter with about 130k miles. I have tried various technological add-ons, some of which have been spectacularly unsuccessful, others more useful. We will be trading in both vehicles in the next year or so, with the Camry being replaced by its hybrid namesake.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to using the good information that I've already read on the site.

Paul Beckman

Perscitus

11-13-2007, 06:13 PM

Hi, glad to be in such good company. I have been visiting here for awhile and learning what I can, and it's clearly time to join up. I drive a hatchback 86 Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo which has 215,000 miles on it (original engine, tranny change 15 yrs ago). My car-owning philosophy has always been to own them as long as possible. My ride is still clean, still comfortable, mostly reliable, but getting a little long in the tooth, and I know it's due to be retired soon. I've been looking at the current crop of cars and have been appalled about about having to spend so much money for so little mpg, when my current car has served so well (mpg never below the low 30's, even with my pre-hypermiling skills). I was excited to become acquainted with the very minimal smart car on a trip to Europe a while back. Unable to bring one from over the nearby Canadian border legally, so now I'm on the list for an early 2008 delivery. In keeping with my no-frills lifestyle, it will be a very basic hardtop Pure model (no A/C, no P/S, no "comfort pkg"). Looking forward to reading about the experiences of lots of smart hypermilers here. In the meantime, I'll be learning to hypermile the Mirage and see what I can achieve now.

Right Lane Cruiser

11-13-2007, 07:15 PM

Welcome, Perscitus!! We are glad to have you here! It sounds as though you are getting quite good mileage out of your '86, and we'll help you go as far as you'd like to in it. :)

What transmission do you have in your Mirage? (I didn't know they made them that long ago!!) The manual transmission has the most potential but you can get some excellent numbers out of an automatic as well.

Tell us a little about your commute terrain and traffic patterns and we should be able to help you squeeze just a little bit more out of that trusty vehicle of yours. :D

Good choice for a replacement by the way. Be sure to read the preview article posted here not too long ago if you haven't already!

Perscitus

11-14-2007, 06:05 PM

Thanks for the welcome and interest Sean...

Most of my rides have been standard transmission, which I have never regretted, even the old Toyota Stout which I had to always double-clutch. Would always select the better mileage over the absence of a clutch pedal in an automatic.

This Mirage has a 5-speed manual transmission. I usually drive between 6000 and 7000 miles a year (say, 500 miles per month of normal driving, with a few longer trips thrown in during the year). The rare longer trips include interstate roads into Seattle or Vancouver BC and back, or rural highway trips into the North Cascade mountains.

My normal monthly driving is comprised of, say, four 75-mile trips on flat rural highway (2 lane, 55mph speed limit, not much traffic, stops or lights), another six 20-mile trips under similar road conditions at 45mph, another four 10-mile trips at 35mph with moderate hills, and all the rest of the miles very short level around town or at the destination/turn-around point of the other trips (most such travel between 2 and 4 miles duration).

This car predates any of the EPA ratings I've been able to find on the net, but an the April87 issue of Consumer Reports says this model should get 23mpg city and 45mpg highway. My last mixed use tank calculation figured out at 32.5mpg.

...Dan

msirach

11-14-2007, 09:41 PM

Hello to all on the CleanMPG site:

I found this site through PruisChat and decided to check it out. I own a 2007 Toyota Pruis - package #5 (everything but leather seats).
I am very interested in improving my mileage and enjoy all the other info available on these sites. I have a much better understanding of how my Prius works after reading all the posts on PriusChat. Hope to get more here. Thanks!

Glad to see you made it here wrightgal!

Right Lane Cruiser

11-15-2007, 08:27 AM

Dan (Perscitus), good choice!! Your routes sound very hypermiler friendly. :)

The first 3 things I recommend focusing on are tire pressure (get those tires up to the Maximum Sidewall pressure listed on the tire itself), DWL (Drive With Load), and DWB (Drive Without Brakes). If you get those pressures up your coasting distances will lengthen -- even if you don't coast this will make a difference because you reduce the amount of power needed to keep the car moving at any particular speed. DWL and DWB will help you deal with terrain variations and will require you to be ultra aware of traffic at all times. The goal is to use minimum fuel and to avoid the brakes. Any time you use the brakes you are sending the momentum you spent fuel to generate straight to heat from the braking surfaces. That energy will never be recovered! Do whatever you can to conserve momentum so that you don't have to use yet more fuel to build it again.

Along with that, be sure to read the article on the front page entitled, "Beating the EPA - The Why’s and how to Hypermile." (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510)

More advanced methods will actually deal with speed variations (P&G) which will seem completely counterintuitive when it comes to saving fuel, but they DO work. Have a look at my mileage logs (click on the banner in my signature) to see the effects of such techniques.

Once again, welcome! Be sure to browse all the article archives on any subject you can think of, and do please post any questions you might have. Almost all of what we have to offer will take patience, practice, and dedication but the results are truly eye opening! Keep at it and I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. :D

ronhowell

12-08-2007, 12:41 AM

Hi All,

Just a few lines to tell you that this writer is a 70-year old retired aerospace engineer with a recently acquired 2008 Toyota Prius. Just 850 miles on the odometer, but loving every minute driving it. The more I learn about this most elegant piece of automotive engineering, the more I am convinced that this is a major paradigm shift in personal transportation, but only the beginning. Much, much more has to occur in the area of battery technology, specifically in energy storage density, to get close to the level that gasoline provides.

But a journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step.

Looking forward to reading the many and varied posts here!

Ron.

laurieaw

12-08-2007, 09:58 AM

kngkeith

12-08-2007, 08:00 PM

Ummm, Laurie- didn't you miss the last paradigm shift? Aren't you still riding a horse?:p

xcel

12-08-2007, 08:27 PM

Hi Keith:
Ummm, Laurie- didn't you miss the last paradigm shift? Aren't you still riding a horse? :p

:D :D :D

___Laurie’s going to ride her horse over to your house and have it kick you in the "censored" :rolleyes:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

kngkeith

12-08-2007, 09:09 PM

Good thing for me the ride is too long in this snow and cold she hates?

laurieaw

12-08-2007, 10:27 PM

Hi Keith:

:D :D :D

___Laurie’s going to ride her horse over to your house and have it kick you in the "censored" :rolleyes:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

ROFLMAO, thanks for defending my honor, wayne......you beat me to the smart answer.......

keith, i would much prefer a lifestyle that would allow me to ride my horse wherever i go, unfortunately, i was born about 100 years too late......

i have yet to figure out how many miles he gets to the flake of hay, but man, if we could use methane for fuel, i would be set for life :):)

akbrush

03-09-2008, 02:57 PM

Long time lurker here. Bought my first car back in '03 and it was the Civic HX with the lean burn engine, it was the most fuel efficient non-hybrib at the time. This site is the best of its kind. I finally feel like there are many others out there like me. So I have since given the HX which is a manual to my wife who thinks its like a race car:) Now I drive the SULEV '03 HCH, but its auto. The FE gauge on the dash really got me into paying attention, and I would like to meet other HCH1 drivers who might have some greater insight into maxing out FE. Can't wait for the warmer weather-I'm near Chicago-to try and get over 60mpg. Already have the tires up to sidewall max-45 with a K&N filter and 0W-20 oil. I also folded in the passenger side mirror, not sure if its much help. Any more ideas?

xcel

03-16-2008, 12:39 AM

Hi Akbrush:

___Welcome to CleanMPG!

___An HCH-I yes? Oh boy are you going to have some fun this summer even if it is a CVT! If you can make it up to a MiHG meet next month, one of us will take you out for a clinic and you will begin to believe 60 mpg is just the beginning ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

RPM

03-19-2008, 09:51 PM

Hello everyone, very nice to talk to you all. :)

I've been a guest here for maybe a year or so and thought it was about time for me to register and thank you for all the knowledge and valuable information. :D

A petrolhead ever since I remember myself, I enjoy everything car related, all the way from auto detailing to circuit racing. :woot:

Hypermiling comes to me as a sort of motorsport that I can practice on public roads every day and enjoy myself. And guess what, contrary to almost everything else car-related, it is both inexpensive and environmentally friendly!

When suddenly anything below 50 mpg gets classified as a bad tank, you know you've got it bad... :Banane06:

OZX3+1

04-23-2008, 06:03 PM

I'm a diesel driver; 2004 Ford F250 6.0L. I drive 50ish miles/day M-F, and maybe another 50-or-so on the weekends. I recently purchased my ScanGauge II w/X-gauge, but have yet to start using it (need to find the right spot to mount it). I'm very interested in leveraging the capabilities of the X-gauge. If there's a listing of the Ford enhanced PID's and related programmatic entries required to utilize the x-gauge as a monitor, I'll be quickly in the game!

Your help is appreciated!

cmarr

05-01-2008, 03:20 PM

diamondlarry

05-01-2008, 04:33 PM

Hi. I'm new to the site and the concept of hypermiling. I drive a 2006 Toyota Corolla and have been getting mid to upper 30s mpg without really trying. I just recently aired up my tires to maximum load (44 PSI) and I'm concentrating a lot more on coasting to red lights, instead of accelerating and then braking.

I'm in an auto transmission, so I can't kill my ignition to coast (correct?). But I'm hoping I can at least crack the 40 MPG level in mostly city driving.

Of course, I work from home, so I don't get much commuting practice --- but I'm not complaining about that.

Also, I'm a journalist in the Atlanta, Georgia area and think it would be interesting to write a feature article about hypermilers in the area. I'm not sure it's a widely known concept, and it certainly could be a timely subject (given gas prices headed toward $4 a gallon). Any members here who might be game to participate in such an article?

-Chris
First of all, welcome to CleanMPG! As for killing your engine, check your owner's manual and see if the car can be towed with all 4 tires on the ground. This is sometimes referred to as flat towing. If the car can be flat-towed, you can coast with the engine off. However, make sure to practice this on lightly traveled roads before trying it in heavy traffic.

I think there are others here that may be more local than me but, I would be willing to help you out with an article if there are no other takers.

Skwyre7

05-02-2008, 07:49 AM

...I'm in an auto transmission, so I can't kill my ignition to coast (correct?). But I'm hoping I can at least crack the 40 MPG level in mostly city driving...

Corollas cannot be flat towed. :( But NICE-On glides can help you easily top 40 MPGs. Oh, and welcome.

cmarr

05-02-2008, 04:45 PM

Thanks guys. I am looking for folks local to the Atlanta area (re: an article) but I'll keep you in mind if I decide otherwise, diamondlarry.
Thanks for the advice, too. I'll be sure to keep the ignition on.

jakesteel1424

05-09-2008, 10:04 PM

First post to the forum and very excited to have stumbled upon this site. I have done quite a lot of reading on hypermiling and started putting it into practice about a week ago. I drive a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee 6 cyl with about 165,000 miles. I have averaged about 20MPG for the last 6 months and am hoping to go to 25MPG in the coming weeks as I work on improving my driving habits. I have aired my tires about 20% over the sidewall recommended and am trying very hard to drive the speed limit, coast when possible, and am trying to avoid quick take off's. I am hoping to find someone in the Knoxville, TN area who is into hypermiling, also need as much advice on how to improve my FE. This site rocks and I am hyped to be part of it

bestmapman

05-09-2008, 10:11 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum. You should consider getting a scangauge. I think there is a group buy going on now. The scangauge can really help in fine tuning your techniques.

diamondlarry

05-09-2008, 10:18 PM

A Scanguage would be a nice thing for jakesteel1424 to have but, unfortunately, his vehicle is pre-OBDII.:( Perhaps Yoshi could hook him up with a Super-MID?

Welcome to CleanMPG jakesteel1424. It looks like you have a good grasp of the basics. Now it's time for loads of practice, reading the articles and posts here, and asking us lots of questions.

bestmapman

05-09-2008, 10:33 PM

diamondlarry

05-09-2008, 10:36 PM

Good catch Larry. Sorry about that Jake...
I have a confession to make Jud. I read through it a couple times and was ready to respond in agreement with you before I caught it.:o

Dan

05-10-2008, 03:16 AM

nyhoopie

05-12-2008, 09:33 AM

I am from central NY, east of Syracuse. I have been working on changing my driving habits for the past year. In the last couple of months, I have come across some information about hypermilers, and have made more changes to the way I drive.

I communte to/from work 40 miles a day, and run deliveries for my wife's restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights.

I own a '03 LeSabre, and have so far managed to increase my MPG from 24.4 to 27.5. Not much, but an improvement. I understand that there is only so much I will be able to get out of this vehicle, but I am hoping to learn ways to push that number up a little bit further. Especially when it comes to using my car to run deliveries.

Jsimon63

05-15-2008, 11:13 AM

Hey there everyone! Another GenViber here! I heard about your site on GenVibe and thought I would like to be a part of People who are trying to stretch every ounce of gas/diesel they can! I live in Central Indiana and am feeling the pinch or should I say Punch of the prices of gas and diesel. We have a 96 Geo Metro 4Cyl Auto trans, 04 Vibe auto trans and supercharged, an 06 Vibe base auto, 04 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V 6 speed, and my guzzler, 96 Dodge ram 4x4 CTD (22mpg) We have the vehicles to save fuel with, it's time to step it up!

MamaB

05-19-2008, 10:12 AM

Hi,
I found you because of an interview I saw on one of the morning shows. We currently have an 1989 Buick Riviera as our main car. Right now it is averaging about 18 mpg. Where we live we go uphill to get pretty much everywhere! I'm looking for basic info on how to hypermile with our vehicle. Every little bit helps!

ericbecky

05-19-2008, 12:40 PM

MammaB,
Be sure to check start by reading the article http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510
Beating the EPA - The Why’s and how to Hypermile.

It's a good reference for your future endeavors.

welcome to cleanMPG.

Jay Hamburg

05-19-2008, 05:00 PM

I am a newspaper reporter for the Orlando Sentinel in Orlando, Fla. I am hoping to get in touch with some hypermilers in Florida -- especially Central Florida -- for a story about hypermiling in the state. If you wouldn't mind talking about it, or if you know someone who would talk about their successes, let me know at jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com. Thank you.

cdupuy74

05-22-2008, 03:41 PM

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have a 2001 Toyota SR5 with V6. Sticker says it's rated 17 city and 20 hwy. I've never gotten under 19mpg and so far have gotten as high as 23.5mpg in combo city/hwy driving. My lifetime average with 109K miles is 20.7mpg. I hope to be able to improve that even more. I've also tried to be fuel conscious. Hope to get a ScanGauge soon to see what driving practices help the most.

I also have a 2004 Harley Davidson Softail that I try to ride as often as I can depending on weather and client meetings. I get anywhere from 43 to 52 mpg on it, with lifetime average of 4500 miles and 48mpg (yes, i know, low miles, when I bought it a year ago, it only had 125 miles on it as it sat up for a while).

-Chris

strechum

05-29-2008, 01:27 AM

Hi all, I'm a newbie searching for some simple ways to improve gas mileage. I noticed many people using the "scan gauge II". This looks very useful and am interested in purchasing one of these if it will work with my Honda 1995 Honda prelude Si 2.3L(98k miles).

Currently averaging 28.5 mpg and would like achieve more if possible.

akmo92

06-09-2008, 07:41 PM

Hello all.

I am new to hypermiling. Learned about it on aGNN specialmy I am looking to improve my FE. I drive a 2008 Nissan Versa, 6 speed manual transmission. I am averaging 35 to 37 MPG on a commute that is 94mi round trop. 88mi are on the interstate and the rest is light suburnan driving w/ 10 traffic lightsand two stop signs.

Thanks

DJB1607

06-12-2008, 05:31 PM

Hi I drive a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T EPA says i shld get 18/24, I get 22-23/26-28 so i would really apreshiate if someone could tell me what hypermilling is because all i see is the word everywhere and the dictionary doesnt seem to be working right now.

a134jw

06-12-2008, 06:44 PM

[I]This really works! A few simple techniqes got me to 52 mpg. Go figure? Im HOOKED!!!:Banane59:

servant74

06-16-2008, 06:53 PM

Howdy, Our adult Sunday school class has taken on a project to help inform ourselves and others about being good stewards of our planet. Not tree huggers, but using the common sense we have been given. No, I don't bible thump. If you want to know my religious attitudes, let's take this off line. But do ask, I do not mind answering.

Using our vehicles efficiently is one way, and I am here to learn from those who have done it!
Hopefully I will be able to pass along info and possibly generate some additional interest.

I drive a Ford Ranger 2.3L 5speed manual trans, 2WD, and manage to get about 30MPG overall, I don't plan on being a 'hypermiler', but I can try to do better. The hills here in TN do get in the way of getting very good mileage.

I spent over half of my career in the 'oil patch', supporting pipelines, oil and gas production, exploration, and drilling. A lot of the heat that the Oil co's are getting is not deserved, and some is. If you have questions, I would be glad to help explain the business to the best of my abilities. You may get 'I don't know' as an honest answer in some areas.

msirach

06-16-2008, 11:38 PM

Welcome Servant74.
Your principal is mine as well. You have a great truck to pull big numbers with. The hills in TN will give you great glide potential. Air your tires to the sidewall psi and the numbers will roll in.

mschuyler4him

06-20-2008, 06:33 AM

I guess this is where I introduce myself, not quite sure but here goes. My name is Mark and I live in the St. Louis area and I just realized that hypermilling is a practice that others employ and that it has a name. I just started doing this 3 weeks ago and stumbled on this site a couple of days ago. I have 2 trucks one a 98 Dakota with a 6cyl and a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins. I am now building up to make Bio-diesel for it. Getting better mpg is what I need so here I am. I have gone from 15-17mpg to 20-21 in the Dakota just in the past 3 weeks and now I am hooked. So any help I can get that would be awesome.
Thanks, Mark

Skwyre7

06-20-2008, 07:30 AM

Mark,

It sounds like you've got a good start. Read up on the How's and Why's article (the link in my sig). Welcome.

Jheff…

06-20-2008, 11:03 PM

I've visited here quit frequently. Finally decided to join after seeing some members near the DFW area. I'm looking to buy my first car soon. I think I'm probably one on the younger members here. I'm looking to get the most MPG and save some money. I'm down for some simple/cheap mods for my car. Where should I make a thread for some replies?

peacefrog_0521

06-22-2008, 12:25 AM

Hello - I'm new to this forum and decided to join, having read articles in the past about the hypermiling feats of Wayne Gerdes and others. I was looking into the ScanGauge II after reading an article last week on washingtonpost.com which referred to it. Several links later, here I am.

Based on calculating a curve of 1/MPG and looking for the point where the curve flattens out, I decided for my commute I needed to get at least 30 mpg in order to see a significant savings, but that any more than that would not be quite as significant (but certainly wouldn't hurt). I decided, however, that I would not pursue a hybrid because of the added cost and because most of my driving was highway driving where the hybrid does not provide as much benefit.

I recently parked (docked?) my 2002 Mazda Tribute ES (3.0L V6 4WD SUV) in favor of a 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback, which I am learning to enjoy more each day. (In fact, there's very little I miss about the Tribute.) I obtained the Hyundai after a long search for a more fuel-efficient used vehicle to use in my 50-mile roundtrip daily commute. This trip takes me from my home a few miles from the GM Tech Center, across several miles of stop-and-go traffic with poorly-timed traffic lights, then up I-75 and past the Evil Empire (a.k.a. Chrysler HQ in Auburn Hills). In other words, I live and work in what may be considered enemy territory for hypermilers and hybrids. (Please don't hate me because I work in the auto industry.)

The search started out with VW TDI's, which were in short supply, then to Mazda 3's, Honda Civics and Acura equivalents (RSX/TSX), etc. I even asked my parents to let me buy their 1995 Geo Prizm, even though it was too noisy for highway use. Instead, they bought the Elantra for themselves and promised me the Geo. However when they told me about it and I learned more about it, I decided it was the car I had been searching for without even knowing it. So I bought it from them instead.

I've already been reading some of the articles here on hypermiling techniques and am eager to try them out in both of my vehicles, especially the Tribute. I typically get about 18-20 MPG in the Tribute, up to 23 in the summer on longer highway trips. After a few tanks in the Hyundai I'm getting about 29-32 MPG, and filling up only about half of the time.

The Tribute likes to turn off the electronic overdrive with even a slight throttle increase. This makes is harder to find the "sweet spot" when trying to DWB or similar (i.e., coasting up to lights). The Hyundai is a little better behaved.

The Hyundai does have an MPG readout but I'm using it more to help me "adjust the nut behind the wheel". I find this has helped me improve my driving habits, and when I'm ready I'll start putting new techniques to the test and posting results for public scrutiny.

I'm curious, BTW, how the dashboard number compares to what the ScanGauge would report. Whether they are not significantly different, or are so wildly different as to be confusing, I think it still makes sense to get this product, especially so I can try out and validate techniques in the Tribute, which does not have the FCD readout.

I'm hoping, too, that many of these techniques can be validated and proven effective on larger cars, trucks, and SUV's, which many people (especially here) still insist on driving. In fact, a 5-MPG increase from 10 MPG to 15 MPG is MUCH more significant than a 10-MPG increase from 20 MPG to 30 MPG.

I honestly believe that if people who insist on buying and driving these beasts can better regulate their driving habits and achieve even a few more MPG's, that this would go a LONG way to reducing overall fuel consumption.

Anyway, I look forward to joining in more discussions with the group and learning new ways to increase my personal efficiency, which I can share with others.

-Raj

mikaarce

06-30-2008, 01:06 PM

HI, just signed in, im a new immigrant from the philippines, and loving the tons of information here. Im currently looking for my first car here in california, and looking for a nice car to buy. Suggestions will be alot of help.

hose_a_lopez

07-01-2008, 10:56 PM

I am new to this site and interested in learning more about and how to do this hypermiler stuff but where the hell are all the tips n tricks on this site for this?

focusmmuter

07-01-2008, 11:01 PM

Hello all. My name is Felipe and I have been hooked on getting the best gas mileage possible. It feels like I am somehow cheating the system by doing it. It's getting a little hard to get use to driving without a/c but I'm afraid when temps here in Sacramento hit the 100's I'll probably cave in. So far so good though. Good luck to everyone with their techniques!!

pjnofrills

07-02-2008, 09:07 AM

Hey all, my name is Pat and I recently purchased a Toyota Yaris liftback a month ago as my daily driver. I was getting decent mileage, but started doing some basic techniques and now I'm getting 38.5 in the city. I just got a new job that will require me to put on some highway miles so we'll see how it does then. Hoping to figure out all of the acronyms and start putting some better techniques to use soon, so I can break that 40mpg mark. How do I make one of those cool signatures?

(edit.. of course I found out how to make a signature picture 5 seconds later..)

Chuck

07-02-2008, 09:13 AM

I am new to this site and interested in learning more about and how to do this hypermiler stuff but where the hell are all the tips n tricks on this site for this?Check out Beating the EPA - The Why’s and how to Hypermile. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510)

wpiper

07-02-2008, 11:02 AM

Hello, Folks,

I am just someone who has a fixed commute in SoCal and a small family and wants to minimize his contribution to global warming. Alas, I am having trouble finding people to carpool with on my 16-mile trip to work each day. So, generally, I drive alone in my 2003 Civic Hybrid. People laugh and roll their eyes (and honk and flip me off, when in nearby vehicles) when I drive 56 mph on the freeway and especially when I coast up to red lights that I see 1/4 mile ahead. Until I read about you guys, I was rather proud of getting 52mpg in that car, which gets about as much street driving as freeway.

I am very interested in other steps that I can take to improve my gas mileage, if they do not impede other drivers or compormise safety. I won't cruise through stop signs or not use my brakes on curves, but I am open to any reasonable steps.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

wpiper

macsimizer

07-02-2008, 12:07 PM

Hello everyone new to site.

TravelinMatt

07-02-2008, 02:05 PM

Hello all. I drive a 1999 Saturn SC1. I've always tried to track my approximate gas mileage in my head, but this year I started to keep a record on paper. I've averaged around 34mpg so far, with my high at just over 39. Pretty good for a 10-year old car, I think. I work in sales and drive about 30,000 miles per year, so any advice for better gas mileage, longer tire life, proper vehicle maintenance, etc., is always appreciated.

TXLovin

07-02-2008, 03:32 PM

Hey guys, glad to have found this site. I assume I'm pretty close to maxed out at 20mpg on my truck so I will not ask for any help there (unless I can do better!?!?!). I am about to buy a new vehicle for my wife to commute in and would love some advice. 27 miles each way, 5 days a week (until the baby comes, then she'll work form home 2 days a week). We are paying cash, budget is under $12k and of course she wants a "nice" car. Safety and reliability come before FE so mileage is a concern. We would like to stay under 50k, have four doors and be roomy. She is not as conscious about FE as I am but I am working on her. I am trying to find an '05-'06 Altima in our price range but that sacrifices FE so I would love some suggestions. Maybe there is a vehicle out there that I haven't thought about that looks good, low mileage, with good FE potential? I can teach her all the tricks to get better FE and who knows, she might even use them! We live in DFW and have a brother in law that works for Carmax. I can get anything on their lot at their price +$300, with a max discount of $3k. I found an "03 Altima with 54k for $11k (they were selling it for $14k), an '07 Elantra GLS with 25k for around $12k. She doesn't like the Corollas or Civics, too small for her. Any suggestions?

run500mph

07-02-2008, 04:05 PM

Guys, welcome to you all, and I can honestly say 3 months ago I couldn't believe getting hybrid mileage with regular cars was possible, or that hybrids could pass the 100mpg mark! But it's totally possible.

Read Wayne's article (the man who coined the word Hypermile and owner of the site)
"Beating the EPA- The How's and Why to Hypermile" its on the main page top right.

Then try each method one by one and watch your mileage go through the roof!

Ask all kinds of questions and they will all be answered. You are on your way to doubling your mileage, maybe even better. (while cutting your bill in half)

Welcome, tell your friends what you are doing and have fun!

07NAH

07-02-2008, 09:37 PM

Greetings Everyone,

I stumbled upon CleanMPG while on Youtube looking for hypermiling techniques. The forums here look to have some great information on increasing MPG. I look foward to learning and hopefully give out some ideas learned once my ScanGauge II arrives next week. Another game for me to play now to beat my highscore.

Thanks,

E

helen

07-04-2008, 04:40 AM

I just found this site . Great information by CleanMPG. This site widely helps to keep the enviroiment clean. Wonderful job, my hearty congrats............

-------------------------------------------------
helen

Otanchin

07-04-2008, 12:58 PM

Hi, found this site via web-news... I drive an 07 Camry, and I wanna know how to get my mileage up through the roof!

I commute 80 miles for work roundtrip. Gas prices have been hitting rather hard.

Hope these tips will help!

Right Lane Cruiser

07-04-2008, 01:41 PM

Welcome, TXLovin! You have a few choices in that area but I'll just chime in on the Elantra. I have an '02 model with manual transmission and they are good, durable cars that can pull some impressive numbers if you have a will to do so. Click on my signature banner to see what I've done with mine. The Elantra is good quality but the engine isn't as efficient as a Civic or Corolla.

Best of luck and keep posting questions!

performanceMPG

07-06-2008, 07:49 PM

hey everyone.

well i'm not much for introductions so i'll cut to the chase. i drive a 96 dodge neon, 2.0L 5 speed. i have some performance stuff on there, cold air intake, weight redux, a header, ported intake, mild performance cam, and an underdrive pulley on the way. the suprising thing is that my MPG has gone UP since i added most of this stuff. 25.5mpg around town, "spirited" driving with 50lbs at least worth of crap i dont need. but my highway mpg is the most surprising, 45 on a hot day, normal driving, 70mph in 5th gear.

but when i saw what you guys are doing here, i decided i want more. i'm not gonna give up my performance stuff, but i dont like to waste fuel with it either. stand alone air/fuel control is in the near future, the stock ECU runs rich from the factory so i feel proper tuning is a must.

since i will soon be driving 340 miles a week i will be turning my focus to weight redux/aerodynamic mods. i'll keep you all posted as i go aslong, will also be keeping a project log on neon.org. should be interesting to see how all the drag racers eat up crazzy aerodynamics

Pika

07-07-2008, 10:05 PM

Hello all. I'm new to this site and wanted to introduce myself. I am a retired scientist living in the desert in rural southeastern Arizona. The nearest store to my home is over ten miles away, part of it on dirt roads, and the nearest gas station is another four miles past that. I drive a 2007 2WD Toyota Tacoma pickup with the 4-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. At present I am getting 32-33 mpg with it; all I have done is inflate the tires to 50 psi and drive carefully using cruise control when possible. Most of my driving is on two-lane county roads.

I also run a lot of my errands using a 120 mpg moped. I only use the truck when I need to haul something or want to go further than I care to take the moped.

I am hoping to learn a lot about economical driving on this forum so I'll be reading a lot and posting a little and the posting will be mostly questions.

YLD II ME

07-08-2008, 01:58 AM

Hi All,

I heard of hypermiling from a co-worker and after reading a 7 page article on the subject, I shortly printed up copies for a couple other interested people at work (booklet style!). I started practicing the basic techniques immediately in my 2001 Elantra GT as I finished off my last IDT (Inefficient Driving Technique) tank of gas. IDT can also be read as IDioT! as I was getting 20.5mpg before starting these hypermiling techniques.

By the time I filled up I was ready for some of the more advanced techniques of hypermiling. My first tank of gas resulted in a HUGE 50% increase in FE, or 31.1mpg.

The co-worker who originally mentioned the hypermiling article to myself and two other co-workers has since denounced hypermiling as ludicrous. This is only after the second week of driving to all three of us who have embraced the techniques. Yesterday at lunch he was rev'ing his engine next to a Honda Civic Hybrid for us in protest. I really don't know what his problem is, but clearly he was having a bad Monday.

I have about 80K on my car now (fairly light driving over 7 years) and I'm considering a new-used 2-door vehicle that will not set me back very much (i.e. I don't really want a new car loan). I drive a fairly short 12 mile trip (one way city) to work so I don't really need 4 seats and a huge trunk. I've been getting that itch to buy a little two seater convertible but haven't researched the FE of them yet. I guess I'm not looking for advice on this yet as I plan to drive my Elantra until the 100K drivetrain is just about up and then dump it. It's been falling apart at an increasing rate, so I don't expect much to be working by 100K. Might as well start looking now before I'm out of a vehicle and have to make a rash decision. One of the things I have in the back of my mind is that they say some of the newer gas/electric hybrids cost more than you will save in FE over the life of the vehicle (maybe not if you are hypermiling though), but that they also take more energy to produce than a normal high MPG gas-only vehicle. I'd like to know if this is urban legend or how much truth there is to it... and if anyone has worked up a chart describing the overall vehicle operating cost (vehicle price + hypermiling fuel + maintenance, over 10 years) vs. the energy to produce the vehicle. This would basically describe the overall best vehicle for the environment in my eyes.

Anyhoo... time to wrap up my introduction post!!

Coast With The Most (Kinetic Energy)
-Brett

metalrings

07-08-2008, 03:34 PM

This is cool stuff, in an odd way. I heard about this maybe 2 weeks ago and immediately was hooked on the idea.

I have a 2003 Mazda Protege5 and was pretty happy with 28MPG. I don't know where the MPG is now as I haven't finished the first tank of gas.

The fascinating part is how similar hypermiling is to riding a bicycle. I crank out over 3k miles a year on the bike. When you drive with intention you are focused on the road, the traffic, the dharma of the drive. Dharma is defined as virtuous path.

I'm on the path and will be searching for coaching.:Banane13:

jpmact

07-09-2008, 06:14 PM

Hello, Im Peter, Mexican, 18
looking forward to start saving some consumption on my dad's old Buick Century.
:)

jmc1972

07-09-2008, 07:33 PM

Hi everyone -

I'm a Gas Guzzling freak who needs to save money on fuel. I live in Colorado (Denver Metro area) and by profession am a Real Estate Appraiser. I drive alot of miles and can't afford to buy another vehicle.

My vehicles are:

2004 Saab Linear 9-3 Turbo, 4 cylinder Automatic with the option to drive in Manual
2005 GMC Yukon Denali XL, 8 cylinder Automatic with the only option to guzzle gas.
2002 Harley Davidson FXSTDI, 1450cc with nearly 19,000 miles on it.

I drive the Saab for business, the Harley for Fun, and my wife drives the Yukon approximately 40 miles per day to and from work. We also use the Denali as our family vehicle with 2 kids and a 3rd due in September.

Any tips, instruction, help, or really anything would help dramatically!!!!

Thanks,

John

Juggler

07-09-2008, 08:54 PM

Have any of you heard anything real about this "Run Your Car on Water" stuff I am hearing about? I have a real hard time believing water can be harvested into combustion. It seems like physics would prevent this from being possible. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is...comes to mind. It is one of the ads on the CleanMPG site, but I imagine it is preposterous. Another one says something about using half water and half gas. ???

Juggler

story1267

07-10-2008, 12:59 PM

Hi all! I'm a newbie to the hypermiling world although I've always been a "gentle" driver. I found this site while shopping for a Scanguage II for my SO's birthday. I drive an '03 Toyota Matrix - automatic and have seen widely varying MPGs. I'm very interested in learning new, safe techniques to improve my mileage. Thanks!

IDriveAHondaCivic

07-10-2008, 03:04 PM

Hi, I'm new. I drive a 2008 Honda Civic LX Sedan 5spd.

I've been practicing some basic techniques and I've broken my previous MPG records on my last 3 tanks. 33.4 -> 34.4 -> 37.56 -> 37.75. Those tanks were about 50/50 city/hway. I'm getting around 30 on pure city now. My overall average is brought down by some 25 and 26 MPG tanks before I started watching my MPGs.

I'm looking forward to posting and staying around here.

Jutty

07-10-2008, 03:19 PM

Woo yea I too have a Civic LX, but 07 Coupe.

I still have yet to beat my 35 mpg record, but with the new techniques I am finding it should not be too hard. My last tank came out to 33, but I think the onramps I drive daily are killing my mpg there.

PaleMelanesian

07-10-2008, 03:31 PM

Welcome to both of you! There's more in those civics, for sure. This is especially true with the manual transmission.

Here's a discussion about accelerating: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11719
Also read the articles in my signature.
Consider buying a Scangauge to help you fine-tune the techniques. It helped me a lot!

IDriveAHondaCivic

07-11-2008, 08:24 AM

Welcome to both of you! There's more in those civics, for sure. This is especially true with the manual transmission.

Yeah, I know there's a ton more. My 1mo history is 35.3, but my overall (since I bought the car new) is only 29.6. My last 3 tanks were in the 37's...looking to keep going up.

PaleMelanesian

07-11-2008, 08:57 AM

Your mileage log looks like a hockey stick. :D Keep at it!

escape_tkm

07-11-2008, 02:59 PM

mia127

07-11-2008, 04:20 PM

Hi, my name is Mia. My husband and I work from home, so commuting isn't an issue. But we have a 1999 Dodge Caravan with 140K miles on it and we get about 25 mpg (mostly highway and on rural roads where you typically drive 55 mph). But we often drive long distances to visit family and friends (and for work meetings) and so we need to use less gas!

I'm about to buy a gadget that tracks mileage. it was on the hypermiling.com website. it's called: ScanGauge II 3-in-1 Compact Multifunction Vehicle Computer with Customizable Display

Is this a good or useful device? it's expensive, and i'm wondering if we'd be better off with something else.

PaleMelanesian

07-11-2008, 04:52 PM

It's a great tool for learning to drive for better mileage. I'd say it's the best thing available.

We have it for sale here, on the left side of every page.

cam9264

07-11-2008, 10:24 PM

hi I am Cam now driving a new 2008 focus 2dr 5speed and loving 35 mpg looking foward to learing more driving techniques and saving more fuel . 64 mile a day commute plus other trips. would like any info on mods to the pzev engine if possible allready saving 100 bucks a month on gas but more would be better.

laurieaw

07-11-2008, 10:36 PM

Hello everyone,
I am new here. I have been reading this site since I bought my new car. 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. I am very excited. My old car was a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport, and I just loved that car. Gas price was the reason I bought the Ford.

I am at about 750 miles and an avg of 32MPG. mixed city and freeway driving. I have noticed that I get better MPG on the freeway. maybe because my car is new, I dont know.

I have a question. Did I miss a list of the abbreviations? If not then maybe we can make one up, espically for us females.

I noticed that we dont have many posts in the Ford Hybrid area. just one long one. Am i missing something, maybe they are posted elsewhere.

hi, and welcome. always good to have another female on board.

there is a glossary, either as a link from the left or across the top, which you can search for terms. also, in your user CP options, there is a place to click which will allow links to the terms when they show up in a post. you can toggle it on or off as you wish.

you will love your escape. i had a chance to drive one a couple of weeks ago and was really impressed with.

again, welcome!

run500mph

07-12-2008, 08:58 AM

Wow, so many new people. Welcome to all of you and don't forget to read the article
"Beating the EPA-The Hows and Why to Hypermile" on the home page top right.

This is a great site with the info you need to double your mileage. I have more than doubled mine from the EPA ratings on my car lately and can't wait to log my next tank.

No the water for fuel is not legit. It's bogus.

Welcome to you all and tell all your friends, they will love this.

dcamp

07-12-2008, 05:15 PM

I have been checking out this site for a few weeks now. This is my first post and I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my exposure to this driving style. Kudos to all.

My first few tanks since employing some hypermiling techniques learned here:
- A 400 or so mile round trip to Florida Gulf Coast. Many back roads and a fair amount of slow coastal driving = 39.9mpg

- 130 mile round trip on back roads, some city driving (20-30 miles) in the middle of that trip. Rest of the miles before fill up were in rural/city setting = 37.5mpg

- 260 mile round trip on state highways, some 50 miles or so of city driving in the middle of that round trip, then 50 or so miles of rural/city setting = 38.5mpg

- TODAY: Made a 130 mile trip on state highway and traveled back towards home on I-75 for approx. 70 miles before we stopped for lunch. Found some "cheap" gas and decided to fill up. 202.5 miles on 4.6 gallons = 44mpg

Needless to say, I am excited. Our car had been averaging around 35mpg in similar situations with city mileage around 30mpg. It has been delightful to see those numbers increase.

Thanks for all the great info. I look forward to learning and growing.

Joebob

07-12-2008, 07:12 PM

Hi, Tom. I'm new to hypermiling, having first heard the term about 2 weeks ago, and am fascinated to learn these techniques. I drive a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder 2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup with auto transmission for a daily stop & go 24-mile round trip commute, and occasionally ride a 2001 Kawasaki Concours motorcycle for the trip. Since learning about hypermiling, I have increased my Tacoma mileage from 21 mpg to over 28mpg by DWB, EOC, FAS, and installing a K&N air filter. Just before my latest fillup, I installed 5W30 Amsoil synthetic oil and filter and a ScanGauge II, and increased my tire pressure from 32 psi to the max of 35 psi, and I'm hoping for well over 30 mpg. I'm looking forward to monitoring my progress with my new "game gauge," and after getting results from this fillup, experimenting with different routes. Likewise, I am hoping to hypermile with the Concours to see how much I can increase mpg from my current 40. I noticed a Concours in the mileage logs reporting ~ 55mpg, so I will try to match that.

I'm hooked and have invited my coworkers to a hypermileage challenge.

Thanks for the knowledge and inspiration!

Tom_G35C

07-12-2008, 10:11 PM

Hi,

I've been reading these forums and articles for a while. Today I registered and I ordered my Scangauge. I have a 2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe automatic. I have kept track of gas mileage on every tank since new. It is a performance car, but I want to get better mileage.

My mileage is fairly consistent. I get 16.4 mpg when I drive in stop and go traffic for short trips. I get 20.4 mpg when I drive a combination of city and highway. The few highway trips are 23-24 mpg. I will use the Scangauge to do better.

My commute will be changing to 4 miles each way with 8 traffic lights, so I expect to return to 16.4 mpg. In the past I shut off the engine for long traffic lights, and my mileage improved by only 0.4 mpg. Also, the G35 Coupe requires premium. It's a great car, fun to drive, but I'd like to get better mileage.

HyperMiler

07-14-2008, 10:41 AM

Hello All,

Well, I came across the term Hypermiling about 3 weeks ago and have been fascinated ever since. I just traded in my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee which got 17.8 mpg and bought a 2006 Kia Rio LX which is estimated to get 32 mpg combined. I am currently on my first tank of gas and am averaging close to 40 mpg...I will post what the final number is later, with about 75% highway driving. I'm achieving this mpg due to several recommendations I've come across while researching Hypermiling....some simple things, mostly changing my driving habit and keeping the windows rolled up, not using auxillary equipment, A/C, etc.

So i just wanted to say thanks for all the information and giving me a new hobby :D

PaleMelanesian

07-14-2008, 11:42 AM

Ha! I'm amazed that username was still available.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

OklahomaVue

07-14-2008, 02:32 PM

Hello, I've been visiting the forum over the past couple of weeks and decided to register. I recently purchased an '08 Saturn Vue Greenline and parked my FSP for the few occasions when I need it. My Vue is still in the break-in period at less than 1000 total miles. I received my scan guage last week and am still trying to figure out how best to use it. I filled up today to start my calibration of the SG. On the trip to fill-up and a test drive of the SG I got 34.1 mpg on a 22 mile drive with no AC. EPA rating is 26/32 for the Vue Greenline. Average speed of 25 mph and top speed of 52 utilizing only moderate P&G, gentle pressure on the accelerator, and DWB as much as possible in city traffic.

My commute is only 5.3 miles with one stop sign out of the neighborhood, with seven stoplights. I never seem to be able to time the lights right. FE on the commute averages only about 24 mpg mostly due to a cold engine and a couple of hills that occur right after a stoplight.

I appreciate all the good information the website has to offer and hope to learn more of the techniques.

bestmapman

07-14-2008, 02:33 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum, it looks like you have a good start already.

barry

07-14-2008, 02:51 PM

I recently started "hypermiling", though I must admit I wasn't aware of that term until fairly recently.

Even though I just dropped over $1,000 getting my AC repaired, I NEVER use it. I live 28 miles from work, which was a great idea when i bought the house 7 years ago, but not so much now! My motivation is 100% financial.

I'm getting right around 30mpg in my Camry for the last 3 tanks. I've also started carpooling with a coworker that lives near me (97 Civic 4cyl - also no AC).

Here is what I've done so far to reduce my cost:

1) Never use the AC
2) Never reverse.
3) Roll up all windows when speed exceeds 45-50 mph.
4) Set cruise control on freeway @ 57mph
5) NEVER exceed 2400rpm. (if i THINK I can make it, I wait!)

I would like to consider getting a SG...but they're kinda pricey...i DID see an old original SG on debay for $65, but even THAT is expensive.

So, thanks for putting all this information out here! I'm sure I'll use it and hopefully increase my FE even MORE!

Chuck

07-14-2008, 02:54 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG from work in E Richardson 2 miles from the TI Main plant!

gfdengine204

07-14-2008, 02:56 PM

I'd been lurking here for about a week after hearing Wayne on WGN 720AM radio on my way to work. Anytime I can save a few bucks to put towards my hobby (Radio Control Flying), I jump at the chance. Nowadays, if I can save gas money, that's just a bigger bonus!

I've started trying a few techniques (DWB, FAS, Light Timing) and trying to reduce my A/C use, and I see the MPG creeping up on my dash. Looks like I need to start saving for a SG.

So far, the posts I've read, this site seems like a top-notch hub for sharing information to stick it to AAA and OPEC! :D

jmweller2000

07-14-2008, 05:12 PM

I've had my 2008 Prius since the end of May and so far am very pleased with it. To date I've only had it on one fairly long highway trip, and that through the mountains from my home in Kamloops, BC to the Vancouver area......in the main it has served very nicely to transport my two dogs daily for hikes in the country. My average fuel economy so far has been around 4.8-4.9 L/100km. That's probably around 49mpg. Anyway, I look forward to any tips on improving on those figures, especially now that gas here is pushing $1.50/liter.

gfdengine204

07-15-2008, 02:15 PM

I just noticed on my signature line, with that neat banner, I am already a "SKILLED HYPERMILER".....how'd THAT happen? Is it because I am beating the numbers by a certain percentage?

I'm not complaining, but am a little surprised. Pleasantly surprised. :Banane06:

Right Lane Cruiser

07-15-2008, 02:45 PM

Kev, if you exceed the combined EPA you are in the Skilled class. Congratulations!

Welcome, YLD II ME! I'm surprised your car is having issues... my '02 is holding up very well?

Hybrids are an excellent choice when bought used and hypermiled. Generally speaking is very difficult to justify the extra cost on fuel savings alone, but the Prius (for example) is also a much lower TCO vehicle over the long run with fewer maintenance items needed and excellent reliability. I usually tell people that if they are intending to spend the amount needed to purchase a hybrid anyway, they should really consider the hybrid for all of the benefits.

chandler583

07-15-2008, 03:37 PM

Hi all,
I just bought a 1997 Honda Civic DX as my first car that is acutally mine, not my parents. I was interested in hypermiling, but was not very good at it with an automatic, now I have a 5spd I can get better mileage. I am looking forward to learning alot about getting better mpg.

gfdengine204

07-15-2008, 03:51 PM

Is it strange that I can't wait to fill up again to see how I am progressing?

I think I'm nuts.....I'll not say what my WIFE thinks.....LOL (At least she is trying some techniques, and trying to avoid her leadfoot ways....I always love when she says "I've been slowing down" and I punch up the history in the Garmin and see max speed in the 80's.....LOL)

shine0853

07-16-2008, 10:45 AM

Hey Chandler! Welcome

Congrats on your NEW CAR!!!

I had a 97 dx manual and loved my little Beep Beep car! Drove that car til 100500 miles when someone decided to redecorate my front end! anyway, all I ever did with my car was change the oil on 3000mi intervals, fill with gas and go! The one stickler was having the exhaust pipe changed,...seems like they rust out fast. At 90,000 I got the typical mechanical stuff done, timing belt and my first tune up. so tank up your tires to mfg weight, most here have 44psi, put that baby into neutral and coast away....I was averaging 45-55mpg in my car. It does take time though, you have to know the feel and get into the grove of shifting. Keep the rpm rate down below 2000, and never over 3000.

try to always move forward from parking places or stops...slow aceleration, shift in low speeds to 5th gear as soon as possible.
look forward to see what is around you, sides of you in your typical traffic driving, be prepared to coast to stops.
drive the speed limit or a bit below
UPS does only right turns to reduce stoping and waiting for traffic, when possible around town I'll be trying that as well....

Best of luck!

PaleMelanesian

07-16-2008, 11:13 AM

Welcome Chandler! I like your car - it's very capable in the world of fuel economy.

Pulse & Glide is a huge bonus. Keep the speeds down - the transmission is a mileage-killer above about 55 mph. Also, tire pressure makes a big difference in how well it can coast. It's not a very good coasting car by default.

I try to keep the rpm below 2000. That means 4th gear around 25mph and 5th by 35. On a steady-speed level road you can use 5th down to 25mph even. You'll have to be light on the throttle, but that's another thing we try for anyway.

TXRodeoinCT

07-16-2008, 11:27 AM

As an introduction let me say, I am brand new to the Hypermiling scene, kind of.
It occured to me back when gas hit $3 per gallon that I needed to see if I could get to work the whole week on a single tank. driving in Houston TX, I was driving on Highways, but not getting hwy mileage. I would go over 7 or 8 overpasses, and a huge shipchannel bridge. I decided to start slowing on my uphill climbs, and speeeding up on the downhill, and coasting inbetween. I thought I was getting better mileage, but maybe it was a placebo. On that big bridge, I would shift to neutral and coast for about a mile and a half.
Now it looks like it wasn't all in my head, I was on the right track!!!

SO I saw the report on CNN that everyone is saying bashed Hypermiling, but I didn't really get to pay attention (at work). All I saw was some guy driving and they said he was getting better gas mileage. I decided I had to look online and find out what was going on.

Now I am very excited, and have been truely hypermiling one full day! I have an hour and a half commute, and a 97 Isuzu Rodeo that is forcing me to look for ways to conserve. (1.5 hr commute is only for another week or so) I have started light timing, and reducing my full stops. I don't think I came to a complete stop more than 5 times today!

My big questions are these:
what do you guys suggest as simple upgrades to my car for better power and efficiency?
I have pumped up my tires, and on my next oil change I will be using different oil.
how about air filters (K&N advertises on your site, are they worth the $50?)
what about spark plugs, any brand or type (splitfire, iridium)
car batteries, I have heard there are brands that improve your car performance.

Hills: I am not used to them. I have found plenty of opportunities to coast down the slopes, and it is kind of like skiing. I think I have the right ideas, but any tips would be greatly appreciated. I just moved to Connecticut, and it is VERY hilly, compared to Houston.

Winter: its comming, and as much as I love the cold, there is lots I don't know. What can I do now to prepare?

I really wish I could afford a scan gauge, but for the moment, I will be spending my upgrade money on things that will make my car run better.

btw I told my wife about all this, and described some of the simpler, defensive driving type manuvers, like keeping a good following distance, reducing breakage before a necessary stop, and such. She just looked at me and said, "duh, I already do that, and I have been begging you to for years!" I just changed the breaks in my Rodeo, so I will be expecting them to last forever!

Cyrix_2k

07-16-2008, 01:03 PM

I just bought a '97 BMW 540i 6 speed to replace my '96 318i (auto) convertible. The 'vert is better on gas (40+ mpg on the highway), but it's just too small for longer commutes. The 540i is doing around 30mpg on the highway, but traffic's been killing me. 23.5 mpg on the way into work this morning :-/ I expect that number to improve as I get better with the clutch.

Bman64

07-16-2008, 08:19 PM

Hi there everyone! This is my first post and I have learned so much from reading all the articles. I hope to improve my hypermiling abilities in the coming months. I can't believe how much my gas milage has improved already from a few simple changes to my driving habits.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/2089L.png

rinehapa

07-16-2008, 09:30 PM

__I couldn't stand on the sidelines any more. I've been reading through the cleanmpg.com web site for the past year and a half now and finally decided today that I need to become an official part of the community.
__Mostly, my mission is reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing air pollution. I've been using the "easy to do" hypermiling techniques on this site and my gas mileage has gone up about 23% and I wasn't driving wastefully before. Plus, I am enjoying driving more now that I have techniques to pay attention to.
__Anyway, thank you for this forum, and I look forward to learning more and beginning to post my experiences.

laurieaw

07-16-2008, 10:01 PM

welcome rinehapa and bman64. lots of information to be had, you might start with the article and the hows and whys of hypermiling, and feel free to ask plenty of questions. :)

HyperMiler

07-17-2008, 08:14 AM

Hello All,

...I am currently on my first tank of gas and am averaging close to 40 mpg...I will post what the final number is later, with about 75% highway driving...

Just wanted to update anyone who's interested...I just refueled my tank and I got 429.6 miles on 10.235 gallons, which comes out to 42MPG!! :woot::bananapowerslide:

SadClown

07-17-2008, 08:34 AM

Hello everyone. Heard about this site on my way home tuesday and checked it out. Wednesday morning I starting I guess trying to hypermile it to work. Ended up getting 26 mpg with my 05 PT Cruiser which wasn't bad since I was only getting 22 maybe 23 mpg before. On the way home I did more of the Techniques and was shocked when the pump stopped so quick. an amazing 44 mpg iin a car that is way past for an oil change, well that is until this afternoon. I told half my semi-pro football team about this last night. My goal is 50mpg by next week.

TXRodeoinCT

07-17-2008, 09:48 AM

Well, it looks like I am not the only one that is shocked by how big of an improvement I am getting in just one day! I drove almost 170 miles yesterday, and had burned only a third of a tank. I usually have burnt half a tank at 150mi. Here in Connecticut there are so many hills, I have my car turned off half of my drive. I can see how this will improve the life of my auto as well.

2sa

07-17-2008, 12:08 PM

New owner of a 08 Honda Civic EX Sedan AT and new to this site. Posting mainly to check sig and introduce myself. I have little to add here but much to learn. Great site!

simon1962@hotmail.com

07-17-2008, 04:56 PM

Hi every body, I'm quite happy to find this site. I am hypermilling since 4 years all by my self. I have modify my driving style by a lot. Actually I drive a Honda Accord 2000, manual transmission about 200 000 miles already ! Now my summer time avreage is 5.7liter/100 Km and the published EPA is about 6.7liter/100km.

I hope to find new technics and tricks!

Cheers!

Simon

Tom Munch

07-18-2008, 01:37 AM

Hello everyone. I'm just joining today. I have a Honda Fit Automatic. I know, I should have bought a manual, but I'm going to try to make the best of what I have. I just bought a ScanGauge II & have programmed some XGauge Trips so that I can watch my Tank MPG's & Trip MPG's. I also did the Horsepower XGauge today.

I'm disappointed by my first full fill. I had 40.9 MPG on my XGauge Tank MPG when I got gas tonight only to find that I had only 35.5 MPG when I calculated it myself. The Fillup showed the correct gallons, but the Tank MPG was wrong. I guess it'll take some time to learn all this & figure it all out. I'm happy that I'm already using better gas-saving techniques though.

Tom

Tom Munch

07-18-2008, 01:46 AM

I see that I need to adjust my cutoff valve for one higher than my TPS, so I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm already learning from this site.

Tom

sschluter

07-18-2008, 04:56 PM

Hello everyone, I have been studying about hybrids, hypermiling in non hybrids for a couple of months now. This web site has so much information; it has taken that long for me to go through it all. We were set out to buy a Prius or a Civic Hybrid 2 months ago, however our dealers out here in Montana or Wyoming were unable to get us either. We have been Honda fans all the way for many years now. We traded our 2004 Honda Element in (before this web site 22mpg & after reading about hypermiling 25mpg average) on a 2008 VW GTI, I know everyone was totally surprised but it made it in the top 13 out of 100 for low Greanhouse emissions. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-top100/ This car really drives great and have gotten a average of 34 mpg on the first tank and on our second tank we just got 38.3 after learning more what works best for mpg. We are currently doing the entire break in procedures recommended in the manual, that some hurts the current mpg. Still a lot more to learn but, we can’t wait to break it in so we can shoot for 45 + mpg. Thanks to each and every person that contributes to this web site. We still need a second car, so I am holding out for 2010 hybrid models.

Steve

RedylC94

07-19-2008, 02:20 AM

Hello,

In late 1980, I bought a 1981 Mazda GLC 5-speed manual. It now shows over 538,000 miles and is still capable of slightly over 50 mpg on good days, without resort to extraordinary measures. It may have to be replaced soon, though. I've been familiar with the principles of what's lately termed "hypermiling" for a long time, but I'm a novice at navigating forums of any sort.

Thanks

cephraim

07-19-2008, 09:37 AM

New to the forum and to my 08 Nissan Altima Hybrid. Only about halfway through my first tank!

Would love to speak with anybody that is using HM techniques in this car.
Also, am interested in ScanGauge tricks and "optimization points" with this car.

Thanks!
Eph

laurieaw

07-19-2008, 10:52 AM

welcome, all 3 of you. it will be interesting with the 3 different vehicles to see how you all do.

cephraim, i am pretty sure we have a couple of altima hybrids here, and they will probably give you some good tips.

redylC94 - 538,000 miles!!!! holy cow, puts the 200,000 on my cold 93 civic to shame. wonderful job.

sschluter, there is a lot of interest on here about the TDI, should be fun to read about it.

i suggest starting with the article on the Hows and Whys of Hypermiling for a start, and don't be afraid to post and ask questions.

jppII

07-19-2008, 11:40 PM

Well here goes my first try at this. I guess most people here have a compact car. I have a truck to tow my 5th wheel camper. My mileage is good though, 34-38 not towing highway and 22-26 city. When I tow the 18,000 pound camper I get 22-26, is this good? I guess so but I would like to improve on it. I hope to find the answers here in the forums. It seems that there is a lot of good information and knowledge here to ponder. Any help would be apreciated.
John:flag:

skipdykoski

07-20-2008, 01:24 PM

red928

07-20-2008, 01:55 PM

Re: Welcome to CleanMPG

I had to replace my '03 VW Golf TDI due to an accident and ended up with an '08 Civic Hybrid. Am still on my first tank of fuel and am slowly dragging it up into the low fifties. Mileage includes driving the car home to Ks. from Ar.:300 miles, 96 degrees, 50-85 mph, limited ac. Average when I figured out how to access the data was: 42.3 I have a 60 mile one way commute on mostly flat Kansas prairie and am looking forward to beating the VW's 55 mpg.

laurieaw

07-20-2008, 02:00 PM

I just had more than an hour clinic / lesson by Wayne Gerdes here at Hybridfest in Madison Wisconsin.
Awesome!!!!
In my '04 Prius I got 94.3 MPG for a 14 miles city / small highway / little freeway driving.
Wayne really beat me up for my heavy foot on both the accelerator and brake.
And NEVER USE B (unless in the Colorado mountains) (and never use cruise (unless long trips and a cramped calf)).
Pulse and glide.
Look about three times further ahead than I'm used to.
And make that mustache on the mimicker (engine running, charging battery, but no battery running the MG2).
Go into the stealth mode.
So, much to remember, so little time.
Thanks, Wayne.
Skip

hey, fellow minnesotan!! you have joined the local ranks of "clinic with wayne" and survived. glad you had a chance to get a lesson from a pro. there are several minnesota drivers on here, right lane cruiser is pretty close to you in coon rapids, he can probably answer questions for you, since we have both trained at the feet of the master.....:p

acura1.7

07-22-2008, 12:49 AM

Okay i guess i can come out of the closet now and say that i am officially a hypermiler. I haven't read through a lot of the forums or techniques as of yet but i will just comment on what i have done thus far and what i drive.
I have a 2002 Acura 1.7Premium,5spd manual transmission, not available in the states but I guess is kind of like a dolled up Civic Si with the vtec engine.
I was experiencing about 35 mpg (imperial gallon) before i started hypermiling.
My first tank of hypermiling i increased to 44 mpg
my second tank of hypermiling i increased to 51.6mpg again using our old imperial gallons.
This works out to 5.46liters/100 km.
My commute to work every day is about 25 minutes, half of this on a highway.
Here are some of my strategies that i have done, i would appreciate any comments.

1. Try not to use the brake.....and not meaning running red lights or stop signs. But more or less anticipating lights, coasting to red lights.
2. Shutting my engine off during coasting, and then turning the ignition key back so that i have lights, radio etc.
3. Shutting engine off at lights that i know are more than 20 seconds...actually doing this along with above item 2. Or jump starting vehicle by engaging vehicle into gear if light changes before coming to a stop.
4. Keep the AC off or at least turn it on and off intermittently on hot days.
5. Gradually increase my speed, keeping my rpms down as much as possible.
6. I have achieved these results without reducing my speed on the highway as i still do about 115 to 120 km/h (65 to 70mph)

Comments?

paraganek

07-22-2008, 01:31 PM

Hi,

I am Daniel from Portland, OR.
I drive 5 speed 2008 Yaris Liftback.
I use it only to commute to work 5 days a week, it is 11 miles one way, average speed 35 MPH, 100% city driving.
Currently I am getting about 38 MPG.
My goal is to get over 40 MPG so I just joined this forum to find some help with gas saving techniques.

PaleMelanesian

07-22-2008, 01:53 PM

Welcome, Daniel. Stick around, and 40 in that car is soon going to be your low mileage mark, instead of your high mileage mark.

My commute is also 11 miles, I also drive a small 4-cyl car with a 5 speed. My commute is 1/2 rural 55mph and 1/2 city with 40 and 45 limits.

flatty

07-23-2008, 10:33 AM

Great site!

Been monitoring it for awhile, bought a SCII on the recs here and have improved what I thought was all I could for my lifted 03 Jeep Rubicon. Most people get 13-15mpg with this configuration (lift, knobby tires, winch, heavy bottom armor, etc) and I’ve improved to 19.1mpg (tank), which is 2 mpg beyond EPA highway; significant, since the EPA test were done with short jeeps on smooth car tires.

That sounds like small improvement, but it’s 27% and about 76 miles more range per tank. I commute 8 miles each way in 35-50 mph country roads. You get very little help from the vehicle to hypermile, probably making it a good trainer. The only advantage is the torque of the old I6 engine is so low that you use top gear at 30mph. Otherwise, you rarely need brakes; it almost stops when you let off the gas, even with tires at 65psi. Aerodynamics (lack thereof) kill you at anything over 50mph, so I take the back road to steady-state at lower speeds.

Using the SCII, I try to keep MAP under 8 inches with driving feedback provided by TPS number. This gives spot MPG around 23.9 or so on flat ground. I shut down at any light (and rolling up to them) greater than 10 secs. I doubt that I can get much better than a 20 mpg tank without working very, very hard at it. There is so much working against you. Any tips to do so, given the jeep’s config, are welcome. The SCII paid for itself in about 6 weeks.

I have been ‘commuting’ mostly on a 71 year old Harley Davidson, named “Prius”, getting about 45mpg without restraint. It could get 55-60mpg with little effort, but that gets into diminished returns and it’s too much fun to just ride. I get about 6 months of use of the bike in a year so it averages down total annual consumption well.

What hooked me to this site was Wayne’s review of the euro Civic diesel. (That Honda will waste the i-DTEC in the US next year on the overstuffed TSX is appalling.) His tech neutral approach is refreshing and when he confirmed it’s performance and great packaging with the road test here in the States, I realized we have to wait until the market reacts and we get some more well rounded options here (MY2010? 11?).

Besto, - Charlie

3Hondas

07-23-2008, 11:29 PM

Hello to everyone. As a kid I rode my bicycle to a from work with an average ride of 16 miles each way.

Applying the priciples of hypermiling to my car based on what I learned from riding my bicycle was easy. I just ordered a scan gauge for each of my Hondas and hope to get better mileage.

Looking forward to learning from this forum.

arizonavalentine

07-25-2008, 01:24 AM

Hello to all. I am a 42 year old car enthusiast. I used to drive a BMW 550i and I followed most of the techniques and was able to get some fairly good gas mileage. I would avg 21 - 27 mpg. A far cry from some of the numbers posted here. I recently purchased a 2008 Accord LX-S Coupe 5M. It only has 1000 miles on it so the best mileage are a few miles away. I just purchased a scan gauge and look forward to receiving it. I am committed to post my data here and compare it to other results. I have been in the background reading this forum for sometime now and finally decided to become a member.

jakrolla

07-25-2008, 12:19 PM

Howdy everyone.

I’m Gary from central Texas. I drive a 1998 Civic HX CVT which currently gets 40 MPG in average. My daily commute is 23 miles each way with 95% highway driving.

I just received my SGII this week and look forward to getting better FE with few tips that I have been learning from this forums. So far, I use P&G (on gear) whenever possible, reduce my A/C usage, drive 55-60 MPG on highway, DWL, DWB.

I am a strong supporter of the upcoming bumper sticker “Research Vehicle – Please Pass” because people in Texas dislike slow highway drivers like me.

ikea4532

07-25-2008, 12:24 PM

welcome to the forum, and you will surely put better and better numbers as you get used to the new driving techniques.

SuperFudd

07-26-2008, 12:11 AM

Hi all,

I commute 22 miles each way from Union City Ca. to Sunnyvale each work day in my '94 Plymouth Sundance 2.2L auto via I-880 and I-237. I get 27-28 mpg in from stop and go to 65 mph traffic. I live and work farely close to these freeways.
The other car, the one my wife drives, is a '96 Buick Regal 3.8L auto. It was EPA rated at 30 mpg highway. Over the years I have heard good things about this engine / Tranny combination so a couple of weeks ago I comuted that week in the Regal. I kept the RPM at 2k or less except at on ramps where I went to 2.5k. It will go 70 mph at 2k. I got 30.3 mpg! so much for some "economy" cars. I am thinking of replacing the gas guzzling Sundance with an economical 1 or 2 year old 3.8L 200hp auto Pontiac Grand Prix. Basically the same engine, tranny and weight as the Regal. ;> I should be abel to get a <20k miles one for ~$14k. Beats allot of $14k econo boxes all to heck.

warthog1984

07-26-2008, 12:47 AM

I am thinking of replacing the gas guzzling Sundance with an economical 1 or 2 year old 3.8L 200hp auto Pontiac Grand Prix.

SuperFudd-

Are you open to slowing down?

I've experienced Several Chrysler products near-identical to yours ('88 Plymouth Sundance Duster, '89 Dodge Daytona, '94 Dodge Shadow), they are very good and fun cars, but they have very Deep/Short gearing. The MPG hit above 55MPH is quite severe, but the FE at and below 55MPH is excellent (23/30 according to the EPA).

Your Regal OTOH gets 20/29 according to the EPA.

Food for Thought.

av8rDave

07-26-2008, 01:51 AM

Hi, I'm new to this site, but found it after hearing Wayne on the radio. I live in So Cal, where the temperature is great and the government is left-wing looney-tunes socialistic.

I drive a 2000 Ford Ranger (automatic) and have consistently gotten 17-18 mpg in regular driving for the past several years. Lately, I've been following some tips and advice from these forums and have gotten it up to 19-20.

Then I bought a Scan Gauge, and set it up for engine size, etc, and have been trying to squeak out the best mileage I can. I'm still on my first tank, but it says my tank MPG is 25.2. Most of my trips to work and back have shown 24-27, so if this gauge is anywhere close to accurate, having the real-time MPG display feedback REALLY HELPS.

I guess I'll find out for sure when I fill up and reset, but it looks good so far.

My daily commute is 10-11 miles each way - 50% freeway, 50% surface streets.

PVaultGuy

07-26-2008, 03:15 PM

Hi, I just joined the site. Started hypermiling about two months ago after seeing a news story on it. I'm looking foward to improving my FE.

sandman

07-27-2008, 11:15 AM

Hello everyone:

My name is Roger and I am from Kentucky. I drive a 2008 gray Prius had it about 5 months I commute 174 miles each day with 80% Interstate been doing a lot of research on hypermiling and trying to read everything Wayne and hobbit have posted led me to this site looks good..I have averaged 55MPG with my prius with my best tank at 59.3 at 641 miles but I would love to get a 60+ tank getting ready to order a scangauge II..I almost forgot I love my car and love talking to people about it ...:)

armadaman

07-27-2008, 02:22 PM

Hello,
I've been visiting this site for at least a year and I just registered.Been a fan of Wayne and MSantos and the MIMA guy...can't remember his name this moment.I currently own a 2004 HCH1 with Cvt and am going to buy an Insight soon (within a week).I'm just wondering if I should get another Cvt or get the REAL fuel sipping 5-speed.Any thoughts ?

xcel

07-27-2008, 02:28 PM

Hi Sandman:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and thank you for driving the most fuel efficient new vehicle you can purchase in the US. Pulling close to 60 already is doing a great job and I suspect you will see a little more once SG-II equipped as well. Either way, almost 60 on an all highway drive for a new driver is doing very well indeed.

___I can also tell you love your Prius as you should ;)

___Armadaman, welcome as well! I suspect you own the lean-burn capable HCH-I and oh how that thing loves the Interstate! As for the Insight, if you have a choice, pick up the 5-speed or you may be disappointed.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

armadaman

07-27-2008, 02:35 PM

Thanks,Wayne
I know that the 5 speed with get about 10 mpg better (or more) than the CVT , right ?
Any other reasons like reliability,cost,etc. that you could share with me ?

froggman

07-27-2008, 04:35 PM

Hi, My name is Tom and I just registered. I have been viewing the site for a couple of months now and I am just starting to hypermile. On my last tank I aver. just over 34 mpg in my 92' Prelude. This was the best mileage I have gotten in this car.

Thanks for the site.

BillyK

07-27-2008, 10:04 PM

I just registered. I have been active in some other hybrid forums. I read more than post and will admit others know more about vehicle operation/technology than I do. That is why I read more than post. I have a 2005 AWD Escape Hybrid that I "found" new :)last June. I will generally stay focused on my vehicle. I do have two scanguages and would like to know if anyone has found a way to display fuel ethanol composition percent in the scanguage or other piece of portable hardware.

RJBonsett

07-28-2008, 04:50 PM

Greetings...I am retired here in Central Florida and have always be into cars.
I now have a 2006 Ford Focus Wagon which my wife and I enjoy exploring the Florida that tourists seldom see. I recently purchase a Scan Gauge II to check my mileage but cannot get it to work. When I first plugged it in it started showing engine functions, rpm etc. I then disconnected to hide the cable and mount the gauge on the dash. When I again plugged it in it shows connecting for a short time then goes to sleep. I have tried to contact the manufacturer to no avail (by e-mail per their site). Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks,
RJBonsett

hellojessii

07-29-2008, 10:44 PM

Hello fellow conservationists, I'm Jessi! I drive a 2001 Ford Mustang (which I've only had for about three weeks), and I just recently found out about hypermiling, in addition to the EPA rating of my car (a one >:|). I used to speed like a demon, but since I've discovered hypermiling, I've been going at least ten miles under the speed limit, putting my car in neutral and gliding, and a host of other hypermiling practices that I deem safe enough for myself to try out haha. My only problem is...my Mustang did not come equipped with cruise control, which many hypermilers swear by. I filled up my tank yesterday night, and drove 48 miles today without the gauge moving from full! Oh, and I was also wondering if anyone else has an '01 Mustang and what their gas milage is. Thank you!

gspizler

07-30-2008, 10:19 PM

Hello. My name is Gary. I just heard about this websight/blog for the first time this evening. I have no idea about how to use hypermiling on a 2001 buick lesabre limited. I'm open to any suggestions that may improve my pitiful 19mpg average.

MrMeticulous

08-03-2008, 04:18 PM

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Shane from Charlotte, NC. We have a 2002 GMC Envoy (2 kids and a semi-work vehicle saw the need for this SUV, plus we got it for a great deal).

I read about Hypermiling in the local paper and figured I'd check out the site. I'm glad I found the site as we are leaving for a trip to Florida next week. Definitely going to employ some of the practices on here while out on the open road.

SiCoaster

08-04-2008, 02:12 PM

Hell all!
I am new to the site, and, in general, new to discussions on how to lower my fuel bill by means other than "don't drive as much."

I'm middle-age, and my wife just bought me my "mid life crisis" car. I've driven a '99 Chevy Tahoe since it was new. My Tahoe now has about 170K miles on it, and it's only redeeming attribute is that it's paid for! It get's about 14.5 mpg where I drive most, which is back and forth to work.

....back to my new car..... My wife bought me a Honda Civic Si (red coupe). Since I've had it, I've been checking my gas mileage. It's been getting about 24 mpg while driving back and forth to work as well as running errands. If I drive it a little harder, the mileage drops proportionally to how long/hard I drive it, with my worst mileage thus far being about 20 mpg average for a tank.

I've read in this forum where folks are claiming to get 30+ mpg city with the same car. I have taken it as a challenge to accomplish the same efficiency myself!

I've tried the coasting technique in town, which really isn't that different from my "normal" driving habits, but I'm now more conscious of it, and have will undoubtedly improve my efficiency as I map my favorite routes.

I think the hardest part is going to be keeping the RPM's low while driving a car that responds well when pushed hard; say in the 6,000 - 8,000 RPM range ;)

I'm looking forward to learning how I can be more efficient!

jhughes556

08-04-2008, 04:06 PM

I heard about this site on the drive in this morning and thought I should check it out. Two years ago my wife and I decided to dump the minivan and go on the wait list for a new 07Prius. At the time the wait was only about 30 days but I absolutely refused to pay anything above MSRP. After the 30 day wait, remarkably our new Prius arrived. My wife was exstatic. Right "out of the box" she was getting 45 - 48 MPG. It became a mini-competition for us to see who could get the best mileage. I was hooked on the high mileage game. Within that first month, I had to enter the game too and after a search of about a week, I purchased an '01 Insight with a 5 speed. Of course, I've been smokin the MPG doors off her ever since. We have beem doing some of the techniques described here but its tough giving up that AC in the middle of the summer! My wife is regulary doing 51-53 mpg in her Prius under untrained driving. AC on and about 50/50 stop-go/highway. The Insight is doing 55-58 on a regular basis. Drafting is amazing and I've done upwards of 85mpg's but its tough on the nerves....

xcel

08-04-2008, 04:21 PM

Hi SiCoaster:

___Welcome to CleanMPG and you will find a ton of help with your Civic as many of our members drive them. Not many Si’s of course but with its hopped up mill, her pulses don’t last that long ;)

___Jhuges, I hear you about A/C. If you need it, you need it. Fortunately, you may only have a month or two of that left and you will find 100 + mpg without close-ins. Close-in’s in an Insight is a dangerous game and does not usually work out well because of the speeds. When you find lean-burn on a lengthy segment, you are going to find a lot higher than what you have found so far and the Prius will be nothing but a fading memory in the rear view wrt FE ;)

___About your wife’s Prius FE, you have read the Prius specific techniques we use in them right? Glides, Native P&G and SHM will change that vehicle into a weapon to stave off the gas pump once she has it all down.

___Good Luck and welcome to both of you!

___Wayne

Killroy

08-06-2008, 09:08 AM

I bought a insight a Y2K Insight last October cheap on Ebay and had it shipped all the way from Florida to California. I drove the car home and I was so happy with how the car worked and the fuel economy that I could get.

The insight appealed to me to me for many reasons: As a engineer, I like the fact that this whole car was well optimized for fuel economy and some very interesting designs are the result. I always had a problem using fossil fuels and the result to the environment. The other problem is what this country would do to secure cheap oil and the possible links to the Iraq war. We would be a more secure country if we sourced most of our energy from this country.

Because I bike to work a lot, there was a 3 month stretch where I only burned 5 gallons thanks to the car too.

I have been fixing the car up since because the pictures on Ebay looked a lot better than up close. Since then I have replaced the hood and repainted the front end thanks to DAS, "Dependable Autoshipers". Then I replaced the IMA system under warranty because when I got it, the IMA light was on. I have been doing a lot of cosmetic changes to make it look better including replacing a faded steering wheel, cleaning and polishing the paint and removing all the stickers and honda emblems because I like a clean look.

Other small changes are slight weight reduction buy removing the spair and tool kit and replacing it with a Leatherman and a can of fix a flat. The hatch actuator broke so I just removed it because the hatch still pops manually. I had to fix the rear lip spoiler because it was about to fall off and in the process I had to remove the hatch wiper and wiper motor. I just left them off and covered the hole with tape and a vynile sticker. The wiper removal helps aerodynamics and makes the car look nicer in my opinion.

I can get good FE at 55 mpg (70+ mpg), but when there is traffic on the road going 65+, I try and stay in the slow lane at 60 mph and speed up to 65 mph if someone is following me, the only problem is that when I commute that like I only get 61-63 mpg. I want to go with the flow, but my goal is over 70 mpg, but I can only do that on long trips driving around 55 mph.

Right Lane Cruiser

08-06-2008, 10:06 AM

Welcome, Killroy! There is plenty of info here for Insight drivers -- you've got an excellent machine. :)

run500mph

08-06-2008, 10:32 AM

Oh my, lots of new guys, this is great. Welcome to everyone!

To get ginormous mpg numbers that will blow peoples minds you basically....

Read here.
Ask.
Scanguage.
Practice.
Repeat.

gspizler, I am really anxious to see what your Buick Lesabre is capable of. I know that thing is capable of close to 40MPG. Yeah that's right.

take care and again welcome to you all.

yukonman:O

08-06-2008, 01:21 PM

Hi everyone.

I'm 17 and am just starting to drive but the car I am driving is a 1997 yukon slt (step-dads old car) and its kind of tough on gas. After my last fill up i reset the trip meter so I would be able to figure out my mpg the next time i filled up. So I filled it up this morning and was anxious to see if I did good or not. The EPA only says it gets a combined 15mpg but thats with a new engine and this car is over 10 years old! So I was expecting to get around 11 or 12 mpg because of where my fuel guage was and how many miles I drove. After filling up for the second time I could see that I traveled 294 miles on 19.829 gallons of gas giving me an average of 14.83mpg! I was pretty happy and realized that my fuel guage on the dash probably isn't perfectly accurate.

Anyway I was pretty psyched about my 14.83mpg but I find it kind comical that most of you guys would be pissed off if you got triple my mpg rating!

I've been trying different things and am hoping to eventually get over 15 and maybe 16 mpg with my yukon.

run500mph

08-06-2008, 03:43 PM

once you practice and read and learn here, you will get above 30mph in that Yukon!

snyna0

08-06-2008, 10:11 PM

Hello. I am new to the site. I am a teenager who drives a 2001 Dodge Stratus. I am currently getting 20 miles to the gallon, which is not impressive to me at all. It is, however, 2 miles per gallon over the EPA estimate. I have the computer screen that tells me my miles per gallon. I commute 9 miles to my job and use the highway a lot, but I don't seem to be getting any better. I am afraid to do the "hardcore" hypermiling like turning off the car because I'm afraid it will somehow damage the car in the long run. Is that true? And, should I back in to my parking space at work and school or is that a myth as well? I am hoping to get 30 MPG using advice from this site and changing my driving habits. Thanks in advance for helping me!

Killroy

08-06-2008, 10:25 PM

Welcome, Killroy! There is plenty of info here for Insight drivers -- you've got an excellent machine. :)

The Insight has a lot of data available stock from the dash. Do people still use the Scan gauge?

msirach

08-06-2008, 10:55 PM

Hey snyna0 & yukonman:O ,
You both can do much better! Set a goal! Yukon-20mpg Stratus-30mpg It can be done with a moderate attempt.
If you haven't already, read: Beating the EPA, The Why's and How to Hypermile (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510)

Good luck and feel free to ask questions.

Right Lane Cruiser

08-07-2008, 08:29 AM

The Insight has a lot of data available stock from the dash. Do people still use the Scan gauge?

Personally, I've not been using one in mine but other people do to keep track of air and coolant temps, throttle position, RPM, open/closed loop, trip distances, average speeds, etc. It can't cope with the variable air/fuel ratio introduced by lean burn but it is very useful for the other functions as well.

I mostly use my SG in the Elantra to give me the information that is already available on the Insight dash.

satchel

08-10-2008, 03:39 PM

Hello. I slowed down when gas hit $3.50 and even though it's about back there I'm looking to improve the numbers we've achieved so far. To that end I've put Mobil1 0-30W in the Civic sohc and both vehicles tires to sidewall(double what I always ran in the ol' pathy), and a SGII on the way. Any special advice for set-up in the Civic would be appreciated. The gas fillup is where I see greatest chance for discrepancy. I don't trust the pump clicking off at all. I can get nearly three more gallons in after a first click. I think I pumped 12.6 gallons total one time. I like that capacity as it makes a 500 mile tank possible. I just wonder about calibrating the SGII. Thanks IA

sensfaction

08-12-2008, 03:02 PM

Just wanted to say hi. I live in canada drive a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4wd sport.

My gas consumption is quite atrocious. I drive to work mon - fri 32 km and i put 85 - 90 / week.

My wife and I are looking to buy two cars that have better gas mileage. Was hoping this site could help us. I am considering a citi golf and something else. Not sure what the something else is.

Look forward to meeting many of you.

Sensfaction

run500mph

08-13-2008, 10:25 AM

Hey snyna0, welcome, you came to the right place. If I can get 75.6mpg on a 36 mile trip on a regular 4 cylinder car, then you can easily get 35-45Jumpg out of your vehicle. I know it...
l
Just read the article Beating the E

run500mph

08-13-2008, 10:28 AM

Beating the EPA on the top right of the Homepage. section 2 tells you the main tools. Within a short time if you read and ask here, you will be shocked at how many miles per gallon you can get out of your car.

Go out and inflate those tires at least to the max sidewall pressure. very first thing you would do to get an instant increase in your mpg numbers.....

welcome again and you will do great, you already are...

neutron

08-14-2008, 10:08 PM

I suppose I should final introduce myself since I've been on here for some time now. The wife and I own an 08 Jeep Patriot 4x4 with CVT and a 2.4L VVT engine which is just getting broken in. We also own a 1994 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 4.0L which I will drive until the Troopers pull me over and tell me they are having it towed to the junkyard. We live in a snow belt region in Michigan so 4x4 is nice (plus I like to travel the road less driven a couple of times a month) but for my replacement to the Cherokee it will probably be more fuel efficient.

I have been reading through some of the posts and articles and they are very interesting. I've adopted a few of the techniques for driving more efficient (I was already doing some of them before) and have seen 5-10% improvement. I have even paid more attention to my tire pressures. I use to check them once a month but after the first kid it became every 3 months and now with 2 under 2 its every oil change (yikes!). I might get a better tire gauge since the one I have only reads to +/- 1 lb and I don't trust it to better than +/- 2 lbs. My dealer rotated my tires on my 94 Cherokee and they reported 1 overinflated and 3 under inflated. Since then I've seen at least a 0.5 mpg increase on the 4.0L beast with no changes to my driving. Thus, I'm watching my tire pressures more closely than ever and considering a better gauge.

Anyway, I digress.

My standard commute is 12 miles one way between two small, rural towns. From time-to-time I take a "short cut", which here means through the woods. I won't describe that experience. My work place is in a city of less than 20k and my residence is in a city of about 5k people. Thus, most of that 12 mile commute is highway (est. 85 % of it). There is a nice little hill (elevation change about 500 feet) as I come home from work. It was a mountain range, according to the experts, until an ice age deposited it down state :) Here we have to deal with a significant amount of winter and winter weather. On average by November it is below freezing every night and not much above during the day. We average over 100 inches of snow a year (over 200 inches from time to time) but fortunately it doesn't come all in the same month. Winter ends about the first to second week of April. This means that I run 4WD and in cold temps for a significant amount of the time. The plot of my MPG numbers bears this out in a very dramatic fashion.

Thanks for having me. :flag:

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