|
In the 2000 Dodge Caravan 3.0 Litre model, I recently started Pulse and Gliding since the ScanGaugeII was calibrated more accurately. It's a very useful form of hypermiling IMO, When done right and if your vehicle can glide long enough.
On the recent trip from the gas station to home, When pulsing, When I did pulse and gliding depended on the traffic around the van; If people behind were too close (And I did come close to tailgaters frequently, They might still be around for a while yet) I kept a fairly constant speed as low as 40-45ish until they had a safe zone to pass and did pass (And some people passed when I was going the speed limit anyway).
Once there weren't any cars around I'd pulse to the speed limit or as close to it as I could when on a down slope or a fairly flat area, Keeping corners and such where I couldn't see traffic in mind to not possibly wreck. When pulsing I accelerated between 11.5 and 13.3 according to the MAP gauge. At the moment I don't know where the MAP reads at full throttle so I can't say that. The same trip had a maximum RPM of 3938. Sometimes I'd accelerate 5 MPH at a time with a glide of a second or two in-between, To give the engine a short rest.
After I got to the speed limit of 55 I'd glide. In some instances I was pulsing to 55 and gliding down to 35 and even 25ish up at the top of some hills, And I did sometimes push the gas pedal while going up a hill so the van wouldn't lose as much speed. A car accident is something I don't need, Imagine someone going 55 (Or is speeding) and I'm going 25 just around a corner; This might result in a crash so if you do this, Check your mirrors to see if you have enough time to have an extended glide before pulsing again.
I prefer a very wide berth while hypermiling and in rural Pennsylvania I've managed to get that.
Oh and I managed an average of 39.1 by the time I parked the van at home, or so the gauge read. I do like to fill up at about the 5-gallons-used mark though.
|