Ecomodder's Top 10 backstory

[BabyDiesel]

I slipped into the Top 10 in % over EPA today by a mere 0.23% woohoo!

I started out getting around 34 mpg average on my ZX2. This is not bad, it is 36% over EPA. I had the automatic transmission, which i dreaded when I started to hypermile due the severe mpg penalty I THOUGHT it would cost me.

I began getting serious about ecomodding when I lost my job back in August 2014. I was in school, driving 65 miles round trip 5 days a week. Saving every penny became crucial.

My three biggest mods that have helped me have been the Scangauge, adjusting the nut behind the wheel (myself), and being content with what I have. The Scangauge is invaluable, as I would be driving blind without it. I cannot accurately adapt to conditions if I can't see what my car is doing, plain and simple.

I learned the importance of leaving early and slowing down. No more 65+ to get to school. I drive 45-55, 98% of the time. It is usually closer to 45 due to that being the "sweet spot" for the 2.0 Zetec. I avoid the interstates at all cost. Going above 55 drops my FE significantly.

The third is weird, but it is due to me having an automatic. I wanted so bad to blow it up and swap in a 5-speed manual last year! However, the swap cost and time down made this a stupid idea. I have learned that the auto is finicky, but it can return great FE when driven correctly. I am content with my car as it is now, and that alone makes it more pleasurable to drive

Here are my current mods I have done. I will say that having aero mods has helped A LOT, but then you must drive in a way to maximize their potential.

-Scangauge
-Keman intake w/ Spectre high-flow air filter
-Warm Air Intake
-Tire air pressure set at 60, f&r
-85% grill block
-Underbody panels
-Double SV mirror deletion
-Air line disconnect thingy
-Weight removal (Rear seat, etc.)
-Double 5.6K resistor in the IAT (for timing advance)
-Spark plugs gapped @ 0.070 (stock is 0.050)
-5w20 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum oil
-Lighter weight Mazda Miata Aluminum rims
-Upsized tires (185/70R14 BlackLion BH15)
-Thrush Turbo muffler
-Wheel covers
-Wheel Skirts

Here are links to my car's page - Details: Ecoscort - 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 Fuel Economy - EcoModder.com

And to my build thread - http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ead-30348.html

[pgfpro]

Nice work on getting in the top %

[BabyDiesel]

Thank you pgfpro! It feels like it has taken forever to reach this point!

I will be continually on the lookout for new people cracking the Top 10 list in Post #1 so they can add to this thread

[oldtamiyaphile]

I have two top ten vehicles in the trucks category.

EMMA is number 2 in the petrol trucks. 'My secret' was really just to buy a sensible vehicle and drive sensibly. My first tank netted 35% over EPA, I later added a bunch of weight, roof racks and a ladder etc and I'm now sitting at nearly 50% over EPA (partly due to everything breaking in - partly due to improved technique, and partly do to the weather cooling). Part of it was also to buy a vehicle at least one size smaller than I really need, and 'make-do' or use a trailer when I really need it. This saved me about $10,000 in purchase costs and means cheaper overall running costs. It's also more flexible than one big vehicle, although trailers do of course have their drawbacks. Even with the trailer (I started a new fuel log for trailer towing tanks - I'll fill the tank each time I expect I won't need the trailer again for a while), I'm still comfortably beating EPA, and I actually prefer driving with the trailer.

Build thread:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ing-31710.html

Mods list:
LED stop/tail & reverse lights
SGII
GPS (I consider this an ecomod - it's great to have a reminder that your turn is in 200 metres and it's time to DFCO - It's voice activated so I generally use it even if I know where I'm going)
Upper Grill block (Pipe lagging)
LED DRL's (not a legal requirement here but I do think lights on adds safety -esp on shadowy city streets)
Tyres @51PSI - Max sidewall, I run heavily loaded so this is actually a bit on the low side especially at the rear.
Cargo bulkhead - Keeps the cabin cool/warm without having to cool/warm the whole cargo area as well.

I think that's about it, only ~4000miles on it so far, so more to come. I want to build a rear diffuser next. I realised when installing the towbar that the same mounting points could mount the diffuser

My favorite mod is my solar panel, no it doesn't really directly save fuel, but it means I can EOC all I want and know that the battery will be topped up within minutes of parking in the sun (and not much longer on a cloudy day). The next step is to add an alt kill switch to expand my benefits.

My main fuel saving technique is EOC, expect with the trailer, the little 1.6 NA petrol has to drag around up to 2.2tons (4800lbs)! [max permissible train weight is 3 tons]. Then it's DWL and DFCO. With so much weight, coasts are insane, and even being in gear makes no perceptible difference to engine braking. I can be in DFCO and dip the clutch, and I can't feel any difference. Infact switching the A/C on during DFCo makes a bigger difference. Another technique I find useful is to leave the van in gear and switch the ignition off. This let's me force DFCO (where for example I didn't have enough revs to engage it) but has the advantage of keeping the alternator spinning. It's also extends my DFCO envelope beyond the normal ~1000rpm cut off, I often go down to around 500rpm which I can still key back on to avoid using the starter, this also avoids the ECU going open loop.

My T5 is normally number 2 in the diesel trucks category (although no refuels in the last 90 days means it's not actually on the board). No mods other than a partial lower grill block and SGII

UFI currently makes the top 20. Hilariously, if I can manage to get it down to just shy of EPA, it would be the only car in the top 10 NOT to be beating EPA I've got the 'mods' ready to go so I'm coming, it's an ironic record and I want it :P

[BabyDiesel]

Bill/wmjinman recently tore his way into both the Top 10 gasoline car sections! Here is what he had to say about all he has done to get his high FE:

Originally Posted by wmjinman

Hey John,

Started out by getting a Suzuki Swift (same as a Geo Metro, which were known in the day as the best mpg cars on the road)

Then put Mobil-1 synthetic 0w20 oil in the engine, and RedLine synthetic lightweight synchromesh transmission fluid in the transmission.

60 psi in the tires

Duct taped the front grille openings to keep excess air out of the engine compartment

Warm intake air heater, drawing the intake air from around the exhaust manifold

Hypermile like crazy

That's "it" so far, but wait 'till I get my additional aero mods and injector kill switch up & running......"watch out!!!"

Thanks,
Bill

[basjoos]

Before I started aeromodding it, my civic CX got mpg's in the upper 40's in the summer and lower 40's in the winter. I would occasionally get a 50 mpg tank on a summertime 55mph interstate cruise, but the mileage would drop into the 30's if I cruised at 80mph. Currently the car gets over 70 mpg at 70mph and over 60mpg at 80mph, and 100mpg at 45mph.

At the time I was aeromodding, I didn't have any mpg monitor installed. I drove a regular commute and used changes in my coasting performance and the fill up calculation to evaluate the effect on my aeromods. At the time, MPGuino didn't exist and Scangauge wouldn't work on my obd1 can, so the $150 SuperMID was my only option for a fuel consumption display. Since money was tight, I'd rather use that $150 for buying materials for aero mods than buying a fuel consumption display.

Of my aeromods, the boat tail had the single biggest effect by eliminating that low pressure void trailing the car that was constantly working to slow it down. Fringe benefits of the boat tail was the added cargo space inside the car, a rear window that stayed clean (unlike the OEM hatch glass that dirtied up very quickly on wet or dusty roads) , and 4 feet of additional crush space in the event of a rear end collision (tested one time so far).

The 2nd most effective aeromod was the underbody paneling, which also quieted the interior since a lot of "road" noise is actually wind noise generated under the car.

Moving the side mirrors inside also greatly reduced the level of wind noise inside the car.

The rounded nose on the car lowered the stagnation point, provided a place to install the driver adjustable grill block, got rid of the flat front bumper's dead bug collection area, reduced the radar reflection as seen from the front, added a foot of crush space to the front, provided a wedge to redirect collided deer up and over the top of the car, minimizing damage to the car (tested 2 times so far), and greatly reduced the number of birds hitting the front of my car (the redirected wind carries them up and over the car rather than impacting on the OEM flat front bumper).

The wheel well covers, wheel spats, wheel boat tails all provided some improvements in coasting performance, but the effect of all of these modest improvements added up.

Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires helped reduce the rolling resistance.

So far, people have asked me if my car was an EV, a hybrid, an amphibious car, or a roadable aircraft.

[Gasoline Fumes]

I'll add my story here now that I'm back on the list after letting the Nut Wagon rest over the Winter.

My driving technique is low RPM (under 2000 RPM), low speed (40-45 MPH), and a lot of engine-off coasting down hills and to stops. I don't do pulse and glide on flat roads. I try not to brake or idle.

The 1991 Civic Wagon running the original 1.5L 16-valve engine, but half the rocker arms have been removed, turning it into an 8-valve engine. And I have a CRX HF transaxle that keeps RPM low. Plus a lot of little stuff that adds up. Full mod list is in my garage.

To keep my numbers accurate, I burn full tanks. And I've checked my odometer via GPS and adjust the odometer reading to reflect actual distance.

I use no MPG instrumentation. Mostly because MPGuino won't work with my TBI.




Details: Nut Wagon - 1991 Honda Civic Wagon DX Fuel Economy - EcoModder.com
1991 Honda Civic Wagon DX Gas Mileage (Nut Wagon) - EcoModder.com

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by basjoos

Before I started aeromodding it, my civic CX got mpg's in the upper 40's in the summer and lower 40's in the winter. I would occasionally get a 50 mpg tank on a summertime 55mph interstate cruise, but the mileage would drop into the 30's if I cruised at 80mph. Currently the car gets over 70 mpg at 70mph and over 60mpg at 80mph, and 100mpg at 45mph.

At the time I was aeromodding, I didn't have any mpg monitor installed. I drove a regular commute and used changes in my coasting performance and the fill up calculation to evaluate the effect on my aeromods. At the time, MPGuino didn't exist and Scangauge wouldn't work on my obd1 can, so the $150 SuperMID was my only option for a fuel consumption display. Since money was tight, I'd rather use that $150 for buying materials for aero mods than buying a fuel consumption display.

Of my aeromods, the boat tail had the single biggest effect by eliminating that low pressure void trailing the car that was constantly working to slow it down. Fringe benefits of the boat tail was the added cargo space inside the car, a rear window that stayed clean (unlike the OEM hatch glass that dirtied up very quickly on wet or dusty roads) , and 4 feet of additional crush space in the event of a rear end collision (tested one time so far).

The 2nd most effective aeromod was the underbody paneling, which also quieted the interior since a lot of "road" noise is actually wind noise generated under the car.

Moving the side mirrors inside also greatly reduced the level of wind noise inside the car.

The rounded nose on the car lowered the stagnation point, provided a place to install the driver adjustable grill block, got rid of the flat front bumper's dead bug collection area, reduced the radar reflection as seen from the front, added a foot of crush space to the front, provided a wedge to redirect collided deer up and over the top of the car, minimizing damage to the car (tested 2 times so far), and greatly reduced the number of birds hitting the front of my car (the redirected wind carries them up and over the car rather than impacting on the OEM flat front bumper).

The wheel well covers, wheel spats, wheel boat tails all provided some improvements in coasting performance, but the effect of all of these modest improvements added up.

Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires helped reduce the rolling resistance.

So far, people have asked me if my car was an EV, a hybrid, an amphibious car, or a roadable aircraft.

Where is basjoos? His car has dropped off the top 10 list because the fuel log has not been updated since Feb.

Something happen?

[RPM]

Made it back into the top 10 today, so I might as well post during the roughly 15 minutes I'll stay there.

My story is slightly different than most because my car isn't really ecomodded. For many reasons, starting with the draconian laws we have in Portugal regarding modifications and my desire to have the car look great and perform great.

So my results are basically the combination of a pretty efficient car and hypermiling. I got into hypermiling a few years ago for fun and love it. Gives me something to do during my commute.

I also like to hit the track whenever possible. Many of my friends think I'm a weirdo for having such disparate tastes. I just love everything car related.