[Sidakers]

Ok, so I've been using Torque for my android phone for the past week or so, and I've got both MPG data and Engine load data on my screen at all times. Most of my travels are on the highway system in wichita, because most all of my main stops are only a stones throw off the highway, two that I can literally coast to off the highway. I'm in an automatic saturn sl2, and for anyone unfamiliar with wichita, most of it's highway system consists of rolling hills.


I've noticed, when I match "normal" acceleration patterns of other traffic (be up to the speed limit when merging) My engine load sits at about 80% when accelerating. I usually get 29-30 mpg on these trips. When I drive a bit slower, and limit myself to 60%, with pulse and glide (coast uphill, accelerate downhill), I can if I try reaaaallly hard, get 43-45 mpg. When I barely touch the gas though, keeping my engine load around 40% when accelerating (I only do this in the weee hours of the morning when no one is out) I can only squeeze out 35 mpg, but I simply can't get up to a speed to where I can let off the gas for the glide part of pulse and glide.

So my question is this..

Is it possible that My engine just operates better under a 60% load than a 40% load, or Is it that pulse and glide is just that important to good fuel economy, even in an automatic?

Thanks,
Sidney