[Bearleener]

Hello from Berlin, Germany!

With gasoline at 1.40 EUR/litre (which at the current exchange rate is $8.27/gal.; lots of tax!), you'd expect everybody here to be ecomodding, but they're not. I'm trying to get the most out of my old Volkswagen Golf station wagon (with a brutally powerful 75 hp squeezed out of 1.8 L; good torque, though). Been putzing around at a decent 34 mpg for a while but I'd like to get to the next level. At some point I stumbled upon MetroMPG and now EcoModder and realized I'm not the only nut out there!

ScanGauge won't work with my car, SuperMID ist kinda expensive, I sometimes use my voltmeter to monitor the fuel injector duty cycle. I use my car almost exclusively for the commute (no long highway stretches, rarely heavy-duty city), so my fuel log is pretty consistent.

What I've done so far: grill block, higher tire pressure, ditched the spare tire (auto club membership!), mild pulse & glide, and EOC about 15% of the way (starting with the last tank). Since I know my route I can time the stoplights pretty well.

With EOC I should be able to break the 6.0 l/100km (39 mpg) barrier. But I'm tired of turning the key so my next project is an auto start/stop like the newer European-model BMW's (put gear in neutral and release clutch), but not just at stoplights. That'll have to wait until after Easter, though. When EOCing I've got 3 pumps with the brake and steering stiffness is okay 'cause I'm prepared for it.

About 3 years ago I did some test runs with a 1.5-litre thermos bottle for the coolant (like the 3+-litre in current Prius). Basically worked but it was too small and I was scared of a blowout, so I took it out. Might try it again sometime.

Anyway, glad to be here!