[3dplane]

Hey guys!

I went and looked at all the top 10 gasoline cars just now to see how many automatics are there...not one!
Except there is an insight that I was unable to tell.

What I'm getting to is probably 90+% of the MPGs come from the way it is being driven!
A manual transmission gives a hypermiler a great advantage over what can be achieved with an automatic.

The Mirage is my first new car so modifications are not extreme.

Smooth wheel covers,90% grill block,a small airdam, driving with at least one of the mirorrs folded, slight lowering, tires around 46 PSI, LED position marker lights(to reduce electrical load on the alternator)...I think that's it.

Driving: Lots of neutral coasting and lots of engine off coasting whenever whichever is more appropriate.
When there is no traffic around me I will bounce around 40-45 MPH. Sometimes slower sometimes faster,Depending on what my factory average MPG display (updates every 30 seconds) is telling me how far I am from my goal. Which is to show me 70+MPG at the end of my trip.

If traffic is heavy,and I don't want to hold up a bunch of people and there is a vehicle ahead of me "within reach", I will race to catch up with them and let them brake the wind for me from about 2-3 seconds of following distance.

Basically adapt to the situations at all times.

Mirage is currently #5 on the list.

My previous car was a 94 mazda protege 1.8L MANUAL. Rated 27 MPG and I was able to get a few 60+ MPG tanks out of her too.

The EPA percantage with that car was 117% above EPA and lifetime MPG around 57 MPG with ZERO instrumentation feedback to me on MPGs. I drove it the same way as I drive the mirage but the mirage can tell me on the display when I suck and need to slow down!

I did have more mods on the mazda though. Alternator cutoff switch,A/C and P/S disabled etc.

Oh and one last thing..Florida temperatures give me an advantage over some of you guys living at colder climates.