Mini P&G?? Can it be worth while?

[bbjsw10]

Could a P&G be used for in town at 35mph, where you would only glide down like 3-4 mph then back up. It would not take as much fuel to make the 3-4mph back up that you would lose and just coast in gear. It may not make a huge difference but was wondering if someone with a scangauge could test this for me with a couple A-B-A tests.

[sickpuppy318]

Im pretty sure i see lowest consumption by P&G from 40-55 in the protege. I think the problem with shorter pulses ~5mph is the added time spent in transition.

Around town speeds would probably lug the engine, and fourth gear sucks more gas than fifth.

I get around with all pulses though, up to the limit with one steady accel, coast d0wn to around seven under, and pulse back to a few over.

Around town, i don't pay attention to cars behind me

[99metro]

Yes, worth it. I do "mini" P&G through the 40 mph construction zones, as well as those 35s in town. Anything coasting is better than steady state throttle. I can't give A-B-A tests because these 40 constructions and 35s in town are for brief periods. But I do note that my MPG goes up even with 5mph P&Gs - and it doesn't PO the drivers behind me.

[Daox]

P&G at low speeds can get you incredible mpg. Its not uncommon to see 100% above EPA. This is simply due to not having to fight wind resistance.

[Z man]

Towns with small downhills are awesome!

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by 99metro

But I do note that my MPG goes up even with 5mph P&Gs - and it doesn't PO the drivers behind me.

My reason for asking is when I travel there is alot of traffic, and didn't want to po people too much. And wondered if 5 mph P&g was worth the effort. I will begin tomorrow doing this then.

[Clev]

Originally Posted by Z man

Towns with small downhills are awesome!

Yup; that's one of the reasons I need to get a kill switch. The trip through downtown in my hometown is a very slight downhill for two miles. I can key-off (or shift into neutral, which is what I'm doing now), and coast for over two miles, always around 25-27 mph (limit is 25.) I used to downshift to third, but there was just enough engine drag that I had to keep nursing the throttle. I lived in this town for 5 years, and I just noticed this. Amazing where we throw away fuel. This is where hybrid owners have it made: they're either coasting or regenning through this area, while I'm wasting energy by using engine braking.

[modmonster]

would you say that its easier to p&g through town than on highway because the wind resistance on highway zaps your speed too quick and you end up either speeding or PO those behind you?

[99metro]

I prefer the low speed P&G myself. I love construction zones. I get better economy the slower I can go. Wind resistance makes a bit of a difference. In town, I can P&G 5 mph (8kph) or so and the guy behind me hardly notices. Traffic never runs the same speed in town anyway. I find when I am adjusting speeds like that (P&G), the driver behind me just backs off a little more, but continues following. maybe they think I'm really bad at keeping a steady speed! On the highway, I've said before, I stop doing any hypermiling except driving slow, whenever traffic approaches. I encourage them to pass by hugging the side of the road. When it is clear behind me, then I go back to P&G or whatever. If I notice traffic behind me move over to the passing lane, then I just keep doing P&G without missing a beat. I go to work at 2:30am, so it is pretty clear traffic-wise and lots of opportunity to do whatever I want.