Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Geo drivers, please help me get a few things straight.

lyd · 10-01-2008, 09:15 AM

Well, in my Geo "a hair more pedal" does not increase speed on an incline, even a gentle one. At 10 on the vac guage I am just barely maintaining 55mph on level, open road. Holding it there on the frequent gentle slopes I encounter on the Wisconsin County Hwys I'm driving most will drop me 45mph, and on the slightly steeper ones I drop below that quickly. On those I'll downshift to 4th while still holding 10 on the vac and wind up cresting sometimes as low as 35mph.

Holding speed on the upslopes requires dropping to 4 or 5 on the vac, and acceleration requires 2 or less. I have not been doing that except where traffic makes it unavoidable.

On the downsides I'll either hold at 10 to get back up to the 50-55 range if another upslope is coming, or back off closer to 15 and gradually creep up to that same range if it looks flat ahead. Once I am out on the flat things settle back down to around 10 on the vac to hold speed, just.

I have been EOC where I can, mostly as I come into towns where the speed limit is dropping gradually 55-45-30-25, or where I am approaching a turn from one highway onto another.

No idea if any of this is most efficient, but seems to be the best I can do until I get the real-time MPG data going.

Re-reading what I have written above, it sounds like I am going for 55mph as my target, and I guess you could say I am, but the way it all works out DWL I am spending a lot more time around 45mph than I am at 55. This doesn't bother me -- the short runs I make on these local highways are perfect for driving a slower average speed, as it is hardly going to change my total trip time at all-- but it definitely bothers the hell out of traffic behind me on these 2-lanes, so I am a little concerned about that. There are many easy passing zones and plenty of openings to use them, but it seems to really piss some people off to have to do so, however easy it may be. The 30 or 40 seconds they get held up behind me waiting for the next passing opportunity is apparently extremely frustrating to them. Thats the root of my at least trying to hit 55 (which is still too slow for everybody, but I'm not going to apologize for driving the posted limit) rather than just outright driving 45, which I could maintain much more easily in this terrain.

10-01-2008, 09:15 AM	#12 (permalink)
lyd It smells funny in here. Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southern Wisconsin Posts: 63 GeeOh - '97 Geo Metro Base 90 day: 33.41 mpg (US) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Well, in my Geo "a hair more pedal" does not increase speed on an incline, even a gentle one. At 10 on the vac guage I am just barely maintaining 55mph on level, open road. Holding it there on the frequent gentle slopes I encounter on the Wisconsin County Hwys I'm driving most will drop me 45mph, and on the slightly steeper ones I drop below that quickly. On those I'll downshift to 4th while still holding 10 on the vac and wind up cresting sometimes as low as 35mph. Holding speed on the upslopes requires dropping to 4 or 5 on the vac, and acceleration requires 2 or less. I have not been doing that except where traffic makes it unavoidable. On the downsides I'll either hold at 10 to get back up to the 50-55 range if another upslope is coming, or back off closer to 15 and gradually creep up to that same range if it looks flat ahead. Once I am out on the flat things settle back down to around 10 on the vac to hold speed, just. I have been EOC where I can, mostly as I come into towns where the speed limit is dropping gradually 55-45-30-25, or where I am approaching a turn from one highway onto another. No idea if any of this is most efficient, but seems to be the best I can do until I get the real-time MPG data going. Re-reading what I have written above, it sounds like I am going for 55mph as my target, and I guess you could say I am, but the way it all works out DWL I am spending a lot more time around 45mph than I am at 55. This doesn't bother me -- the short runs I make on these local highways are perfect for driving a slower average speed, as it is hardly going to change my total trip time at all-- but it definitely bothers the hell out of traffic behind me on these 2-lanes, so I am a little concerned about that. There are many easy passing zones and plenty of openings to use them, but it seems to really piss some people off to have to do so, however easy it may be. The 30 or 40 seconds they get held up behind me waiting for the next passing opportunity is apparently extremely frustrating to them. Thats the root of my at least trying to hit 55 (which is still too slow for everybody, but I'm not going to apologize for driving the posted limit) rather than just outright driving 45, which I could maintain much more easily in this terrain.