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I have a 94 Toyota pickup and have been doing some P&G lately. I don't have a gauge so I don't get the instant feedback and I'm wondering about some P&G strategies. I'm wondering if anyone else has any advice.
Most of my driving is on country roads, some hills, some flats with not a lot of traffic. I do a motor shutdown at speed and coast with the ignition on, and shift it into gear when I want power again. If I pick the right roads I can do this for many miles and anticipate the few stop signs.
When doing P&G, where does the benefit come from? My theory: the engine is not idling while coasting, air resistance is lower at slower speeds, acceleration is relatively efficient when done for a short time.
Questions:
1. My 4rth gear will work pretty well from 30mph to 40mph at relatively low rpms without bucking, so on flats, I usually coast down to 30mph, start up the motor, accelerate up in 4rth from 30mph to 40mph then shift to 5th. I am wondering how to decide on the motor shutdown speed. Usually I go up to 55mph to shut down (which is the speed limit) then coast down to 30mph, trying to see how far I get.
2. I generally will try to coast down hills and power up hills. Sometimes this just happens because the truck slows down quickly on uphills. Is there any strategy for hills? We just have rolling hills here, not mountains. I do try to eek it over some hills, reaching the top at very slow speeds so I can coast down. I am learning the streets, there are some stop signs just over the hills that surprise you, just when you think you can coast for a mile, oops a stop sign.
3. Is P&G better than driving slow? Would I be better off driving in 5th gear at 40mph at low rpms than doing P&G from 30mph to 55mph?
4. When accelerating, I give it a little bit of throttle but not a lot. I try to run the motor at low rpms and give it just enough gas that it is speeding up. What is better, a long drawn out acceleration, moderate or a quick acceleration to the motor shutdown speed?
This truck is pretty much like driving a tractor, no power brakes, no power steering, no ac. It is a lot of fun to P&G, although it definitely takes longer to get where you are going.
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