Quote:
Originally Posted by 96CX
I do not have a ScangaugeII-- $170 is WAY out of my budget. I set aside $20/month for parts/maintenance and such for our two cars-- so maybe in a couple of years (IF the cars don't break)....
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There is a used ScanGaugeII on ebay right now for $75 including shipping. If it helps you increase your average mpg by 5, it will pay for itself in about 20 weeks if you drive 320 miles per week. If you're determined enough, coming up with $75 is not difficult. Once it pays for itself, it could put around $15 in your pocket
every month. Actually, more than that considering you can use it for much more than just the mpg displays.
I'm also a pizza delivery driver, and I would never give up my ScanGauge II to have the $160 back that I paid for it. It is more useful than I would have ever imagined, and I know it has helped me increase my mpg.
As for pizza delivery driving style, it's a dilemma for me. I love hypermiling and saving money at the pump, but I also love making as much per hour as I can delivering pizza. Since I'm reimbursed for my mileage based on number of deliveries, increasing my mpg as much as possible doesn't actually earn me more money, because my average deliveries per hour drops slightly (if I'm trying to drive with no brakes and coast very slow up hills and coming to stops). If I try to keep my average deliveries per hour up, I do lose a little mpg, but I'm reimbursed more, because I end up increasing my deliveries per hour slightly.
For these reasons, I am trying to find a balance between using as many hypermiling techniques as I can and keeping my deliveries per hour as high as I can. Fortunately, there are still many things I can do to keep my mpg fairly high and not affect my deliveries per hour. As a side note, I drive an '09 Toyota Yaris automatic, and I have been averaging around 39 mpg my last 2 tanks while delivering 90% of the time.
It sounds like you already do many things that help your mpg, but I'll let you know some things I do.
1. If you can get away with it, don't use a car topper. It's nothing but a liability, target for potential robberies, and an aerodynamic fail. If your managers make a big deal about it, ask if you can use a window sign that mounts on the inside.
2. Make sure you have all the codes to all gates written down, or even better, in your long term memory so you don't have to look them up. Don't waste time at gates.
3. Make sure you have detailed maps for certain businesses and apartments. If you know exactly where you need to be, you can save some mpg by not having to drive around looking for it. If you aren't sure where a place is exactly, call well before you get close to find out so you don't have to drive around looking for it.
4. Study your maps extensively and find side roads with less stop signs and stop lights. Even if they are a little longer, they may still be faster and better for your mpg.
5. Park strategically. Always park on the road unless it's a long driveway. If you park on a slight uphill, you can do the reverse 1-point turn around using gravity. If you park facing downhill, do a 2-point forward turn around. Only continue straight ahead if it's a part of your route, the roads will lead you out another way, or you can use hills to your advantage. If parking in a parking space with a curb, if it's a downhill to the curb, back in using gravity. If it's an uphill to the curb, pull in forward then back out using gravity. To me, it seems more efficient than going in reverse uphill. I could be wrong. Also, if you can, park at the restaurant where you never have to use reverse. It's better for mpg, and it will get you in and out quicker if you don't have to park too far away.
6. Strategically use DFCO. You may not be able to do this much until you get a ScanGauge, unless you have a way of knowing when you're in DFCO. There are many times where coasting will be better for your mpg, but DFCO can be a better choice sometimes. For instance, if you're about to go down a fairly steep hill and don't have to stop at the bottom, begin with DFCO at the top of the hill. Closer to the bottom, start coasting. Time it to where you never have to brake or accelerate. If it's a slight downhill with a stop at the bottom, start with coasting and then stop at the bottom with DFCO. If you're heading downhill and there are speed bumps, DFCO. These are a few of the many times you'll wish you had a ScanGauge.
7. Route strategically. I'll assume you don't have much of a choice on what deliveries you get to take (oldest first + whatever goes with it), but you do have a choice with the roads you choose and the order in which you drop them off. A lot of the time, right turns are quicker and more fuel efficient than left turns. For this reason, if you have 2 orders on the same road and 1 is on the left side of the road (from the restaurant) and the other is on the right side, deliver the one on the right side first (as long as neither order is late, because you don't want to harm your tips). This will give you 3 right turns and 1 left turn. If you delivered the one on the left first, you'd have 1 right turn and 3 left turns. Also, even though it's not great for customer service, dropping off the farthest order first should be better for fuel efficiency because you're more likely to keep your engine temps up. Once again, only do this if the other orders won't be late.
I choose the roads I take based on the types of road enemies I have based on trip times and mpg. My road enemies include: stop lights, stop signs, speed bumps, gates, and traffic. If you can figure out ways to avoid these things, not only will you get better mpg, but you may be able to reduce your trip times as well. You will have to be the judge with this, because we're not familiar with your delivery area. But my rule of thumb is to try to avoid those road enemies within reason, and it'll help you out.
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