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Old 06-12-2014, 02:34 PM   #605 (permalink)
3-Wheeler
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Southern WI
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AlienMobile - '00 Honda Insight
Team Honda
90 day: 80.05 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead View Post
....If you construct a graph of the speed/grade/velocity you find a relationship to a constant 'climb rate' of vertical feet per unit of time across the carpet graph that they want to maintain to keep the engine in a BSFC 'sweet-spot.'
Hi Phil,

I have been noticing that same effect this year when going up hills. My fuel consumption this year is higher than last year when driving over the same hills to/from work.

I started paying more attention to speed, gearing, rpm's, engine load, and so on over these hills. This is the biggest bang-for-the-buck. See link below for details.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...omy-29047.html

The Insight has lean burn, and keeping the car in this run mode over hills can sometimes be quite challenging.

Like you mentioned above about BSFC, I have been tackling hills, sometimes in a lower gear/more rpm, and the results seem to favor this over lugging the engine in a higher gear.

There does seem to be an "art" to driving efficiently. I've had the car now some five years, and still learning a bunch.

Jim.
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