Accelerating for good fuel consumption.

[Isaac Zackary]

It would seem to me that the most important thing while accelerating is not instant fuel mileage, but rather best efficiency.

Internal combustion engines get better fuel efficiencies as you lay your foot into it, at least up until the engine starts to run rich. And lower than max torque is best for best fuel mileage.

In my diesel I just floor it and keep RPMs as low as possible, 1,000RPMs and up. Max injection is still lean of stoichiometric so I don't have worry about that.

[ecocruze]

I must say getting in it in my ex seems to help. The built in av guage seems to be thrown off drastically by it though got 27.5 mpg and dash readout was 24.4. was shocked when I hand calculated it. It had dropped a bit from 25.4 since I started running up rpm a bit to get to tc lockup faster. My Cruze on the other hand seems to respond decently to the same treatment when it's a bit cold yet. Speeds warm up time vs slow acceleration and helps for efficiency at cruising speed earlier. Yet the route I'm taking currently is a bit windy I call it my hypermiler route. Have to go this way due to road work. Have been coming out with near the same numbers as prior to testing your hammer down theory. I feel my earlier assumption that na would respond better than turbo vehicles was correct.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by t vago

Yes.

Furthermore, you should try to obtain a torque/HP dyno graph of your car's engine. Barring that, try to find the RPM point where your engine torque starts to drop - that's where you want to upshift.

Came here to say this. Find your engine's torque peak, or if you can find one, look for a Brake Specific Fuel Consumption map which will also show you how much fuel you're consuming at engine loads. Look for the island of efficiency (google those terms in the search window at the top left of the page) and try to put your acceleration regime right in that area for greatest effect. Get up to cruising velocity and there you are.

If you choose to pulse and glide, shoot for the island of efficiency, from its lower to upper rev limits, for all your pulses.

[JockoT]

I haven't been able to find a Brake Specific Fuel Consumption map for the 1.2i-DSi engine but using this torque curve

I tend to try an accelerate from about 2200 to 3000 rpm

[Isaac Zackary]

I'd suggest trying going only up to 2,700RPM. Or 2,500RPM max and see how that does. Do you have a vacuum gauge installed?

[JockoT]

In city/town driving I try to stick to the figures you suggest, but on hills the small engine needs a bit more, otherwise as soon as you change up you need to change back down.
Also for brisk acceleration such as joining traffic on an on ramp. Or sneaking in behind a fast moving coach, or the like, for draughting.

I have a ScanGauge E fitted.

[elhigh]

Without having the BSFC map in hand, that's the rev range I would shoot for, too. Note, too, that that torque curve is for wide open throttle. If you do manage to find the BSFC you may be able to tweak how far you mash the pedal down for better results.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by JockoT

In city/town driving I try to stick to the figures you suggest, but on hills the small engine needs a bit more, otherwise as soon as you change up you need to change back down.
Also for brisk acceleration such as joining traffic on an on ramp. Or sneaking in behind a fast moving coach, or the like, for draughting.

I have a ScanGauge E fitted.

Maybe you could drive like me!

In my Nissan Leaf it won't make it from the next town back to home at highway speeds since it's uphill and there aren't any charging stations on that 70 mile stretch and because my battery has lost over 15% of it's original capacity. So I just drive at 35mph along the shoulder with my flashers on and make it back home ok. I've been doing this once a week for several months.

[JockoT]

That is fine when needs must. I did the same when my exhaust broke off and was dangling below the car, but to save a couple of miles per gallon I would just be selfish. I do drive at these sort of speeds, if there is no traffic behind me, but as soon as traffic comes up behind I speed up to what would be considered acceptable for the road.
We don't have a shoulder on our roads like you do in the States, except on Motorways, where you can only pull over and stop in an emergency. You cannot drive on them.
This is typical of the roads around here.

[teoman]

Couid one not tweak the mpguino or other gizmos software to show fuel used for acceleration?