engine off and coast question

[davelobi]

I heard (not really) that God does not remove from ones allotted lifespan time spent hypermileing. Maybe the same goes for your engine.

Wait, maybe that was for time spent fishing.

[cowmeat]

Concerning the brake booster while the engine is off:

Although you'll only get one or two pumps of the brake pedal before the booster freezes up, you can make the pumps last as long as you want. I've learned to apply the brake gently with one long gentle pump while I EOC up to a long light, and then instead of pumping it again, just apply more pressure. I've never ran out of pedal so far using that technique.
I also brake early and time the lights, so most of the time I'm able to bump start instead of actually stopping.
FYI: Keying on while the booster is frozen up will immediately drop the brake pedal to the floor, so you'll need one pump to get brake pedal back! Don't wait until the last second to key back on if the booster freezes, do it early.

[figit090]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

Concerning the brake booster while the engine is off:

Although you'll only get one or two pumps of the brake pedal before the booster freezes up, you can make the pumps last as long as you want. I've learned to apply the brake gently with one long gentle pump while I EOC up to a long light, and then instead of pumping it again, just apply more pressure. I've never ran out of pedal so far using that technique.
I also brake early and time the lights, so most of the time I'm able to bump start instead of actually stopping.
FYI: Keying on while the booster is frozen up will immediately drop the brake pedal to the floor, so you'll need one pump to get brake pedal back! Don't wait until the last second to key back on if the booster freezes, do it early.

Haha, good tips thanks! I'll be looking more into the wear and tear on syncros, engines and clutch parts with different techniques. I think if I can manage above 40mpg without using hypermiling techniques I'll be plenty happy.

[cowmeat]

I think if I can manage above 40mpg without using hypermiling techniques I'll be plenty happy.

Lol, figit, that's what I thought too . . . .

I drove Black Widow for a year and a half bragging to everybody that I was averaging 43 mpg. Then while I was looking for a Festiva forum, I stumbled across ecomodders, where a couple of guys were getting over 10 mpg better then me in the same car. The rest is history!

You're fooling yourself if you think you'll be happy with a milestone like 40 mpg, when there are more milestone just over the horizon, like 45, and 50, and 55, and 60, and . . . . . . . . ..

[figit090]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

Lol, figit, that's what I thought too . . . .

I drove Black Widow for a year and a half bragging to everybody that I was averaging 43 mpg. Then while I was looking for a Festiva forum, I stumbled across ecomodders, where a couple of guys were getting over 10 mpg better then me in the same car. The rest is history!

You're fooling yourself if you think you'll be happy with a milestone like 40 mpg, when there are more milestone just over the horizon, like 45, and 50, and 55, and 60, and . . . . . . . . ..

I currently burn fossil fuel at a rate of about one gallon per 18 miles. Not fooling myself here! My actual goal is 50mpg but I don't want to get ahead of myself until I learn what the HX is capable of, and how much wear various techniques cause. I won't hypermile for 50mpg if that costs me 10k less miles on my clutch, worn main bearings or a transmission rebuild to fix worn syncros, the cost to fix premature wear on otherwise durable parts would make hypermiling completely mute.

I'm thinking good tires, momentum-aware driving, and mild aerodynamic improvements to the car would help a bit, too.

I'm at a crossroads where I need a new car, because fixing my current one is prohibitively expensive as a daily driver. So, I'm putting it to pasture until I can turn it into a track car, and finding a new car. While I'm at it, my goal is to not spend exorbitant amounts of money for a new hybrid, but double or triple my current MPG.

So for me, 40mpg is a realistic starting point until I learn more and get accustomed to eco-modding. I'm used to performance modding, so it's a nice new challenge to ponder!

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by figit090

I won't hypermile for 50mpg if that costs me 10k less miles on my clutch, worn main bearings or a transmission rebuild to fix worn syncros, the cost to fix premature wear on otherwise durable parts would make hypermiling completely mute.

If you know how to rev-match, then you won't wear out your sychros and clutch any faster than normal driving.

I hypermiled my honda del sol for 180,000 with no transmission problems at all when i came around to selling it

[figit090]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

If you know how to rev-match, then you won't wear out your sychros and clutch any faster than normal driving.

I hypermiled my honda del sol for 180,000 with no transmission problems at all when i came around to selling it

what about bump-starting at speed after coasting with the engine off?

Sounds good though.

Seeing how you drive a STI how I'm wondering if I should even bother to hypermile... did you hypermile to save cash for a better car like I'm planning to do?

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by figit090

what about bump-starting at speed after coasting with the engine off?

Sounds good though.

Seeing how you drive a STI how I'm wondering if I should even bother to hypermile... did you hypermile to save cash for a better car like I'm planning to do?

when im driving at speed, i just barely release the clutch until i feel it engage, then the engine fires on. It ends up being, what, 100rpm?

Once the engine fires on, you press the clutch right away, then you just rev match back into 5th or 6th gear. Thus preventing premature wear.

Yes, i hypermiled my old Del sol for 5 years (greatly reducing my gas expenses), which eventually allowed me to save up enough money to buy my dream car - sti.

[figit090]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

when im driving at speed, i just barely release the clutch until i feel it engage, then the engine fires on. It ends up being, what, 100rpm?

Once the engine fires on, you press the clutch right away, then you just rev match back into 5th or 6th gear. Thus preventing premature wear.

Yes, i hypermiled my old Del sol for 5 years (greatly reducing my gas expenses), which eventually allowed me to save up enough money to buy my dream car - sti.

Oh cool thanks for the tips!
I'll be saving for another supra probably, and you've convinced me with the further explanation of ~100rpm starts that it's easy to start at speed. I'm not sure why I was worried about premature wear on the engine when the clutch and starter would start the engine the same exact way...lol. I was concerned about clutch wear too, but it doesn't seem to be an issue if the engine starts up that easy. I've only ever push started my current supra from a slow roll, so I guess in my car I'll install a kill switch on the shifter and go for it! I'm excited, I just need to find the right car now.

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by figit090

Oh cool thanks for the tips!
I'll be saving for another supra probably, and you've convinced me with the further explanation of ~100rpm starts that it's easy to start at speed. I'm not sure why I was worried about premature wear on the engine when the clutch and starter would start the engine the same exact way...lol. I was concerned about clutch wear too, but it doesn't seem to be an issue if the engine starts up that easy. I've only ever push started my current supra from a slow roll, so I guess in my car I'll install a kill switch on the shifter and go for it! I'm excited, I just need to find the right car now.

bump starting really depends on the speed at which your driving.

if im going 20mph...then i'll bump start in 4th
if im going 40mph...then i'll bump start in 5th
if im going 50+mph...then i'll bump start in 6th

Anything slower than 20mph, then i'll just use the key/starter because, like you said, i dont want to prematurely wear the clutch because bump starting at such a slow speed causes the car to jerk a lot.

Therefore, engine off coasting is mostly beneficial at speeds faster than 25mph