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Old 06-04-2008, 12:33 PM   #4 (permalink)
PaleMelanesian
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,321

PaleCivic (retired) - '96 Honda Civic DX Sedan
90 day: 69.2 mpg (US)

PaleFit - '09 Honda Fit Sport
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90 day: 44.06 mpg (US)
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It's just one more way to keep the engine running at the best BSFC. You can "pulse" at that optimal rpm/throttle position, without changing speed. You get the same benefits, but without the air drag of the higher peak speed, or the crazy speed variations. Instead of building kinetic energy, you're building potential energy.

Seat-of-the-pants testing I've done shows this to be the better choice, for my car, in my area with the hills we have. My best highway run - 75mpg for 150 miles - was using this technique. Pulse from the bottom at ~45mph to just before the peak at ~60mph, glide up and over and down.

It seems to work better for manual than for automatic, though. I think DWL is better on hills for automatic.
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11-mile commute: 100 mpg - - - Tank: 90.2 mpg / 1191 miles
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