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stefanv · 07-09-2017, 08:50 PM

Hi EcoModders:

I live near Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and drive there most weekdays (44km each way) for work. I'd estimate my driving at about 80% highway and 20% city.

I recently became interested in improving the fuel economy of my 2001 Saturn SL1 after researching a more ambitious project, converting a Triumph TR-7 to a viable electric car, and discovering it would be far more costly than I first thought.

I've had the car since 2009, and have been tracking fuel economy since the day I got it, but I no longer have records prior to 2014. Since 2014, my FE has steadily gotten worse:

2014 - 5.85L/100km, 40.0mpg (US)
2015 - 6.24L/100km, 37.5mpg
2016 - 6.46L/100km, 36.2mpg
2017 - about 6.2L/100km, 38mpg until recently

The improvement in 2017 was probably due a tune-up late last year.

However, the last two tanks, I've been driving more carefully. The first tank I just did it by the seat of my pants, and achieved 5.55L/100km, 42.1mpg, which was the best single-tank fuel economy I'd ever recorded.

After that, I bought a Bluetooth OBDII adapter and the Torque app. I only managed 5.73L/100km, 40.8mpg on the next tank, but I was stuck in a few traffic jams on that tank. But that's still way better than my average this year.

When I get interested in something, I go all out, so I plan to start doing some mods:

smooth wheel covers (probably fibreglass)
rear wheel fairings
grill block
gap filling
full width air dam
delete power steering
build a comprehensive carputer to replace the Torque app, and provide:
- DWL cruise control (limited to highway use since it can't shift gears)
- load-sensitive A/C
- DFCO at lower RPMs

I've mostly been reading the non-mod hypermiling threads for now in order to improve my driving habits. I look forward to reading more of your exploits, and will share mine here too.

I went through all my photos, and discovered that the only good photos I have of my car are at the dealer's the day I picked it up:

The red SW1 in the background was my old Saturn, which had 340,000km on it the day I left it there.

07-09-2017, 08:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
stefanv EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 85 2001 Saturn - '01 Saturn SL1 90 day: 41.68 mpg (US) Thanks: 3 Thanked 54 Times in 30 Posts	New member from Ontario, Canada Hi EcoModders: I live near Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and drive there most weekdays (44km each way) for work. I'd estimate my driving at about 80% highway and 20% city. I recently became interested in improving the fuel economy of my 2001 Saturn SL1 after researching a more ambitious project, converting a Triumph TR-7 to a viable electric car, and discovering it would be far more costly than I first thought. I've had the car since 2009, and have been tracking fuel economy since the day I got it, but I no longer have records prior to 2014. Since 2014, my FE has steadily gotten worse: 2014 - 5.85L/100km, 40.0mpg (US) 2015 - 6.24L/100km, 37.5mpg 2016 - 6.46L/100km, 36.2mpg 2017 - about 6.2L/100km, 38mpg until recently The improvement in 2017 was probably due a tune-up late last year. However, the last two tanks, I've been driving more carefully. The first tank I just did it by the seat of my pants, and achieved 5.55L/100km, 42.1mpg, which was the best single-tank fuel economy I'd ever recorded. After that, I bought a Bluetooth OBDII adapter and the Torque app. I only managed 5.73L/100km, 40.8mpg on the next tank, but I was stuck in a few traffic jams on that tank. But that's still way better than my average this year. When I get interested in something, I go all out, so I plan to start doing some mods: smooth wheel covers (probably fibreglass) rear wheel fairings grill block gap filling full width air dam delete power steering build a comprehensive carputer to replace the Torque app, and provide: DWL cruise control (limited to highway use since it can't shift gears) load-sensitive A/C DFCO at lower RPMs I've mostly been reading the non-mod hypermiling threads for now in order to improve my driving habits. I look forward to reading more of your exploits, and will share mine here too. I went through all my photos, and discovered that the only good photos I have of my car are at the dealer's the day I picked it up: The red SW1 in the background was my old Saturn, which had 340,000km on it the day I left it there. Last edited by stefanv; 07-10-2017 at 10:37 AM.. Reason: Added a photo.