100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics

[sheepdog 44]

Originally Posted by YeahPete

I have something to suggest. Not quite sure how to phrase it or if anyone agrees with me.

Hill Acceleration:
When accelerating up curved hills inside of the curve to reduce the hill cimbing distance.

Maybe this can be added under 51 . Use the 'racing line'

I have thought about this too. My opinion is that the inside line being shorter, mean it's also the steepest line up the hill. And the relative distance of the two lines is very minimal. I have a few really steep hills to practice on everyday, and my current technique whether it helps or not is,
1, Accelerate to a speed before the hill that i have enough momentum to ride it to the top.
2, take the inside "racers" line at the bottom curve of the hill cause i need as much speed as i can.
3, As i approach the top, drive from the inside toward the far outside of the curve to somehow reduce the grade of the final portion of the hill.

Originally Posted by 2000neon

In my opinion, accelerating on an incline follows the same idea, it uses a lot of fuel no matter what you do. So what I do is still accelerate with a good bit of throttle (not wide open flooring it) but relatively high engine load. I shift a little bit higher (1600 on flat ground/ 2000 going up hills), I use the torque of the motor (BSFC - worth a search on here), and just get it done and out of the way. Trying to pull really slowly up the hill, you will have poor MPG, for a longer period of time compared to just getting on the throttle for a shorter time.

MPG should be the same if your'e doing 25mpg up a hill for a mile at 55mph or 35mph. Though one will take longer. My word of caution is if you find yourself doing 25mpg at 55mph, you've covered a good distance fast enough that you can take an mpg hit pretty fast if you don't realize it.

My addition to #2 park and bike. If your destination is on a steep hill a mile up the road, park at the bottom and walk up. You can save a good chunk of mpg by walking two miles. Especially if that steep hill has a low speed limit and there isn't a coast down on the bottom.

[hackish]

Interesting addition, sell your car and get a new one. When you look at the fuel economy of vehicles in the last 5 years they have made significant improvements. There are now even domestics getting in the 50mpg range now and that used to be exclusive territory of small displacement imports.

-Michael

[Frank Lee]

Here's what the '13 Ford Fiesta Owner's Manual has to say about it:

ECONOMICAL DRIVING
Fuel economy is affected by several things such as how you drive, the
conditions you drive under and how you maintain your vehicle.
There are some things to keep in mind that may improve your fuel
economy:
• Accelerate and slow down in a smooth, moderate fashion.
• Drive at steady speeds without stopping.
• Anticipate stops; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
• Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
• Close the windows for high-speed driving.
• Drive at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
• Keep the tires properly inflated and use only the recommended size.
• Use the recommended engine oil.
• Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance.
There are also some things you may not want to do because they may
reduce your fuel economy:
• Sudden or hard accelerations.
• Rev the engine before turning it off.
• Idle for periods longer than one minute.
• Warm up your vehicle on cold mornings.
• Use the air conditioner or front defroster.
• Use the speed control in hilly terrain.
• Rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
• Drive a heavily loaded vehicle or tow a trailer.
• Carry unnecessary weight (approximately 1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for
every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
• Add particular accessories to your vehicle (e.g. bug deflectors,
rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski racks).
• Drive with the wheels out of alignment.

[jtgh]

zip.squat

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by jtgh

my 96 mx5 got 28mpg at 70mph, every day and when i sold it 5 years later , i made cash.
Bet you can't make cash with old funky batteries. in a hybrid. in 10 years. no way.
Ever try to work on one? I can repair all my cars, can you?

You say that like it's something special. My Odyssey (V6 minivan) gets nearly that (25 mpg) at 70 mph.

[jtgh]

...

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by jtgh

add to bad list
driving with engine in open loop mode. (due to EFI faults or near WOT) "no tuned up"
not tuned means , ignoring service schedules. (and the p0300s)
CEL (MIL) on , driving?
driving with the ebrake set
driving with the mother-inlaw in car @350lbs and distracting ....
"obummer, pump up dem tires folks."

physics works even more simple.
#1
Recapture the heat losses. from the engine and braking. (and stropped)
#2
Reduction of car weight and rolling resistance and air flow resistance.
A more efficient engine. (and braking loss recovery systems)
, Stoich is where it's at, if you fail to keep it there , your engine will suck too much fuel.
if your driving habits , drop closed loop all the time, bingo. get a gauge and watch it.

first off, the best way to achieve economy is, (besides parking the keys) is to
recover the vast heat losses of the OTTO cycle engine .
Either store this energy, or use it direct, from the Exhaust and from the engine cooling radiator.
Turn off the engine, at stops signals.
Drive in the sweet spot using an MPG gauge. mine even works UP HILL.
If you don't like logging trucks passing you, ,then, consider that. Safety trumps MPG, every time.
I find gas cheap, it's about 10 times the cost of 1970 , just like, ah, everything else.


50MPG?
"there are now even domestics getting in the 50mpg range now"
what's the delta on the RANGE. +-10mpg?
why not name this car, is in ICE? or a Hybrid.?

i this the car?

I wonder if the 47mpg , is reduced for the amortized long term costs of expensive maintenance and battery swaps. Id bet not. (no free lunch)
Do the math on a cheap 30mpg Gas car, with a hybrid. Cost of owner ship.
Cost of ownership per mile , and use 10 years as how long you own it.

my 96 mx5 got 28mpg at 70mph, every day and when i sold it 5 years later , i made cash.
Bet you can't make cash with old funky batteries. in a hybrid. in 10 years. no way.
Ever try to work on one? I can repair all my cars, can you?

Paynful 2 reed

[RedDevil]

(add to bad list)
There is so much wrong with that that I just don't bother. No facts. Just an opinion of someone who has not looked up the reliability statistics of the most common hybrids.

I do not know how to fix some of the more complicated systems on my car, and I don't care because it is unlikely they would ever fail.
I know some Civics had hybrid battery problems, but almost all other hybrids do not.

[jtgh]

don't read it ,nor copy it.
and good luck, doing all this kid like driving habits.
it's the guy behind you , that you fool, (old folks too) that will be your undoing.
I promise.
good luck with that.

[jtgh]

gas is cheap.
its inflated the same price a bread from 1970 to present.
about 10x, like most things.
don't worry, be happy