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Old 07-13-2014, 05:16 PM   #35 (permalink)
figit090
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Northern California
Posts: 89

Black Bovine - '86 Toyota Supra N/A base
90 day: 16.86 mpg (US)

Grey Sandy - '03 Toyota Rav4 Sport Package
90 day: 21.3 mpg (US)

Panda - '03 Volkswagen Jetta TDI wagon GLS
90 day: 44.17 mpg (US)
Thanks: 18
Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by cowmeat View Post
Lol, figit, that's what I thought too . . . .

I drove Black Widow for a year and a half bragging to everybody that I was averaging 43 mpg. Then while I was looking for a Festiva forum, I stumbled across ecomodders, where a couple of guys were getting over 10 mpg better then me in the same car. The rest is history!

You're fooling yourself if you think you'll be happy with a milestone like 40 mpg, when there are more milestone just over the horizon, like 45, and 50, and 55, and 60, and . . . . . . . . ..
I currently burn fossil fuel at a rate of about one gallon per 18 miles. Not fooling myself here! My actual goal is 50mpg but I don't want to get ahead of myself until I learn what the HX is capable of, and how much wear various techniques cause. I won't hypermile for 50mpg if that costs me 10k less miles on my clutch, worn main bearings or a transmission rebuild to fix worn syncros, the cost to fix premature wear on otherwise durable parts would make hypermiling completely mute.

I'm thinking good tires, momentum-aware driving, and mild aerodynamic improvements to the car would help a bit, too.

I'm at a crossroads where I need a new car, because fixing my current one is prohibitively expensive as a daily driver. So, I'm putting it to pasture until I can turn it into a track car, and finding a new car. While I'm at it, my goal is to not spend exorbitant amounts of money for a new hybrid, but double or triple my current MPG.

So for me, 40mpg is a realistic starting point until I learn more and get accustomed to eco-modding. I'm used to performance modding, so it's a nice new challenge to ponder!
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