Any ideas?!?!

[SewbDude]

Right Lane Cruiser,

Thanks again! I drive the Lino Lakes to University Ave exit quite a bit.

I do have a ScanGuage II and I'm loving it so far. I also have a 5sp manual and do coast in neutral. I started trying DWL this morning and I'm still trying to get the logic of it (for flat terrain) and how to do it in general.

Thanks,
SewbDude

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Ah -- I'm familiar with that stretch... though usually I'm coming from 10 getting onto 35W either going to Church (St. Anthony) or MSP. I think our concepts of "flat" differ.

There are long hills on that route (with northbound travel heading more uphill than downhill) and lots of options for coasting if you are watching for them. I suggest putting up the TPS gauge on your ScanGauge so that you can see your foot position on the throttle. Pick a value and hold it so that your speed is constant on a flat section. You'll easily be able to see minor variations in terrain by watching what happens to your speed while holding the TPS value steady. As you get more experienced with driving for fuel economy you'll notice the differences in terrain much more easily.

Are you interested in a hypermiling clinic? I offer them free of charge to people who are close enough to where I live (and you qualify!). If you are interested in seeing hypermiling techniques first hand send me a PM and we'll set up something.

[all_about_the_glide]

SwedDude,

From experience take Sean's clinic...learning curve becomes much flatter.

Also I drive that stretch daily, used to joke about this area being like a billiards table with my bro who lives at 7k feet in the Andes, now it looks like a freaking roller coaster with ample chances to glide to better and better numbers. I'm finding I can hold 55 to 62 with an occasional bump to the upper 60's and still be safe and courteous driver even where the PSL is 70.

[EVuser]

Originally Posted by SewbDude

Thanks for the help! I have an 5 speed with AWD. I've talked with other people who said that Subaru's drive train has a lot of friction that causes lower mileage. I'm hoping that more advanced hypermiling will help. Thanks again!

SewbDude,
I missed your use of the SG2 over on the DWL thread. Love mine also. Just sent it in for the newer firmware as it is a 08 and it just tossed a bunch of BS codes that the new firmware supposedly fixes.

Raised in your area. Watched MSP area grow.

The next time you need fluid changes in the 96 you might look for the lowest friction products available. I don't believe in liquid magic but there are definitely some of the synthetics that seem to be helpful. See what Subaru allows and fight that friction in the drive train. MT, transfer case if it has one, and rear differential might all benefit. It won't be much but it will certainly help if it ever gets cold around there. Hard to remember -20 after last week.

My son commutes 43 miles each way on I-80 (Davis to Vallejo CA) driving a 97 MB C230 automatic. I80 around here is from my experience much faster than I-35/494 in your area and he really has no other route. He weened himself out of the go fast pack 1 mph at a time. Took about a week or two. He was a 65-70+ CC driver and now he is down to 60. Said it was tough but now he is a courteous right laner. Going from 65 to 60 in the MB improved his tank averages from 30 to 35. With tanks above 36 on occassion. He is still far from a hypermiler, uses CC way to much and a lot of other things that hurt getting that 40. But he is in his comfort zone.

I took the lazy way to efficient driving around town and went with a BEV. BTW there is nothing much better for teaching a driver how to be efficient than a BEV.

Have you checked out ecomodder.com.........might find something you can do to help a bit with the aero as you're in that speed hurts mpg zone.

Enjoy