the "Daily Drive" thread - December 2007

[igo]

I was able to get 32mpg in the Saturn thanks to my new thermostat. I took a long trip to go snowboarding which I am sure helped my overall mpg. I am running a full grill block now too. Sometimes i need to turn the heat up in bad traffic to prevent overheating. So, i will not be running a full grill block in the spring and summer.

[MetroMPG]

Nice to hear your t-stat is helping.

I also confirmed something that helps the ForkenSwift: if I go further between charges, the overall efficiency increases (by spreading charging losses - some of which are fixed, regardless of distance travelled - over more distance).

I went 15.8 km in the last 2 days on 3.5 kWh = 94 MPGe. (Goes without saying: that's all city driving!)

[diamondlarry]

After today I can see why this thread is part of the "Daily Grind." Definitely the "Grind" part anyway. I drove to Wayne's house(Wayne Gerdes of Cleanmpg.com) this morning and got a very respectable 70.2 over 155 miles. This included ~5 miles of snow so heavy on highway 41 that I couldn't see the lane markings. Wayne then drove from his house to Oak Creek, WI and managed to pull off 70.2 miles over the 38.5 mile trip. Then the weather turned really ugly. The wind picked up and the snow started coming down pretty hard. The 1 mile trip to Culver's only allowed me 25.7 mpg. Wayne decided that I'd better drive because he didn't want to be responsible for the horrible FE that was in store for the trip back to his house. The traffic on I-94 was fairly heavy and travelling a max of ~40 mph and I managed 64.9 for the 39.5 mile trip from Culver's into his drive. By the time I got into Chicago from I was over 70 mpg but the bottom fell out when I rounded the lake and headed east towards Indiana; I encountered a 10-15 mph headwind and slippery/snow covered roads and thankfully slow moving traffic. By the time I pulled into my garage at the end of the 154 mile trip from Wayne's the mpg had plummeted to 60.8. Despite all the snow and wind, I managed 65.4 for 388 miles of highway travel in a car that the EPA says should only get 51 mpg on the highway. SHM rocks!:woot:

[DifferentPointofView]

Originally Posted by Lazarus

You ought to put your Jeep in the garage now that you have a fill so we can track it and see what you have done to it. What mods if any have you done so far. I can't find the thread where you talked about it. I think higher tire pressures and eco driving except when mudding right? Is that about 30% over EPA. Not bad for winter although I don't know where you are located to quantify your winter.

Well.. my Jeep was covered in snow this morning and it's snowing right now if that's what you wanted quantified. I've got my tired inflated to the max safe level, and I drive eco anytime I can, and of course that's impossible when I'm slinging mud. I've removed the roof racks, just replaced the spark plugs, and have a "high performance" air fliter. Its too cold right now to mod the Jeep, but I'm gonna try a few things once the weather gets warmer. I'm hoping a nice and good 23 this time around, mostly because of the snow, but its also getting colder, and takes longer to warm up, and my bro likes to be warm in the vehicle.

[MetroMPG]

"Filled up" the ForkenSwift again last night. 86.07 eMPG. That's for about 14 km worth of use this week. I think I've demonstrated that going further (within reason) between charges minimizes the "fixed" charging losses and raises the overal charge cycle efficiency.

That said, I didn't stay "within reason" on this charge - it was a first gear crawl from that final intersection and up the last slight grade to the waiting extension cord. Had to take it that slowly with an eye on the voltmeter to protect the batteries. In summer, I could have easily done twice that distance to that depth of discharge (meaning I would have had 172 eMPG). Winter temps & snowy roads suck!

EDIT: FYI, it was a 16 hour recharge, 3.58 kWh.

[DifferentPointofView]

Bad problems, MPG went down from having to warm up the car longer cause the engine's been acting up from not being warmed up long enough. Also from my brother riding more using more bumpin stereo, heater, and driving faster cause he complains I drive like an old lady. Plus, I've had to do a lot more city driving for school finals. Snow made it bad cause I had to get on the gas to get out a couple times and makes things muddier. Next tank, which is real soon cause it's been 2 weeks since last fill up and I"m near empty. I'll refrain from the temptations of what's next to the road instead of the road itself and try my best to get the best fuel economy. I'll "Garage" it and keep track of everything.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

I'll "Garage" it and keep track of everything.

That'll be cool.

As for your bro & the engine needing heat: 1500 watt 120v plug-in heater. Block heater.

As for you bro bugging you to drive like everybody else: tell him he can tell you how to drive when he pays your fuel & maintenance!

[DifferentPointofView]

how much do those run exactly? I need to change my oil soon, The engine takes a recommended 10w-40 but I was gonna try 5w-40 this time since it's winter. I'm running Mobil 1 synthetic high-mileage right now if you wanted to know.

[diamondlarry]

I just had a pretty good trip taking the wife to work. The temperature is 34F and the wind is from the SE at <5 mph. I had 68.4 there(6.3 miles) and 83.3 back. I'm at 75.1 for the day.

[MetroMPG]

Next: the "Daily Drive" thread - January 2008