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Old 11-25-2014, 03:15 PM   #132 (permalink)
awcook
Beating EPA Unmodded
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 143

Blue Eagle - '10 Honda Civic LX
Team Honda
90 day: 31.12 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4
Thanked 29 Times in 23 Posts
In my Civic, I have noticed a little bit about the eco-profile, as well as DFCO in the automatic. I do not own a gauge, so I just use the seat of my pants, but I still think that my tests can be somewhat reliable.

First, I can tell when the eco-profile turns off, it is most notable going up hills while trying to maintain a steady speed. In order to keep the profile on, you need to lower the engine load quite a bit, thus lowering your speed a lot (there is a big hill that I drive on and typically going down the hill I get up to 60 MPH then on the uphill I slow down to 45 MPH).

Second, I notice the eco-cam turning off once you hit 85 MPH in the auto. This is good to know so that on large hills on the freeway you can make sure not to speed up to 85.

Third, DFCO is really easy to notice using the seat of your pants. I DFCO a lot on the freeways because of traffic (and to keep myself safe when drafting behind a truck). The second I put my foot back on the gas pedal, DFCO stops and my head usually gets thrown back. The passengers in the car don't usually notice because none of them care about MPG's and never bothered to learn about engine braking and other hypermiling techniques.

Take these tests with a grain of salt. I don't have the proper tools to do proper tests, but this is just what I have noticed to get higher MPG. These tests are also done in the automatic transmission, which is much different than the manual transmission.

Another observation that is 100% true is that when the engine is cold the car coasts a lot farther with an automatic transmission, which is something that I actually like about the cold weather, that way I don't put wear on my transmission by shifting to neutral.
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