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benphyr · 01-22-2012, 10:48 PM

Hi Dalaigh,

Welcome. I'm in Hamilton, Ontario. And your location in Canada caught my attention. I'm new too but here are a few things that I have picked up that might help.

In case you haven't already figured it out.. Check out the techniques that GRU mentioned as "100+ Hypermiling Tips". The link can be found at the top of the page in the list just under the ecomodder logo, the second last one, on the right.

There are always trade offs in these things but with a standard you have the huge advantage of using a bump start. Excuse me if I am explaining something you already know: By bump start I mean that when:
-the car is in motion and
-the engine is off and
-the ignition (key) is in the ON position and
-the gear is appropriate to the speed you are traveling (ie. above idle at that speed - eg. 4th at 50km/h)

then you can quickly let out the clutch like a fast shift (ie. not tentatively) and the engine will be started by the kinetic energy of car via the wheels-> transmission-> engine rather than being started by electrical energy stored in the battery-> the starter motor-> engine.

It sounds much more complex than it is. Let me give an example to explain how to do it.

Example: You are cruising down one of those silly stretches of Hwy 402 before the border that the speed limit keeps decreasing for no apparent reason. You are in 5th at 100km/h and you know or see ahead that the speed limit decreases to 80km/h at a distance you can coast without going too much below 80km/h.

1. You shift to neutral, and let out the clutch so you are in complete coast. (engine on)
2. You turn the ignition key to Acc. which turns the engine off.
3. Once the engine turns off (maybe 1/2 a second) you turn the key back to ON. (the engine is off but the ignition is on)
4. You coast to the desired speed location, etc.
(keeping in mind that you will have 2-3 good brake pushes before the hydraulic pressure of your power brakes decrease-you will be able to tell this, it is gradual)
(keeping in mind that your power steering will be off making steering difficult (not impossible, just difficult because you are fighting against what is supposed to help you)
5. When you want to resume regular driving, shift to any appropriate gear and pop the clutch. (The easiest/best/smoothest gear to choose is the highest gear which will result in the engine above idle speed.)
6. (The ignition is on so) the engine will be brought up to running speed with a slight lurch (like a bad shift) and you will be immediately driving as normal. In the case of the example where you have coasted to 80km/h, you will have used 0 fuel to coast down from 100 to 80km/h and now are driving as usual at 80km/h.

If you are more comfortable with the engine on, definitely go with your gut on that. If the for no other purpose, the information is useful if you ever have your battery dead and can utilize push-starting or a downhill slope to get your vehicle started and get home.

Whenever you decide to coast with the engine on in neutral: I'm not sure, but I think your clutch probably would appreciate it better if you coasted in neutral rather than by holding the clutch in.

Can you tell that I grew up with a standard but now only have an automatic and am suffering from manual transmission envy? !

And a big encouragement that it is definitely possible to achieve with your car. If you are thinking of doing aerodynamic modifications, the simplest one that nets you huge gains in the winter is a grill block.

Grill block=decreasing the amount of air that is going into your engine and swirling around in there and slowing down before exiting either under the engine or out the wheel wells.
Most cars are designed with the absolute worst case scenario in mind, like driving up a huge long hill (think length in 10s of kms in real mountains like the Rockies with the air conditioning on and pulling a trailer) so there is much more air flow through the grill into the engine area than is necessary
-in the summer
-if you are driving in Sarnia (biggest hills are overpasses if I remember correctly)
-not towing anything
-driving for fuel economy not racing for the next light or stuck in stop and go traffic

Right now it is winter, so the benefits are twofold,
1. Aero - air is diverted around to the body panels of your car which are designed for aerodynamics, and
2. Engine warm-up time is decreased - airflow through the radiator/engine compartment is decreased resulting in quicker heat up of the engine which results in your engine spending less time in the cold state ("open loop" I think?) that it feeds excess/rich fuel mixture in order to be able to operate cold without stalling. Once the engine gets warmed up (to closed loop) operation the engine operates virtually the same on the hottest day of the summer as the coldest day in NWT. An added benefit is that your inner cabin of your car heats up quicker. (In summer or if you sit in stop and go you might need to adjust size compared to typical winter travel.

And as far as your truck is concerned, it may have bigger fuel savings just because it drinks so much more. The grill block and driving techniques will work even better probably.

My internet shuts off at 11 and I should be gone before I turn into a pumpkin so Cheers, hope this was helpful,
Ben.

01-22-2012, 10:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
benphyr EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 97 Asphault Camo - retired - '05 Honda Civic SE 90 day: 35.81 mpg (US) Asphault Camo Kid hauler - '98 Honda Odyssey LX 90 day: 24.33 mpg (US) Thanks: 35 Thanked 22 Times in 16 Posts	coasting Hi Dalaigh, Welcome. I'm in Hamilton, Ontario. And your location in Canada caught my attention. I'm new too but here are a few things that I have picked up that might help. In case you haven't already figured it out.. Check out the techniques that GRU mentioned as "100+ Hypermiling Tips". The link can be found at the top of the page in the list just under the ecomodder logo, the second last one, on the right. There are always trade offs in these things but with a standard you have the huge advantage of using a bump start. Excuse me if I am explaining something you already know: By bump start I mean that when: -the car is in motion and -the engine is off and -the ignition (key) is in the ON position and -the gear is appropriate to the speed you are traveling (ie. above idle at that speed - eg. 4th at 50km/h) then you can quickly let out the clutch like a fast shift (ie. not tentatively) and the engine will be started by the kinetic energy of car via the wheels-> transmission-> engine rather than being started by electrical energy stored in the battery-> the starter motor-> engine. It sounds much more complex than it is. Let me give an example to explain how to do it. Example: You are cruising down one of those silly stretches of Hwy 402 before the border that the speed limit keeps decreasing for no apparent reason. You are in 5th at 100km/h and you know or see ahead that the speed limit decreases to 80km/h at a distance you can coast without going too much below 80km/h. 1. You shift to neutral, and let out the clutch so you are in complete coast. (engine on) 2. You turn the ignition key to Acc. which turns the engine off. 3. Once the engine turns off (maybe 1/2 a second) you turn the key back to ON. (the engine is off but the ignition is on) 4. You coast to the desired speed location, etc. (keeping in mind that you will have 2-3 good brake pushes before the hydraulic pressure of your power brakes decrease-you will be able to tell this, it is gradual) (keeping in mind that your power steering will be off making steering difficult (not impossible, just difficult because you are fighting against what is supposed to help you) 5. When you want to resume regular driving, shift to any appropriate gear and pop the clutch. (The easiest/best/smoothest gear to choose is the highest gear which will result in the engine above idle speed.) 6. (The ignition is on so) the engine will be brought up to running speed with a slight lurch (like a bad shift) and you will be immediately driving as normal. In the case of the example where you have coasted to 80km/h, you will have used 0 fuel to coast down from 100 to 80km/h and now are driving as usual at 80km/h. If you are more comfortable with the engine on, definitely go with your gut on that. If the for no other purpose, the information is useful if you ever have your battery dead and can utilize push-starting or a downhill slope to get your vehicle started and get home. Whenever you decide to coast with the engine on in neutral: I'm not sure, but I think your clutch probably would appreciate it better if you coasted in neutral rather than by holding the clutch in. Can you tell that I grew up with a standard but now only have an automatic and am suffering from manual transmission envy? ! And a big encouragement that it is definitely possible to achieve with your car. If you are thinking of doing aerodynamic modifications, the simplest one that nets you huge gains in the winter is a grill block. Grill block=decreasing the amount of air that is going into your engine and swirling around in there and slowing down before exiting either under the engine or out the wheel wells. Most cars are designed with the absolute worst case scenario in mind, like driving up a huge long hill (think length in 10s of kms in real mountains like the Rockies with the air conditioning on and pulling a trailer) so there is much more air flow through the grill into the engine area than is necessary -in the summer -if you are driving in Sarnia (biggest hills are overpasses if I remember correctly) -not towing anything -driving for fuel economy not racing for the next light or stuck in stop and go traffic Right now it is winter, so the benefits are twofold, 1. Aero - air is diverted around to the body panels of your car which are designed for aerodynamics, and 2. Engine warm-up time is decreased - airflow through the radiator/engine compartment is decreased resulting in quicker heat up of the engine which results in your engine spending less time in the cold state ("open loop" I think?) that it feeds excess/rich fuel mixture in order to be able to operate cold without stalling. Once the engine gets warmed up (to closed loop) operation the engine operates virtually the same on the hottest day of the summer as the coldest day in NWT. An added benefit is that your inner cabin of your car heats up quicker. (In summer or if you sit in stop and go you might need to adjust size compared to typical winter travel. And as far as your truck is concerned, it may have bigger fuel savings just because it drinks so much more. The grill block and driving techniques will work even better probably. My internet shuts off at 11 and I should be gone before I turn into a pumpkin so Cheers, hope this was helpful, Ben.