First 49 MPG trip woohoo!

[Gasninja79]

On the advice of another hypermiler, I have started monitoring MPG each trip I take, instead of just by the tank. This morning commute to work I got 49 MPG! Now that I know 50 is possible, I am obsessed with 50 MPG.

Side note - the main thing killing my overall MPG is city driving. Although Ford's and the EPA's number for my car is like 29 city, I am really only getting around 25-26 city (driving very conservatively). City driving sucks!

[Cobb]

Maybe there is a better route you can take to avoid the traffic?

It really is a different life style, like living without credit, avoiding technology or a strick diet.

Most of my drives start off to the furthest destination and making all right turns.

[wmjinman]

Yup! And pop it into nuetral & let it coast the instant you see there's a stop coming up that you have enough speed to carry you the rest of the way by coasting. And if you can do A-B-A testing & determine your max mpg speed, then you can try to work your trips so you spend more time at that speed, too. Oftentimes, it'll be around 40 mph. If you can find routes where the speed limit is at or near your max mpg speed - and if you're lucky, has fewer stoplights, you can really "up" your city mpg using that trick.

In my car, I took a round trip to Reno early in my tank, and had 54.5 mpg average going for awhile. Since then, it's been all city, but by using the above tricks, the ScanGauge is still showing my average for the tank at 53.5 - more than a hundred miles later!! This might end up being my best tank ever if I'm lucky!!

[Gasninja79]

Thanks Cobb and wmjinman.

Cobb - I'm going to try the all right turn thing starting on Monday to see if it helps. That is a good idea.

[Cobb]

Another tip when merging, instead of accelerating to merge in front of someone, brake to slip in behind them. Economy cars can brake better than accelerate, plus most A holes like to match your speed and block you.

[Sven7]

First, congrats on the 49mpg! Better than I've ever gotten, and inspirational for future driving!

Don't use the brake pedal- just drop down a gear and DFCO/engine brake your way in. I've started popping it into fourth when I don't have room to coast. It slows the car a bit and uses no gas.

I also have for the first time with the Civic shut the thing off while coasting to the light, then key starting right before it turns green. Eliminates a lot of idle time. You've got to be really conscious of how much your car idles.