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And my hightest mpg yet! (by 1 1/2 mpg...)
540.5 miles, 9.604 gals = 56.28 mpg.

And that is with the cool February weather (we don't do "cold" in NorCal :-) where I don't get up to operating temp until 19 miles into a 23 mile commute, one horrid 20 mile 35 mpg trip in the poring rain, and lots of nights where I had to have the ICE on to keep from losing the battery.

After daylight savings time and warmer weather, I can see something on the other side of 60 mpg happening.

Larry

Congratulations. Those are some impressive numbers.

Congratulations! Excellent work -- this spring should be interesting for you. ;)

Congrats, nice driving :D

56.28 mpg is awesome, from a FIT! Is it MT or AT?

I don't know from MT or AT. It is the FIT Sport (not the base model).
Still, I'm sure I could have done better in my (long gone) 81 Civic Wagon.

Larry

Brain freeze! I get manual or automatic. Manual, of course, I don't do automatic (even before I started hypermiling)!

Larry

holy hell, thats a great tank!

Nice tank! Could you give some more detail about your driving? You said 23 mile commute. Is it city, highway, or mixed? Hills or flat? What hypermiling techniques do you use? It's nice to see all that to help compare. I'm only managing 32mpg in my '07 Civic, so I'd love to know what you do to get 56. Thanks!

Jealous. Seriously.

well done !

How'd you do it? A lot of FAS P&G and 55 mph cruising?

I never broke 44 mpg on my HX. I'd be glad if I could consistently get 45 mpg tanks, but I don't hypermile much.

Nice tank! Could you give some more detail about your driving? You said 23 mile commute. Is it city, highway, or mixed? Hills or flat? What hypermiling techniques do you use? It's nice to see all that to help compare. I'm only managing 32mpg in my '07 Civic, so I'd love to know what you do to get 56. Thanks!

Well, in the first place I drive a manual. I could never do this in an automatic, so the first thing I'd recommend is to sell the automatic and buy a manual! :-) Most of my driving involves key off/key on stuff that only works well with a manual. If I had my way automatic transmission would never have been invented. :-)

Larry

Wow how did I miss this thread. So yeah, how about some documentation on that record tank? :) I've yet to beat 44.8

Wow how did I miss this thread. So yeah, how about some documentation on that record tank? :) I've yet to beat 44.8

OK. So here is the gory detail. First, the set up. I have the tires at 51 psi (Max sidewall), and am using Mobil 1 5-20. (Couldn't find any 0-20 at Kragen) I try to keep the car cleared out of all "stuff".

Second, the usual route. My commute is 23.5 miles. First 1.1 miles is uphill to the FWY entrance ramp. Then 7 miles of FWY to about 1.5 miles of city streets connecting to FWY number 2, 10 more miles of FWY, then a choice of FWY or city streets for the last 3.5 mi.

This represents about 85% of my driving, with the other 15% coming from random in-town stuff during the weekend. (I coach soccer and baseball)

If I parked in the garage, I push the car into the street, so I don't have to start in reverse. Otherwise, I park on the street pointing in the right direction. I start the car, shift to second, and FAS to the stop sign at the corner. I restart and P&G up the hill .5 miles to the stop sign at the larger street, shifting up one gear on each pulse. Once I turn onto the larger street, I start over, P&Ging and shifting up one gear each P until I get to 4th. This will take me to the light where I have to turn right. I try to time so I don't have to stop at the light. I try to glide through the light and down the hill to the first light at the freeway. I almost always have to restart with starter here, and I try to time my approach so I don't have to stop at the FWY entrance ramp. The ramp is downhill and the first 1/2 mile or so of FWY is also (getting back all that KE I paid for going to the FWY). I glide onto the FWY without turning the engine on. There is usually a backup here, so I try to time my pulses so I never have to hit my brakes, but simply slow down my glide as I come up behind the line. I can usually time it pretty good. The next 3 miles or so is slow and go, so I give each pulse just enough so I roll up behind the line as they start to move again. When the FWY clears I go into 60-40 P&G mode. I accelerate to 60 at a moderate rate, then glide until my speed drops to 40, accelerate again, rinse, lather and repeat! :-)

Note on P&G technique. I use the tach almost constantly to tell me how to P&G. When I get to my max speed (60 here), I take my foot off the accelerator a split second before turning the ignition key to the acc position. I watch the tach until the tach drops through 1000 rpm, key off to acc, and about 0.2 sec later key back on to run. If I time it just right, the engine will not restart. If I am early it will restart. I curse, key it off, leave it 0.5
sec this time, key it back on, and promise to be more careful next time! This is a learned techinque that it took me about 100 key off/key/ons to learn. On average, at FWY speeds, I can get about 1/2 mile on each P&G. This is where I get most of my gain.

There is one section where I have a long downhill before an exit ramp to city streets where I change freeways. I try to time my pulse to hit 55 at the top of the hill, and get a 2.5 glide down to the light at the end of the first street. This is usually good for a 10 mpg gain on the SGII.

The next section is about a 1/2 mile straight section to a right turn onto a street that is ALWAYS backed up through a short light before going onto the freeway. It is usually two or three turns through the light. The right turn onto this street usually has a one turn wait at its light. I try adjust the strength of my pulse when I turn onto the first street so that I just roll to a stop as I come upon the line waiting to turn right. If I have to creep forward, I start my car, let out the clutch, immediately key off again, and roll forward. I try to leave enough space in front of me that I get a good roll before restarting, and I don't pull all the way up to the car in front of me immediately, hoping it will roll again before I have to hit my brakes. Once I get around the corner, the street has a slight downhill, just enough to keep me rolling. Since it is at least two turns through the light, each time traffic starts moving, I key on for just a fraction of a second to let my clutch out and start rolling, key off again, and roll agonizingly slow up to the next stopping point. Fortunately, almost everyone knows this street and rolls slowly, too. I have only gotten honked at once. :-)

Once I am through the light, I have to make the light at the freeway (almost always green) and deal with the metering light on the ramp. I try to get onto the ramp as slowly as I can, since it downhill ALMOST to the metering light. I try to time my roll so that I come up to the meter just as the last car is leaving, and i still have enough momentum to clutch start in second. The last 20 feet of the ramp is uphill, so it is tricky.

Once on the freeway again, I accelerate to the 60-40 P&G routine. About halfway down this freeway is one of the CalTrans signs that tells you the travel time to several points. If it is over 20 minutes to my destination via FWY, I take city streets for the last 3.5 miles, else I stay on the fwy.

I have also tested how fast I should hit the exit ramp to roll to a stop at the light at the end of the ramp. If I come up and see it green (almost never), I restart in second or 3rd, depending on how fast I am going, and roll right through. I turn left over the freeway, using as little gas to get to the peak as possible, then roll down the incline, into a shopping center street, and mostly downhill to the parking lot at work. I park so I can pull forward out again.

The trip home is similar, but this is long enough already.
Larry

PS: sorry for any typos, don't have time to proofread!

...so the first thing I'd recommend is to sell the automatic and buy a manual! :-)
Alas, my wife and I share cars. She needs the automatic, so I'm stuck with the same. :)

OK. So here is the gory detail...
This is what I was hoping for, thanks! One question for you: how is the driving experience with P&G on the freeway? From your description, it sounds like there's a fair bit of traffic during your commute. I deal with the same and tend to get a bit stressed when I attract tailgaters even while driving the speed limit in the rightmost of three lanes. :(

Alas, my wife and I share cars. She needs the automatic, so I'm stuck with the same. :)

Give her the automatic, and buy your own car! :-)


This is what I was hoping for, thanks! One question for you: how is the driving experience with P&G on the freeway? From your description, it sounds like there's a fair bit of traffic during your commute. I deal with the same and tend to get a bit stressed when I attract tailgaters even while driving the speed limit in the rightmost of three lanes. :(

Don't drive the speed limit. P&G. I think it is VERY annoying to the tailgaters. I have never had one stay behind me for more than 3 pulses. :-) On two occasions I have had someone come up behine me and flash. When this happens, I turn my left turn signal on for 1 blink, turn it off, then turn it on for 1 blink again. I am saying "If you want to go faster, pass me on the left." (Duh).

Larry

Well done, Larry!! You've got an excellent grasp of the subtleties available to you within the P&G technique and you are obviously taking good advantage of the terrain -- that was a fun read! I'd love to try your route. :)

Effective hypermiling on higher speed roadways with congestion is a difficult skill to acquire and you are doing an admirable job of it. Well done sir -- well done!! :thumbs_up:

excellent writeup Larry! I think I can try to replicate most of that. My last extreme P&G tank was my record high, but running a glide down to 40 MPH is death on the PA turnpike. I was doing 65-45 at that time.

+1 on no early restart on a FAS. The Fit engine just wants to keep on spinning.

How many total miles are on your Fit? I'm around 5000 still, with original oil, and I think it just hasn't loosened up yet.

On two occasions I have had someone come up behine me and flash. When this happens, I turn my left turn signal on for 1 blink, turn it off, then turn it on for 1 blink again. I am saying "If you want to go faster, pass me on the left." (Duh).

Excellent tip. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

excellent writeup Larry! I think I can try to replicate most of that. My last extreme P&G tank was my record high, but running a glide down to 40 MPH is death on the PA turnpike. I was doing 65-45 at that time.

+1 on no early restart on a FAS. The Fit engine just wants to keep on spinning.

Yup, you've got to *feel* what it is doing. When you take your foot off the gas, say at 3000 rpm, you are drawing NO gas, but the plugs are still burning. This is your change to clean out your cylinders and exhaust by sparking without adding fuel. When your tach hits about 700, the fuel injectors kick back in and now you have gasoline in your cylinders again. So what you have to do is hit the off switch BEFORE the FIs kick in gain, but as late as possible. The closer you can cut this and still make it, the shorther time you have to keep the key off.


How many total miles are on your Fit? I'm around 5000 still, with original oil, and I think it just hasn't loosened up yet.

I started hypermiling at 6392 if I remember correctly, and i just passed 14K. I've done one oil change when I put in the Mobil 1.

Larry

[QUOTE=99HXCivic;75674]How'd you do it? A lot of FAS P&G and 55 mph cruising?
QUOTE]

Sorry I didn't see this one. I *NEVER* cruise. FAS P&G only, drafting the occasional truck that comes by. But they move to fast, and I can usually only get one glide out of them.

Larry