70 MPG US (3.3 L/100 km) challenge (non-hybrid gasoline and diesel cars)

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

66.42 mpg on the last tank puts me at the top of the ecomodder main page list, but is as expected below the 70 mpg mark. Need mods. Working on it. Jigsaw has arrived. Need saw horses. Then I start cutting AlumaCore.

Not to belittle your achievement (well done!) but as the years go by, the numbers at the top of the list seem to get lower and lower. I find this an interesting automotive trend.

[Jack-Lee]

Hi,

70MPG are not sooo hard i think. With the right Car :P
No mods installed.

Over the year and in everyday driving i get 3,9l/100km.

(115PS out of 0.7l displacement @ 850kg with driver and full tank )

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Not to belittle your achievement (well done!) but as the years go by, the numbers at the top of the list seem to get lower and lower. I find this an interesting automotive trend.

Without cars like the PaleCivic and the Aerocivic still active, the top end is lower than once upon a time. But I was usually only number 2 or 3 at this time of year. During the winter I was sometimes #1. Once or twice I was even number 1 during a warmer season because others had not driven their rides in a while (or posted their numbers). But as summer progressed, I would always drop to about 5th position. All good.

[GreenTDI]

Originally Posted by Jack-Lee

Hi,

70MPG are not sooo hard i think. With the right Car :P
No mods installed.

Over the year and in everyday driving i get 3,9l/100km.

(115PS out of 0.7l displacement @ 850kg with driver and full tank )

Wow, that's good!. But yes, you've got the 'right' car.

After 2 refuels since my ecomodding-adventure, I remain at 3.7l/100 km. Considering that's with a 5-seater estate car weighing 1200 kg, is of course not bad. But in my humble opinion, 3L should be achievable with the TDI - with the right tools.

[California98Civic]

I am stuck at a 68 mpg average despite quite aggressive hypermiling. The freeway is rough on my average every time. This was my problem last summer, too. My flat decklid spoiler, when I had the prototype on the car, seemed to help significantly (1-3 mpg), but I have not finished this summer's build.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Not to belittle your achievement (well done!) but as the years go by, the numbers at the top of the list seem to get lower and lower. I find this an interesting automotive trend.

Interesting because at this point, it's mostly hardcore "efficiency enthusiasts" who are currently active on EcoModder. You'd think we'd be pulling bigger numbers than the people who join/participate mainly out of a concern for saving money (highly correlated with oil/fuel price spikes, of which we've had few to none in the past few years).

Then again, I qualify as a efficiency enthusiast, but I don't strive for the big numbers anymore. It was fun to push the envelope though. But even then I knew it wouldn't be my "forever" driving style & level of mods.

So ... I was both happy & sad to see my winter beater Metro briefly at the top of the list after my last fill with a decidedly unspectacular number.

[MetroMPG]

Speaking of pushing the envelope:





First 70+ MPG US trip (~65 km) yesterday in Mirage #2 (1.2L gas, 5-speed manual)!

Conditions:

HOT, HOT, HOT! And dry. Very little traffic.

Driving style:

Mostly I used cruise control on rural roads (max 80 km/h = 50 mph) and through a few small towns. But I did "tap" speed up & down to drive with load on most of the hills. I also used my newly installed kill switch to stop the engine on some descents and on more approaches to stops & some turns.

Semi-modded with:

- tire PSI
- wheel discs
- grille block (had to open it further -- it's HOT here lately)
- kammback
- outside mirrors relocated inside
- 1 wiper blade delete
- WAI (warm air intake)
- engine kill switch just added this week - that's what put it over the top!

[GreenTDI]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Not to belittle your achievement (well done!) but as the years go by, the numbers at the top of the list seem to get lower and lower. I find this an interesting automotive trend.

I don't know how it is on your side of the globe, but new European cars have a higher consumption than a decade ago. Higher emission requirements and greater popularity of SUV are the main cause of this.

Of course this does not translate immediately on a website like this, but it is a clear trend in the automotive world. New models aren't more economical than the ones before.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Speaking of pushing the envelope:





First 70+ MPG US trip (~65 km) yesterday in Mirage #2 (1.2L gas, 5-speed manual)!

Conditions:

HOT, HOT, HOT! And dry. Very little traffic.

Driving style:

Mostly I used cruise control on rural roads (max 80 km/h = 50 mph) and through a few small towns. But I did "tap" speed up & down to drive with load on most of the hills. I also used my newly installed kill switch to stop the engine on some descents and on more approaches to stops & some turns.

Semi-modded with:

- tire PSI
- wheel discs
- grille block (had to open it further -- it's HOT here lately)
- kammback
- outside mirrors relocated inside
- 1 wiper blade delete
- WAI (warm air intake)
- engine kill switch just added this week - that's what put it over the top!

Once again, proof that stickers and hats make cars more efficient. We should sell this in the autoparts stores. The Mirage 2 climbs into the rarefied 70 MPG Club, and I have added it to the "SRA" list in the OP:



BETTER THAN HYBRID!

[MetroMPG]

Honoured!