Been driving more assertively lately

[actwithclarity]

It all started after I went with my cousin and he was driving my car to 80km/hr in second gear. I was like WTF, you should be in 5th gear by then dude, don't blow up my engine please.

Anyways, I started accelerating a bit harder, blowing by cars from the stop (not fast ones just normal ones lol), staying in lower gears for like 10-20km/h longer, swerving in traffic, etc. Still trying to avoid stopping as much as possible without conflicting with my fun, and I stay around 90 km/h on the highway unless drafting.

Based on 3 tanks now it seems my MPG went up slightly compared with before. And it's more fun to drive.

[Cxserver]

Just posted the same above you lol. My engine is designed and moded for higher rpms. That's why I think I'm also getting better mpg. Also longer coasting after a burst up to speed.

[Kodak]

Approximately what rpm are your shift points now? And beforehand?

I can see each of your situations being reasonable, so long as the hard acceleration does not include extra unnecessary acceleration. That is, you accelerate harder, but only when you actually plan on reaching and staying at a given speed for a prolonged period.

[Arragonis]

Getting up to cruising speed in a short time and avoiding unrequired stops will improve MPG a little. The trick now is for you to find the optimum acceleration and cruising points - the ones that bring you the best return.

I'm in the same boat. I've tried gentle acceleration and short shifting. It works in town but I'm going to try higher RPMs and maintaining progress on the Edinburgh bypass (think tiny freeway) and see if that improves there. It will take a few runs to find the best approach or to disprove this as an idea.

Swerving in Traffic ? Hmmm Although I think you mean lane changing a lot to maintain progress.

[user removed]

80% load acceleration is fairly quick in a performance oriented engine setup. My 4 cylinder Altima does 0-60 in about 7.5 to 8 seconds. I don't see much difference in mileage from a fairly broad rate of acceleration. Getting to speed quicker certainly uses more fuel in the shorter period of time, but then you are at speed and using a lot less fuel for a longer period of time.

Taking a very long time to get to speed in highest gear versus more throttle and less time is mostly a wash, generally speaking. I have tested that and it really makes very little difference. This is for a performance oriented power train combination, say something that breaks 0-60 in 9 seconds.

While that may be considered slow by today's standards in older times it was considered pretty quick. The 84 Civic CRX with the 1.3 engine was rated at something like 13.5 seconds while the 1.5 was under 10. Difference in mileage was close to 20 MPG in the real world if driven properly.

regards
Mech

[JRMichler]

My 4 cylinder Canyon is definitely not a performance oriented setup, but I get the same results as Old Mechanic. So I accelerate at 13 to 14 lbs MAP and shift at 2500 RPM. I get good mileage while keeping up with traffic.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

80% load acceleration is fairly quick in a performance oriented engine setup...

I haven't ventured much over 4.5K yet, and that got 60% LOD.

[jakobnev]

As a rule i shift @3.5k, i'll shift @2.5k at the lowest i i need to reduce acceleration, if i need to reduce it further, i don't reduce load, instead i coast between gears. In the extreme case that i have someones great great great grandmother in front of me, and nobody behind me, i'll even EOC between gears. Only if dense traffic forces me will i reduce load.

[graydonengineering]

If you drive so slow that it's time to stop again by the time you are up to speed in the city, your mpg will be very poor. Mpg as you accelerate is bad no matter what, your better off getting it over with quick! This also keeps your friends from dogging your for being a hypermiler!

[RobertSmalls]

Hypermiling doesn't always mean driving slowly, and light throttle acceleration is seldom a good idea:

Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) Maps - EcoModder

Just make sure you can make good use of the resulting kinetic energy. Getting up to speed only to have to brake will kill your fuel economy.