Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
Welcome to EM Steve. It'll be interesting to see what you can do with the Buick!
Are you looking to modify it in any way?
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Thanks for the welcome! First, I'm going to see how well-calibrated the odometer and onboard FE gauges are. If necessary, I'll use the Ultragauge I had in my old xB for better data. Second is probably tires with a taller sidewall. The stock tires are 235/50 on 17" wheels, and I'm thinking a 55 or 60 series will help. I went with taller tires on the '05 xB I had before the Buick, and it made a difference.
Beyond that, I'll have to see what suits it best. Since it's a newer car, my wife isn't too hip to the idea of mods beyond installing factory options it didn't come with. But we'll see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elhigh
It seems to me that the eAssist operating paradigm is similar to that in my Honda Civic Hybrid. The only difference is that you have an auto where mine is a manual.
Without looking closely at the specifications on your auto, I couldn't recommend EOC. Too often that'll just lunch your tranny.
What's your commute like? Mostly city, mostly highway, mix?
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I'm not sure how similar the system is to the Honda - I'm just digging into some of the details of the GM system, and I'm not too familiar with Honda's.
I won't do EOC with this car - I didn't do it much with my MT xB, either. Regen braking seems to activate when coasting in gear with the engine on, so I'll have to see what happens in neutral. One drawback of the onboard FE gauge is that its readout maxes out at 99 mpg (and often). In the xB, I saw 400+ on the UG many times.
My current job isn't FE friendly, but it could be worse. I drive nearly 30 miles from one suburb to another, but I'm going in the same general direction as a lot of commuters who live in MO and work in KS. My boss lets me work 7-4, which helps, particularly in the morning. I can take many different routes both ways, from 90% highway to 100% city traffic and suburban boulevards.
I think the main thing with a car this size is to pick a route that allows me to maintain momentum as much as possible. The car, a full tank of gas, and my bloated backside put total weight over 4100 lbs, while my old xB came in under 2800 with me and a full tank. I'll have to do some testing of different routes to find the right balance of time and economy.
After today's commute, the onboard FE gauge shows 30 mpg even, so I'm doing something right.