Aveosam's MPG Thread

[MetroAveo]

I finally reached 40 MPG again this week!!! I decided to try shifting at only 2K RPM again for this week's tank, and accelerating so slowly that people flipped me off a couple of times.
But I think the biggest factor that boosted the figure was that I have a new job that is a good distance away from home, and to get there I do almost nothing but highway driving at 55-60mph. Also lots of engine-off coasting and turning off the engine at long red lights.
It's a real drag( no pun intended )driving along at that slow of a speed on the interstate, hoping I won't get run over, but I got the last laugh at the pump.

[AVE0SAM]

I finally reached 40 MPG again this week!!! I decided to try shifting at only 2K RPM again for this week's tank, and accelerating so slowly that people flipped me off a couple of times.
But I think the biggest factor that boosted the figure was that I have a new job that is a good distance away from home, and to get there I do almost nothing but highway driving at 55-60mph. Also lots of engine-off coasting and turning off the engine at long red lights.
It's a real drag( no pun intended )driving along at that slow of a speed on the interstate, hoping I won't get run over, but I got the last laugh at the pump.

a little too extreme for me...also wouldn't turning your engine off then starting it back up actually use more gas then letting it idle?

[thejibbler]

Naw, I read somewhere that turning the engine off for ten seconds then back on already saves gas over idling for the ten seconds. I think I read it in a newspaper.

[NYChevoo]

that sounds like an idea, but whats the repercussions on the starter long term? premature wear?

[630R63]

Well it's simple, each time you turn your car off and back on per trip you drive you increase the wear on your starter by 100%. Lets say you do it 5 times on your way to work you increased the ware on the starter by 500% for that trip.

[MetroAveo]

Actually, I didn't use the starter at all when engine-off coasting. I simply let the engine start itself by putting it in gear near the end of the coasting distance and the momentum starts the engine, instead of the starter. It's really not difficult, and the fuel savings are tremendous.

The idea that starting an engine takes more gas than just letting it idle is a myth. It really uses less, since the starter only uses battery voltage, which gets replenished while driving anyway. Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Magozzoli?), the car talk guys, have confirmed this myth. True, there may be a little more wear on the starter, but it's not much more than the typical daily usage for driving to work every day.

[AVE0SAM]

The idea that starting an engine takes more gas than just letting it idle is a myth. It really uses less, since the starter only uses battery voltage, which gets replenished while driving anyway.

im not talking about voltage im talking about the amount of gas sprayed to start the engine is greater....that is part of the reason you get better gas mileage when you drive long trips instead of turning the car off and on every ten minutes on short trips

[exodus]

Actually, I believe the short trip MPG has more to do with how long it takes to reach closed loop.

In a longer trip a greater percentage of the trip is done in closed loop, thus increasing your average MPG, since the computer can adjust the majority of the fuel used during the trip based on feedback from the o2 sensor.

In a shorter trip a greater percentage of the trip is done in open loop, thus decreasing your average MPG, since the computer is injecting the majority of the fuel used based on a preset map, without any feedback to whether or not the mixture is rich or lean.

[cyber3d]

Hmmmm. Highway, Seattle to Los Angeles. Started out 32mpg ended up lower and lower with each fill up. Now, 21mpg.

I am beginning to dislike L.A. Got first parking ticket, first door ding, first rear bumper damage, first custom rim scratch.

BTW, I'm from L.A. but moved to Seattle.

[hammsaveo]

I have been tracking my milage for the last 11K in the same fashion as Sam without the shaking part. I have an 08 hatch 5sp. I have consistantly got 31MPG over each entire tank of gas, not just a short trip. This is both highway and city. I noticed if I keep the highway under 70 and the rpms less that 3500 I get a little better. These are real world numbers.

Try your rig at just under 3000 for a max it jumps the mpg. Some people don't have the time to drive slow...I make the time and get good mpg.