View Single Post
Old 12-06-2013, 12:48 AM   #502 (permalink)
California98Civic
Cyborg ECU
 
California98Civic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
Thanked 2,172 Times in 1,469 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by darcane View Post
Any chance either of you could get video of you driving around town just so someone like myself could see exactly what you are doing? I know all the methods, but for whatever reason it just isn't working in city driving for me.

My city mileage is awful (OK, usually about equal to the hwy rating for my car) but I do much better on the highway.

I know part of this is my battery not being in good order, so I can't turn the engine off unless I still have momentum or I might not get it started again. Yellow-top Optima should be here in a few days though.
I would love to post video at some point. I need a safe way to take the video. But in the mean time... I know that my power steering delete, 200+ lbs weight reduction, and alternator on/off switch help quite a lot in the city, making a big part of the difference. But also, I shut the car off at all long stops. And it is warmer here in Southern Cali that where you are in Washington, I bet.

In the city my technique is heavy on the P&G, with some super low-load, low rpm flat area cruising, where my way-tall fifth gear can get me 80-100 mpg on short stretches at 35 mph. That's a pretty good way to warm the car on parts of my drive from cold morning start. It also gives me good opportunities to juice a low battery late in my return commute.
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



  Reply With Quote