[abogart]

So on my 170 mile trip across Michigan yesterday, I did not use the cruise control once, entirely manual throttle control for the whole trip using the MAP, RPM, MPG, and AVG gauges on the Scangauge. The western half of the state is quite hilly, so I practiced DWL on the hills, shooting for around 7.2 MAP (psi?) on level road and inclines. Neutral coasting (engine idling) down the steeper hills gave a nice boost in avg mpg.

I did find, however, that on the flatter eastern side of the state, instantaneous mpg seemed to suffer, I would try to hold about 7.0 to 7.2 on the MAP which varied the speed between 52 and 60 mph, but inst. mpg seemed to top out at about 33.7 in that load range, when I clearly remember getting 35-40 on flat terrain before. Possibly due to headwind? I experimented with rolling the window up and turning the lights on an off, but neither one had a noticeable impact on mpg whatsoever.

This trip averaged 33.1 mpg, where I was able to average 35.6 mpg before in similar conditions. The only real difference was in not using the cruise control for most of the trip. I think when I make the return trip I am going to use cruise on the flat terrain, but practice DWL and neutral coasting in the hilly areas.