Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

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zxtuner

06-08-2012 09:01 AM

Hello ALL!

I am new here. I've lerked once or twice in the past but never thought slow driving was for me :cool:

Well a few details later and I have a 99 SVT Contour and my heavy right foot and the need to go faster than the next guy, well make this thing drink gas like a fish drinking water. That lead me to my next thought was how much could I improve my mileage with just a scangauge II? So that is my goal is to attain 30mpg average whether or not its mixed or highway I will be happy.

I have been reading on hypermiling and going slow is alot let frantic and stressful just to stick to the right lane and putz along. One thing I have found is that my commute home is about 60% stop and go. No changing that so I enjoy getting behind semis because I can leave 3-4 car lenghts and no one cuts in front of me (because who wants to get stuck behind a semi :thumbup:) I mostly started this because my car is a 5 speed and I hate clutching in and out in traffic so I avoid it by finding one of these guys.

Anyway that's enough rambeling for today. Happy to be here and look foward to seeing if I can attian my goal,

Happy Driving,

Jon

Daox	06-08-2012 09:14 AM

Welcome to the site.

The scangauge is really a huge help when learning to drive more efficiently. I have one in each of my vehicles.

What kind of mileage are you currently getting?

zxtuner

06-08-2012 09:21 AM

well poor milage....When my low fuel light comes on I fill up and that from what I have read leaves about 2 gallons in the tank. I put in about 10-11.5 gallons in each time. and I have been getting about 215-218 miles to a tank. highway..... in town less than 180miles to a tank.

by my guess 16 or less in town and around 20 highway...

Sporty Modder

06-08-2012 09:39 AM

Welcome. Itsounds like you have room for improvement. You can gain quite a bit by adjusting the nut behimd the wheel, sounds like you are on your way there already. I lusted after those cars 190 hp, 3000 lb curb weight, and a 5sd trans. Found some specs for you. STUFF.to Experience: 1998 Ford Contour SVT Specs

zxtuner

06-08-2012 09:44 AM

Oh yes the nut behind the wheel needs torquing LOL! My motto was left lane get out of my way this MY road and I WILL go AS FAST AS I WANT!!!

That needs to change with getting alittle older and getting a wife that insists there is no need to drive like that I am trying to change my thinking.

I just ordered up a scangauge II it will be here at the end of the month.

Thanks for the link I have come accossed that info before a few times. My 99 actually puts out
200hp and 165lbs/ft at the crank. I am excited to see how far a stock "performance" car can be pushed for MPG. I also want to see by just changing my habits what can I achieve?

Thanks for the warm welcome too. This is by far one of the nicer forums I have been on.

Daox	06-08-2012 10:15 AM

We have numerous 'performance' cars in the garage. Check it out to see what others have been able to do.

zxtuner

06-08-2012 10:23 AM

based on that looks like I have some work ahead of me to achive me goals

Sporty Modder

06-08-2012 10:30 AM

If you put your car in the garage, you can track milage, mods , Join a team( consider Sports Cars ) and keep track of consumption. Fuel price is included in the log as well as milage and gallons used.

euromodder

06-08-2012 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxtuner (Post 311240)

That lead me to my next thought was how much could I improve my mileage with just a scangauge II?

Quote:

I have been reading on hypermiling and going slow is alot let frantic and stressful just to stick to the right lane and putz along.

That alone will reduce your fuel consumption.
Twofold
- by driving slower
- by braking and accelerating less

No-one's really going much faster in a traffic jam. ;)

Quote:

One thing I have found is that my commute home is about 60% stop and go. No changing that so I enjoy getting behind semis because I can leave 3-4 car lenghts and no one cuts in front of me

These guys want to stop even less than you do, so they're trying to keep rolling, and you can benefit from that.

Quote:

I mostly started this because my car is a 5 speed and I hate clutching in and out in traffic so I avoid it by finding one of these guys.

Do you stay in 2nd gear ?
Try to avoid 1st unless you're actually stopped, and shift into 2nd right away.

If you can't stay in 2nd (or 3rd) all the time, do a short burst in 2nd (pulse) (or 3rd, depending on speed) , then shift out of gear into neutral, and let it roll (glide) . Repeat when speed drops too much / the gap widens too much.

My mileage used to drop like a stone in traffic jams - now using the above technique, it's sometimes going up due to the lower speed ;)

You could use that technique in town as well.
On short stretches of road, accelerate to a speed that'll allow you to roll the remaining distance to the next light / stop-sign / corner, then shift into neutral and coast.

On longer roads, maintain a speed up to a point where it'll allow you to roll the remaining distance to the next light / stop-sign / corner, then shift into neutral and coast.

Hard-core hypermilers even shut down the engine while they coast ;)

zxtuner

06-08-2012 11:41 AM

I have tried that a few times last night. Nothing new to me I used to practice how to react if I ever lost all power and the engine quit. Sounds dorky but I like being prepared for the worst case, hope for the best case.

Thanks for the replies all,

Jon

zxtuner

06-08-2012 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by euromodder (Post 311266)

Nothing ;)
It increases your awareness, and shows what works for the car and what is costing you extra fuel - that is what makes you save fuel.

The better you work with it, the more fuel you'll save.

That alone will reduce your fuel consumption.
Twofold
- by driving slower
- by braking and accelerating less

No-one's really going much faster in a traffic jam. ;)

These guys want to stop even less than you do, so they're trying to keep rolling, and you can benefit from that.

Do you stay in 2nd gear ?
Try to avoid 1st unless you're actually stopped, and shift into 2nd right away.

If you can't stay in 2nd (or 3rd) all the time, do a short burst in 2nd (pulse) (or 3rd, depending on speed) , then shift out of gear into neutral, and let it roll (glide) . Repeat when speed drops too much / the gap widens too much.

My mileage used to drop like a stone in traffic jams - now using the above technique, it's sometimes going up due to the lower speed ;)

You could use that technique in town as well.
On short stretches of road, accelerate to a speed that'll allow you to roll the remaining distance to the next light / stop-sign / corner, then shift into neutral and coast.

On longer roads, maintain a speed up to a point where it'll allow you to roll the remaining distance to the next light / stop-sign / corner, then shift into neutral and coast.

Hard-core hypermilers even shut down the engine while they coast ;)

I am still figuring out at what rpm I need to be in and low I can recover it without opening throttle too much for second and third gear. I have tried the pulse and glide I think it is and that will require some (more like a lot of) fine tuning to get the distance right.

Mustang Dave

06-08-2012 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox (Post 311253)

We have numerous 'performance' cars in the garage. Check it out to see what others have been able to do.

My Mustang's lifetime average MPG is 47% over EPA combined estimate. That's with very little effort, other than DWB and not wasting excessive time accelerating.

210 HP @ 5300 RPM
240 Lb*Ft Torque @ 3500 RPM
3351# curb weight

According to Car and Driver's test:
0-60 MPH: 6.5 seconds
Quarter mile: 15.3 seconds @ 93 MPH

UltArc

06-09-2012 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxtuner (Post 311273)

I don't really do the first gear thing. My baby doesn't like starting in second, so I start in first and go right to third or fourth. Sometimes, depending on my mood or if I have someone being rude, I'll take it to four or five thousand and pop right to fifth or sixth.

If you do well to study the hyper miling guidelines and are conscious of your vehicle and habits, the scan gauge isn't really the best money spent. I mean I am about to buy mine, but if you want a physical improvement in mileage that will apply no matter the driver, no matter the effort, the gauge isn't the best.

But for a long term investment to better yourself, then it appears to be a good buy. Easy cheap things are wheel covers, either pizza pans or clear tape, a grill block, and then it varies. Depends how you want your vehicle to look, and how much work you want to do. Belly pan, mirror and handle or badge deletes.

But you will learn all that here, and very true about the people here, everyone is very nice. Even disagreeing, it's very sensible and constructive. Glad to have you join! Being an SVT, I think you qualify to join the Sports car group, especially if you plan to be here for a while and are tracking your mileage. Theres no real rules, we basically just track our mileage as a group. I'm still very new, so I don't know a whole lot lol

Sporty Modder

06-09-2012 10:28 PM

I found the biggest gain in milage was changing my attitude towards driving. I used to rush everywhere not allowing myself enough time to get were I needed to be. Now I plan ahead and allow 15-20 min extra so that I am not in a rush. I also chalenge myself to drive eco.

Mustang Dave

06-10-2012 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporty Modder (Post 311501)

Adjustments to "the nut behind the steering wheel" got me to the high 29's during the Summer months. And adjustments to my commuting route to reduce freeway miles (and total miles) got me to the high 31's during the Summer months. My road trip fuel economy is generally less than my commuting average.
I tried pizza pan wheel covers for a couple of months last Summer. They made no noticeable difference in fuel economy. And I had to remove them to check my tire pressure (and clean out the accumulated dirt). And chicks didn't dig 'em. ;)

zxtuner

06-11-2012 09:12 AM

I really want to (for right now) just adjust my driving habits and see what happens. I am not looking at modifing this car with a belly pan or wheel covers or any of that aero stuff. It's not really practical on this car and I really like a 98% stock SVT. If i were to grab up something like a focus or an escort I would be more open to that. For right now though I am just adjusting the nut behind the wheel to see what happens.

Thanks for the imput all.

Also the scangauge was IMHO money well spent I, I am still a performance gear head at heart so this device just makes sense in more than one way.

Mustang Dave

06-13-2012 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxtuner (Post 311719)

...Also the scangauge was IMHO money well spent I, I am still a performance gear head at heart so this device just makes sense in more than one way.

From my point of view, as well. And it helped me to "adjust the nut behind the steering wheel".

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