New member with basic questions

[chele519]

I'm trying to read thru some of the basics here and I have a few questions. I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra 5 spd.

Can I see improvement in my mpg without having to turn off the engine? That's not something I'm comfortable doing but I do coast in neutral when possible.

I read some posts a few days ago about upping the rpms when putting it back into gear but I think the post was referring to an automatic. I generally drive between 1500 and 2000 rpm so by the time I need to put it back into gear, I'm around 1500. I've always just put it into gear but should I be concerned about damaging the transmission that way? I've always thought that was safe for a stick.

What speed is best for 5th gear? I've started putting it into 5th at 40 mph if on a flat or downhill section but I need to go to 4th for some of the hills on my way home and sometimes 3rd if it seems like it is really dragging.

[kmactavi]

Originally Posted by chele519

I'm trying to read thru some of the basics here and I have a few questions. I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra 5 spd.

Can I see improvement in my mpg without having to turn off the engine? That's not something I'm comfortable doing but I do coast in neutral when possible.

Hi Chele, You can definitely see an improvement without FASing. I take it you don't want to turn off the engine while the car is in motion. You might still be comfortable turning off the engine at long lights - anything more than 10 seconds will be worthwhile. Read up about Pulse and Glide, you can use this technique without turning your engine off (NICE-Off coasting), by doing the neutral coasting you are talking about (NICE-On coasting). If you haven't already, check out Wayne's article Beating the EPA at the bottom of my signature.

Originally Posted by chele519

I read some posts a few days ago about upping the rpms when putting it back into gear but I think the post was referring to an automatic. I generally drive between 1500 and 2000 rpm so by the time I need to put it back into gear, I'm around 1500. I've always just put it into gear but should I be concerned about damaging the transmission that way? I've always thought that was safe for a stick.

Upping the RPMs when engaging a gear is called rev matching. It's nicer on the transmission, and is effective in both automatics and manuals. You have synchros in your transmission that match the speed of the engine to the speed of the wheels (this is a very general explanation). When they are overcoming a big difference in RPMs, they work harder and get worn down faster. So rev matching will reduce wear on your synchros and is good practice. However, the synchros were made to do they're job, so if you're not letting the clutch out too fast/slow, and there is not a big RPM jump (1500+) before/after engaging the gear, then the wear is normal and your car was designed to cope with that.

Originally Posted by chele519

What speed is best for 5th gear? I've started putting it into 5th at 40 mph if on a flat or downhill section but I need to go to 4th for some of the hills on my way home and sometimes 3rd if it seems like it is really dragging.

Rather than the best speed for 5th gear, let's talk about the best RPM, this makes it a more general discussion applicable to most cars. I drive a TDI diesel, so in general the RPMs are kept a bit lower than a gasser, but for a steady state cruise I would get into 5th gear as soon as possible. Your engine is probably at peak efficiency around 1700-2000 RPM (varies by engine). So accelerate at maybe 70% load (the LOD gauge) in 1700-2000 range until your reach your cruising speed, where you put it in 5th as long as the RPMs are above idle RPMs. For hills, your engine might start lugging at slower speeds in 5th. In that case you would shift to 4th to make it up the hill. To try and answer your question directly, as slow as possible in 5th gear is the best, since wind resistance is greatly reduced. You ideally want to keep it under or around 2000 RPM for a steady state cruise.

Hope that helps, if you need anything cleared up, just ask.

Kirk

[chele519]

Thanks Kirk. Yes, I meant I didn't want to turn off the engine while the car is in motion. I've been trying to time the lights and slow down far enough back so that I can coast and then they turn green before i have to stop but it doesn't always work. I can't believe all these people who race up to a red light and then slam on the brakes. This morning I was passed over the double yellow even though I was going 5 mph over the speed limit on a back road. The guy just didn't like that I didn't race away from the lights. If I get to the light soon after it has turned red for me and I have to wait thru the other directions and the turning lanes, I'd have no problem turning off the car.

I did read some of that article but I had to keep scrolling back and forth so it was a little hard to read. Is there word wrap in the forums?

I will change the screen to show the LOD gauge and try that tonight. I'm not sure that I understand what you mean but maybe after trying it, it will make sense. I try not to go over 2000 rpms generally but it was around 2200 today for a bit while trying to get up to speed. Thanks for the help.

[Vooch]

The general advice is to start with basic techniques (ie drive speed limit, time traffic lights, combine trips) and then go to slightly more advanced techniques (ie DWL, engine on P&G, engine on coasting, engine off at traffic lights), and then move to very advanced techniques (FAS, etc, etc) ...........

Move up the ladder of techniques in a methodical pace - adding new techniques only when you fell completely safe with the more basic ones.


It takes months - I've been hypermiling for about 14 years w/ a iFCD and only really understood DWL a few weeks ago - but every gallon saved is money in your pocket.


Keep up a mileage log

[kmactavi]

Originally Posted by Vooch

The general advice is to start with basic techniques (ie drive speed limit, time traffic lights, combine trips) and then go to slightly more advanced techniques (ie DWL, engine on P&G, engine on coasting, engine off at traffic lights), and then move to very advanced techniques (FAS, etc, etc) ...........

Move up the ladder of techniques in a methodical pace - adding new techniques only when you fell completely safe with the more basic ones.


It takes months - I've been hypermiling for about 14 years w/ a iFCD and only really understood DWL a few weeks ago - but every gallon saved is money in your pocket.


Keep up a mileage log

Yep, listen to Vooch. If you try to learn too many new things at once, it can easily hurt your FE and put you in danger - like not paying attention to your surroundings, loosing power steering/brakes when you need them. However, some people learn fast, and I picked up P&G with FAS within a few days of hypermiling and have been getting some amazing numbers (I'm still new to this).

About the word wrap - I don't seem to have a problem on any screen I've tried, but if it's not working for you, either download firefox (just do a google search) or copy and paste text into notepad to read.

Kirk

[atlaw4u]

Hello and welcome to the club.

You should start by knowing your car’s EPA rating located at FuelEconomy.gov and make sure to read the article “Beating the EPA”.

Make sure you air your tires up to the maximum pressure indicated on the tire’s sidewall.

Also, consider purchasing a ScanGaugeII. It is an invaluable source of information and will quickly pay for itself in fuel savings.

However, please be careful as hypermiling is addictive.

[kmactavi]

Originally Posted by atlaw4u

Hello and welcome to the club.

You should start by knowing your car’s EPA rating located at FuelEconomy.gov and make sure to read the article “Beating the EPA”.

Make sure you air your tires up to the maximum pressure indicated on the tire’s sidewall.

Also, consider purchasing a ScanGaugeII. It is an invaluable source of information and will quickly pay for itself in fuel savings.

However, please be careful as hypermiling is addictive.

I really need to write something like that up. Copy and paste is so much easier than typing the same thing every time...

Kirk