New Feature: EcoModder Team Competition

[MetroMPG]

Right - it will drop from the calculations. It won't factor in the standings at all.

(Its "0 mpg" won't be part of the team average - it'll just be ignored.)

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

There used to be an oversight in the way the 90 day average was counted: it was calculated at the time of the latest fill-up, and left unchanged until the next fill-up. That meant if the vehicle was not re-fueled again for more than 90 days, the "90 day" figure still showed, but it was technically wrong.

(That happened to me quite a bit, actually, because I don't drive an awful lot, often going more than 90 days between tanks. It also meant that vehicles which had been "abandoned" in the garage showed permanently outdated 90 day stats.)

For the competition, the calendar is the reference.

Thanks - I see this as a good change.

[brucepick]

I've just completed 6 weeks off work, where my average dropped from about 50 to about 45 mpg. Recently I did more work on the rear Kamm spoiler project . Will be doing coastdown tests tomorrow if conditions permit. Here's the thread on that - however the most recent work isn't shown in the thread yet: Rear aero project - Civic notchback coupe

[redyaris]

Did a tiny amount of work on the Kamm back which resulted in a change in design. I will have to do some more CAD [cardboard aided design] before moving on...
This winter I am able to keep the Yaris at around 48 plus mpg even at -20*C which is better than last winter, when I could only get around 42 mpg. I am doing more P&G and less EOC. I have also instaled a small smart charger that is pluged in with the block heater, which is being pluged in much more offten than last winter.

[Fr3AkAzOiD]

Team Chevy FTW!!!

Havn't checked the team competition in months. Hadn't realised it was more like Team Me.

Maybe I need to do some recruting.

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by redyaris

Did a tiny amount of work on the Kamm back which resulted in a change in design. I will have to do some more CAD [cardboard aided design] before moving on...
This winter I am able to keep the Yaris at around 48 plus mpg even at -20*C which is better than last winter, when I could only get around 42 mpg. I am doing more P&G and less EOC. I have also instaled a small smart charger that is pluged in with the block heater, which is being pluged in much more offten than last winter.

I don't know what kind of FE I'll got for this tank, but I continued to ride to work so Teresa have seen temps down to -7C (19F). I'm at 200km now and continue to ride so I'll se the result next week.

She's running with a partial radiator block again, just like last winter. I hope it helps.

Techniques: I don't FAS that much, and I don't even P&G too much. It's unpleasant to press your fingers against the ice-cold (and stiffer than in warm weather) clutch lever, even through heated gloves. I even have a FAS-less route home, I time the lights instead so I don't have to stop, and, shame or not, often let her idle at the first one that can't really be timed, to save battery power and prevent stalling over my next glides. After the first mile or so stalling is not a problem, but that light is at the wrong place.

[redyaris]

Originally Posted by alvaro84

I don't know what kind of FE I'll got for this tank, but I continued to ride to work so Teresa have seen temps down to -7C (19F). I'm at 200km now and continue to ride so I'll se the result next week.

She's running with a partial radiator block again, just like last winter. I hope it helps.

Techniques: I don't FAS that much, and I don't even P&G too much. It's unpleasant to press your fingers against the ice-cold (and stiffer than in warm weather) clutch lever, even through heated gloves. I even have a FAS-less route home, I time the lights instead so I don't have to stop, and, shame or not, often let her idle at the first one that can't really be timed, to save battery power and prevent stalling over my next glides. After the first mile or so stalling is not a problem, but that light is at the wrong place.

Do you do anything to enhance winter driving for the bike? Do you park the bike outside or inside at home/work?
What comes to mind is that you could use a small 2 amp smart charger to help the battery at home/work, and maybe find some way to warm the engine with an inline coolent heater or some other form of oil heater. You should see what they do in the arctic to keep machines working in the minus 40 degrees and lower winter weather.

[alvaro84]

No heating, not even a garage now. They're outside, under mere covers. That's what we have now, no luxurious garage like last winter. Problem is, that I don't even see where we could put anything like that. To make under our garden, that would be the nicest, there's no room for another building (and it would even be illegal here, 3 percent of the area can be buildings).

A permanent charger is no good, I'd have to count the used electricity into the FE. There's a kwh column at cleanmpg, but is there any here, or at any other site? I'd feel it like cheating. Until I can keep going without regular recharging, I'll do so. I could use an external battery for my gloves too - but cheating is cheating

Coolant heater? Does something like that exist for motorcycles? Some think I'm an extremist for riding under +20C... Those who are always whining about the end of season in every September... I'm sick of their warnings about my joints. There's a reason behind the way I dress up for riding, damnit...

At my workplace it would be very simple anyway (and this is the worse direction): there's no way to get electricity in the parking lots, period.

edit. stalling and battery charge level have nothing to do with each other, it's just something in the firmware, I guess. Not a big problem though, it's OK to glide after she finds the correct settings for stable idling.

[redyaris]

I would not consider trikle charging a starter battery cheating because then most of us living within 300 km of the US/Canada boarder would be cheaters in the winter. Block heaters would also be cheating and that in the end would become "logica ad obsudtum". For me I look at the FE numbers as +/- 1 mpg anyway and the contribution of trikle charging in winter is vanishingly small...
My personal winp-out temp is 0*C, more due to ice on the roads than temperature. I only know of one person in this area who rides his bike on snow and ice covered roads. How about a solar powered charging and heating station for the bike?

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by redyaris

How about a solar powered charging and heating station for the bike?

A nice dream. Even if it exists, it would cost more than the bike, I guess. Anyway, a little charging will be OK, but as the bikes (shiNIN's one will need charging too) stand under the starry ceiling, the charger shouldn't be left unattended for whole days or nights. I think I'll give the batteries a jolt time to time. But it's really 'energy needed for my commute', thus should be noted somehow

Anyway, I did FAS this morning as I chose the 'nice' route to see if the road works have finished there. Well, almost. And did a bump start

I had the usual 1km FAS halfway, entering and rolling (partly) through a village, and the initial roll is longer this way too.

Ice, snow? I don't plan to ride in snowy weather, that's too much for me too. Ice is the same, but it's pretty dry now. Last week we had frost and fog together, I was a bit afraid to ride home, but I made it in the end There were places when the road was white, I was extra careful with steering, practically did not lean at turns, and handled the throttle and the brakes very gently. And it's especially true to our street, which is a dirt-, gravel-, and grassy road. Frozen grass is slippery