Cracked the top 10

[Weather Spotter]

Originally Posted by euromodder

What if people don't drive a vehicle anymore ?
You can't just erase what they've achieved with it.

I'd rather see the erroneous entries being weeded out.

I would agree to that!

How about a top list of active cars with tank data in last 4 months (must not keep out those who drive infrequently). There could also be a best ever list that could have all cars in it (minus the erroneous ones).

BTW I am up to #142!

[NachtRitter]

Ya, I'd agree that there'd be a benefit to having a way to filter out those that enter one incredible fuel log entry and then disappearing. If someone still wants to see the "lifetime best list" that's fine, but a "reality filter" would be useful... 5 or more entries, with the last one in the past 4 (or 6) months.

[Weather Spotter]

You need to have a really low min # of entry's though. If a car is active but the user bikes to work most days it may take a month to get 1 fill up. So keep it like 1 or 2 tanks in the past 3 or 4 months. People can still game the system but they can not avoid the forum for long stretches and still have their data screwing up the charts.

[Lazarus]

There are people who only use a 2 tanks of gas a year. Like Darin for instance. I wonder if there is a way to tie it to posts or Last Activity for the lurkers out there. The car in questions last activity was in May.

[Piwoslaw]

I propose to continue the discussion on Top 10 List problems in the relevant thread.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Originally Posted by VegasDude

Just had my best tank ever, and it put me on the leader board: Top Ecomodder's % over EPA

Also reached 100% over EPA. I'd be #9 if it wasn't for that weird Camry at the top. 950% over? Really?

Congrats here as well!

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

I propose to continue the discussion on Top 10 List problems in the relevant thread.

Yes good call. Congrats Vegasdude. Keep it up!

[slipstreampilot]

Congrats.

Please post the conditions during your measured interval(s) to include type of driving (% Highway, % City), approximate AVG MPH during the tank, grade (hills or flat), and any unconventional driving or extreme hypermiling techniques used.

I personally think one of the most important things missing in the qualifications process for the top mileage list is the conditional aspect - to include the driving conditions.

I believe to establish/maintain the integrity of this site, the moderators should scrub the list and qualify any entries claiming efficiencies in access of 20% over EPA ratings. Special conditions should be used to evaluate the validity and to classify claims. Entries that are generated through experimental or unconventional motor vehicle use should be classified as such, and standard motor vehicle operation should be classified accordingly. Modifications should also be clearly listed and evaluated for real-world applicability.

Just for example - I can have my car towed to the top of Pike's Peak and coast down the mountain to produce some great gas mileage numbers - but is that realistic? Obviously not. Additionally, anyone who goes out and causes traffic jams through the use of extreme hypermiling techniques (in order to produce good gas mileage numbers) is also not being genuine either - not to mention the obvious dangers and aggravation caused by that activity.

Qualifying mileage claims is as, if not more important than the claim itself.

There are many more claims on the top mileage list that have zero credibility - I had to scroll for a while before I saw one claim that was believable from a real driving standpoint.

[VegasDude]

Originally Posted by slipstreampilot

Congrats.

Please post the conditions during your measured interval(s) to include type of driving (% Highway, % City), approximate AVG MPH during the tank, grade (hills or flat), and any unconventional driving or extreme hypermiling techniques used.

I personally think one of the most important things missing in the qualifications process for the top mileage list is the conditional aspect - to include the driving conditions.

I believe to establish/maintain the integrity of this site, the moderators should scrub the list and qualify any entries claiming efficiencies in access of 20% over EPA ratings. Special conditions should be used to evaluate the validity and to classify claims. Entries that are generated through experimental or unconventional motor vehicle use should be classified as such, and standard motor vehicle operation should be classified accordingly. Modifications should also be clearly listed and evaluated for real-world applicability.

Just for example - I can have my car towed to the top of Pike's Peak and coast down the mountain to produce some great gas mileage numbers - but is that realistic? Obviously not. Additionally, anyone who goes out and causes traffic jams through the use of extreme hypermiling techniques (in order to produce good gas mileage numbers) is also not being genuine either - not to mention the obvious dangers and aggravation caused by that activity.

Qualifying mileage claims is as, if not more important than the claim itself.

There are many more claims on the top mileage list that have zero credibility - I had to scroll for a while before I saw one claim that was believable from a real driving standpoint.

To answer your first question: 99.93% City driving at 35 MPH max cruise speed, max pulse speed of 45 MPH. Min glide speed of 18 (but that's very rare) Average speed was 22 MPH. That includes all the time stopped, waiting for lights to change. Average gradient to work is +.9%; -.9% the way home. Driving techniques include EOC (aka FAS), DFCO, P+G, potentinal parking, face out parking, ridge riding, using my eyes and brain, putting the cell phone away. Mods to the car include max sidewall pressure, pass. mirror delete, wiper delete, mud flap delete, partial grill block, engine kill switch, 0-W-30 Mobil-1 oil. The most important mod though is patience and experience on the road. This means I can time the lights well and even with 22 of them in 11 miles, on a good day I can get 42 MPG to work. the downhill leg can easily top 70 MPG. (BTW the average of those is 52.5, not 56) So yeah, that's my hypermiling lesson in a nutshell.

The vehicles and techniques we discuss here run the gamut from completely unmodified cars, to those that bear little resemblance to what they began life as, or are powered by vastly different sources. As such, it's tough to qualify our respective mileage achievements into concrete categories, if that’s what you’re suggesting. It’s a pretty safe bet that most of us are hypermiling. BTW, most auto vs manual cars only vary in their EPA ratings by 1-2 MPG, but in real life the manuals are quite literally, miles ahead.

To my knowledge there are no prizes for posting unverified mileage gains over the internet, so there’s little reason to do it. That alone keeps most people honest. The only verified mileage claims are those that occur at competitions.

In reference to your last point, I would keep an open mind, a consistent performance of 125% over EPA isn't uncommon or unbelievable among the more experienced drivers. I have seen it possible even with my car, it's just not doable to make up an entire tank of gas (yet). It requires a lot of careful driving that doesn't include stop lights or other drivers.

Lastly, keep in mind than some of the cars here use alternative energy sources or are converted PHEVs, so the mileage gains they post don't compare apples to apples with everyone else's.

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by slipstreampilot

I believe to establish/maintain the integrity of this site, the moderators should scrub the list and qualify any entries claiming efficiencies in access of 20% over EPA ratings.

I lolled at this one. I take it you're new here? Welcome aboard.

You can get 20% over EPA while keeping up with traffic and being quite civil about it. Just leave ample space in front of you so you don't have to hit the brakes, coast to stops in Neutral (coast down to 20mph, then hit the brakes), and use DWL instead of cruise control. Bonus points for time spent with the engine off.

Check out the bottom (i.e. oldest) five entries of my fuel log here: 1996 Subaru Legacy Brighton Gas Mileage (Soldbaru) - EcoModder.com

My MPG kept rising even as it got colder and colder, and all I did was add instrumentation and watch my technique. I slowed down a little, from PSL +14 to PSL +9 on the interstate. I used to run PSL +9, but after a little run-in with the law, I like to keep it to PSL +8 now. Still beating the EPA by a healthy margin, thanks in part to some mods.



The leaderboard is a bit of a competition, but hypermiling isn't against the rules. This means I'm not very competitive vs. the other active Insight drivers on this site. Oh well, I'm okay with that.