Daily gas mileage blab thread

[Dunkler]

^ Thanks for that! I will go check it out!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Most people who delete an outside mirror are using large convex replacement mirrors mounted just inside the glass. There's apparently a decent selection available at Walmart. I'll be doing the same to the passenger side mirror on my Insight at some point.

I deleted my Civic's mirrors. But aerohead argues that it is a pointless change, on the basis of high quality track testing of tops speeds. He says no significant top speed difference could be found on his 1980s civic (3rd Gen?) with the mirrors on or off. I have been contemplating replacing one mirror as a result. What you you think?

[Dunkler]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

I deleted my Civic's mirrors. But aerohead argues that it is a pointless change, on the basis of high quality track testing of tops speeds. He says no significant top speed difference could be found on his 1980s civic (3rd Gen?) with the mirrors on or off. I have been contemplating replacing one mirror as a result. What you you think?

I can tell you only what I have found. I changed absolutely nothing else except the side mirrors (Pizza pans we removed after one trip(45miles) because they fell off) on the car and gained 1-2 mpg with the last couple of tanks. Check my fuel data logs. The temps/humidity in Arkansas are not really fluctuating since we have hit the summer time pattern. We are seeing an avg of mid 90's during the days with high humidity.

[Sovereign]

I don't always get 29.6MPG, but when I do, it's because I turned the A/C on. Interesting mostly-high-speed trip home today that prevented the A/C from draining the battery while simultaneously allowing me to raise my average this tank from 26MPG readout (this morning) to 30.1 readout.

[endurance]

I should have done this a while ago. I've been having a low end hesitation at light throttle (25-60 LOD) below 2k rpm. I suspected it was more dirty injectors than anything and what do you know, a can of BG-44k and it's gone. D'oh!

Well, with that hesitation went my disappointing mpg I've been having all spring and early summer. Just set a new personal best in the Acura, 41.87 mpg on a 445.4 mile tank of just your average commuting and errands. Also used Shell gasoline. I've never been a believer that one gas was better than any other, but in this case this is the fourth time I've used Shell since I started keeping records in October and three of those tanks were record setters. Guess I can't complain about results, so I think I'm a convert. Heck, I can also use my supermarket card and save $0.10/gallon there, too.

In any case, I didn't exactly shatter my previous best of 41.4, but that was a tank with a lot of highway miles. I suspect that if I actually got out on the highway now, I might just have a shot at 44+. Might be time for a road trip!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by endurance

I suspect that if I actually got out on the highway now, I might just have a shot at 44+. Might be time for a road trip!

One thing I realized soon after starting EOC on local roads is that I can get far better averages on the local streets than on the freeway. Add effective DWL and there is little point in comparing: the local roads are the way to go whenever practical in terms of time and distance.

[endurance]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

One thing I realized soon after starting EOC on local roads is that I can get far better averages on the local streets than on the freeway. Add effective DWL and there is little point in comparing: the local roads are the way to go whenever practical in terms of time and distance.

Ahh, but you are what we call a flatlander. I have nowhere within 500 miles that's actually flat road. My morning commute starts with an 8.5 mile descent before I even start the car. Thus, when I talk about highway driving, I'm talking about climbing for 30 minutes at 20mpg, then descending for 20 minutes with the engine off before the next big hill. My previous record included climbing to the 11,300' Eisenhower Tunnel and the 10,600' Vail Pass on my way to the town of Glenwood at 6,400'. Heck, even when I'm not EOC, I get to go down valley at 70mph getting 46-51mpg because of the 0.5-1.0% grade in long stretches. Coming back there's usually a tail wind and so 36-38mpg isn't uncommon. That leads to spectacular averages out of car EPA rated at 22/28mpg.

Saw my first CR-Z in the parking lot at work today. Green with envy. Now there's a car I could have fun with AND get 50+mpg without even trying. Too bad the ol' Acura is aging gracefully and probably has another couple of years left in 'er. I remember when 140k miles was the end of a car's lifespan and you were lucky to make it that far. Now it's middle age.

[NeilBlanchard]

I have a new record tank FE: 54.8MPG! Woohoo! The previous record was 53.7 a couple of years ago.

[MetroMPG]

Congrats, Neil!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by endurance

Saw my first CR-Z in the parking lot at work today. Green with envy. Now there's a car I could have fun with AND get 50+mpg without even trying.

I saw one of these on the road and thought: good looking Honda. So thanks for the heads up. I didn't know it was a hybrid until I looked it up just now on the Honda site. I'm disappointed with my favorite automaker. Even in "econ" mode this hybrid only beats the EPA fuel economy rating of my 1998 all-gasoline Civic by 3 or 4 MPG. Even before becoming a rabid hypermiler I matched the CR-Z fuel economy all the time in my daily driving. So the car is more toxic to build, costs more, and burns almost as much fuel. I'm sure you are correct and that you can get remarkable hypermiling out of it, but I can do that in my current ride without handing the savings $$ over to Honda in a retail premium, plus car-loan interest. Ouch! I know it has lots of gadgets in it, but something about this picture is a little depressing. Is that all that the hybrid technology will bring us? From the eco(logical) and eco(nomy) standpoint we need to do better.

I drove across those Colorado mountains a couple times in a 1974 Oldsmobile (with the Rocket 350 V8 block of Jerry Lee Lewis fame). Man that's a beautiful world... enjoy.