Quote:
Originally Posted by JJMunoz
My normal commute to work is also about 10 mi. each way.
The commute is:
- Approx. 25% hwy, 75% city.
- Full/half tank of gas
- 1 Person, myself. 160 lbs.
- Fairly predictable light to medium traffic. Predictable maybe 70% of the time.
- The highway portion is up and down a hill (bridge).
- 7 traffic lights.
Employing P&G and EOC, driving only this route with the car, I averaged 57.11 mpg.
I kind of take the engine off thing to the ump-teenth degree, though. I shut the engine off whenever I can in addition to pulse and glide while still generally maintaining traffic speed. Since I have a DX, I don't have a tach. I never go more than half throttle. I shift in this manner: 1-2@15 mph, 2-3@25 mph, 3-4@35 mph, 4-5@45mph. I don't have any instrumentation yet, so I kind of feel for and watch the speedo to get into the throttle range where I apply the least throttle with moderate acceleration.
I've yet to actually go on any long highway trips with little city mileage. I have a week off from my night job this week, so I'm thinking about taking one this week though! 
Thanks for the advice though! I'm planning on building a boattail for the civic soon. I need to get a garage to use for a while though. I don't have one and I've been doing a lot of this stuff in the street. 
And yeah, definitely P&G on the highway. Like I said, I shut the engine off whenever I can. Not only at lights, but on every hill, every slow down, and with P&G.
What's this DWL you mentioned? |
Thanks for the detailed response! So rare, it seems to me. Truthfully I'm a little jealous and POed that you get such great FE on a comparable commute! I too don't have a tach or any other instrumentation, and your technique is similar to mine it seems. My commute is maybe worse; more hwy but I have 12 lights and heavier traffic, and people really don't tolerate leaving gaps here. I wish I could have more ideal conditions to see what I'm capable of!
I've had to stop EOCing because sometimes my car won't start back up for a minute or so, and I've been caught blocking traffic when the light turns green a few times. I definitely can't risk it on the hwy anymore. I wonder also about compromising the engine longevity that way too from spinning it back up over and over without constant oil supply, and I can't afford to kill the engine, which has 211K on it.
I'm extremely interested to see what you can get with pure hwy miles; I've got mid-50s before at 65mph with a passenger. With a boattail and optimized undertray you should be approaching basjoos territory as far as aero, and since our cars are nearly identical in shape it will be very instructive for me. Keep it coming! Alas, I'm too bashful to do the nosecone or full kammback, plus I have limited parts supplies, and I'm stuck with 195/60 R14 tires. I'm still working on completing the undertray and rear deck extension, though.
The DWL I mentioned is just keeping the throttle steady, especially over hills and such, anticipating ahead instead of gunning it uphill. Also, often people apply more throttle in coasting than is needed, so they're always slightly accelerating and then backing off at points. Usually it's less optimal than P&G, but in traffic it's often the only option.
Oh, I would recommend dropping your shift points a little. I've crunched the RPM/MPH numbers in all the gears, and tested a lot, and with light to moderate throttle the engine will do fine shifting to 2nd at 8-10mph, 3rd at 20, 4th at 30, and 5th at 45 (or closer to 40 if you're just going to maintain speed).
NB: Portland is a great city, just not designed for efficient traffic flow! And people drive like idiots, but that's true most everywhere.