Dang, just saw this thread now.
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Originally Posted by MetroMPG
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Scoring better than 3 L / 100 km (78 mpg US) is absolutely achieveable on this course (with good weather, a fairly clean run & with the right vehicle).
The time/speed/distance element and the route choice really makes this a "driving enthusiast's" economy rally. Interesting combination! To keep from getting penalized, you have to push the car. It's a much more aggressive pace than the others I've gone to (Green Grand Prix & A.M.E.C.), and long sections are super twisty. I've never driven the car that hard before this weekend, and probably won't again until next time. 
As mentioned, I drove and Will navigated in the U.F.O. (aka: Nerd Ferrari) with the hybrid system disabled. I'm happy to report that Will is equally as bad at navigating as I was when I sat in the right seat for him 2 years ago! We incurred the same number of penalties this year as we did last time: 4 minutes total = 8% hit for corrected fuel consumption.... |
I agree completely, as my first time to the course it was a shock on the twisty and road worked section. With an older, fully loaded car I had to take more time there and drop worrying about time or economy. In the future though I know where I can focus on economy to the extreme and where I need to plan ahead to take my time. I think 'almost' normal mpg is possible on the course, but getting 78mpg out of a normal 98mpg is already pretty good I think for the time restrictions.
It does really stink to get penalized for being stuck behind slow drivers on roads that are next to impossible to pass on, but there are only a couple sections that that happens on. I hate that the penalty doesn't just apply to the mpg for only that section (I know logistically impossible to 'know' and do it that way), but it'd be nice to 'not worry' as much about 1 blown section. But then again I guess this isn't that big of an issue since 2 driver's managed zero penalties.
As for my issues it was getting used to kilometers, I missed the very first turn, back tracked, thought I was lost, so went back to the gas station starting point. By the time I left the second time, I was 8 minutes after my starting time :-).
As for not driving the car that hard, unfortunately I had at least 3 times that I was in 3rd gear at 10mph hoping I could climb the hill and that happens at least once on any trip I take anywhere with the family in the car :-). I may have had the largest engine there but it certainly doesn't have much power... But then I was also only one of 4-5? cars there that had a back seat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
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But, Miiiiiiiiiiiike......
Add a short boat tail to that, along with the usual complement of other aero mods plus LRR tires, and you've seriously got yourself an Insight killer. (And a really cool looking Metro.)
We already know you can weld!! |
I hadn't seen that and it's extremely slick, but tandem is always fun too:
Blue 1989 Geo Metro has been "green" since 1993