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Old 08-08-2008, 12:24 PM   #3 (permalink)
99metro
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Briggsdale, Colorado
Posts: 296

Wildfire - '96 Ford Bronco XL
90 day: 14.88 mpg (US)

Blackford - '96 Ford Bronco XLT
90 day: 20.26 mpg (US)

Y2k - '00 Honda Insight
Gen-1 Insights
Team Honda
90 day: 73.98 mpg (US)

Redford V10 - '01 Ford F250 Lariat
90 day: 15.64 mpg (US)

FireFly - '00 Honda Insight DX
90 day: 69.43 mpg (US)

LittleRed - '00 Honda Insight
Thanks: 3
Thanked 31 Times in 14 Posts
If I drove like that, I would get about the same MPG as you. I took me a while to get used to getting passed all the time. I used to be the one doing the passing. Tailgaters will be tailgaters whether you are driving 50 mph or 200 mph.

If you could drop to 50-55 mph (80-88 kph), you'd probably get in the 40's. If you see cars coming up behind you, just hug the right line, or even a couple tire widths to the right of it to encourage them to pass. You might want to hit the hazards to give them fair warning ahead of time.

If you have lots of up and down hills, you can actually do very well if you drive them right. It takes patience and practice to acquire the skills, but it's doable. I pulse and glide on my little hills by pulsing on top of the hill to about 1/4 down, then gliding the middle half, then a little throttle for momentum the last 1/4 of the downhill pluse a tad up, then gradually decreasing throttle on the way up the next. On the long uphills, best to stay in Overdrive or 5th and steady throttle but slow speed all the way up. I haven't figured a better way yet. 3rd and 4th give the worst uphill economy, but 5th gives the best up hills.

I've been hypermiling two of my automatics lately, and have found a dramatic increase in economy by neutral coasting with the engine on (pulse and glide from 60mph down to 45mph, then 75% throttle back up to 60mph), super extended coasting in nuetral to the stop signs (at least 1/3 of a mile or .5km), and very slow (1 mile or 1.6km) accelerations from a stop to 55mph (88).

Everything is a work in progress and subject to improvements.
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