Help Me with Hypermiling.

[Hypochondriac]

I have a 2000 accord Automatic, I can't seem to hypermile. Despite my best efforts I only get around the EPA MPG sometimes less

My car doesn't seem to enter DFCO. I can be coasting downhill in Drive at around 55/60 mpg, but the engine load and Fuel use (gallons/minute) stay at idle levels

When driving on a flat road P&G doesn't seem to save gas. I'm better off maintaining a choice constant speed. Load will be ~80 and MPG will be slightly above EPA estimates


Tires are all at the sidewall max.

[deejaaa]

have you read the stickies? pump up the air, use the EOC, turn off the engine while stopped...............

[Joggernot]

I also have a 2000 Accord (V6) automatic and have great trouble beating EPA. Tires at 44 psi. I can go to DFCO easily when above 2000 rpm. There are other tricks I use to get to DFCO below 2000. Read mpg on Scangage II and it will read 9999 when in DFCO. When the rpm drops to 1200 I lose DFCO, so at 1300 rpm I down shift from D4 to D3 and when I reach 1300 rpm again I drop to 2 and even to 1 and stay in DFCO all the way to the stop sign.

[jakobnev]

How long are your trips?

[ECO-AKJ]

Never Engine Off Coast a traditional automatic, only Engine ON Coast.....otherwise you will be replacing the transmission at a quicker interval

[Joggernot]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

How long are your trips?

Very short...11.7 miles round trip for the standard trip twice a day. First trip is always with a cold engine. Longer when going other places. When I can, I use a golf cart for trips under 6 miles. Can't use the golf cart legally for the 11.7 mile trips because of the speed limit on the required roads.

And, no, I don't use EOC. I leave the engine on when coasting, whether or not I'm in gear.

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by Hypochondriac

Load will be ~80

This is right near the best efficiency point for that engine RPM, so you have little or nothing to gain by P&G.

What is your speed, RPM, and MAP at those conditions?

[puddleglum]

Originally Posted by Hypochondriac

I have a 2000 accord Automatic, I can't seem to hypermile. Despite my best efforts I only get around the EPA MPG sometimes less

My car doesn't seem to enter DFCO. I can be coasting downhill in Drive at around 55/60 mpg, but the engine load and Fuel use (gallons/minute) stay at idle levels

When driving on a flat road P&G doesn't seem to save gas. I'm better off maintaining a choice constant speed. Load will be ~80 and MPG will be slightly above EPA estimates

Tires are all at the sidewall max.

I hope you can read this as an encouragement, lower your expectations. Don't compare yourself with the elite. Be happy with improving your personal best. You drive an automatic which severely limits the techniques available to you, the biggest is not being able to EOC. I've never been able to see any benefit in the high load P&G that most talk about with my automatic. I do better with DWL and braking as little as possible. I do find a gentle P&G helps a little to keep the engine load low. I think you posted elsewhere your commute is only like 3.5 miles in the city? Is that right? Short trips and cold starts kill mileage. As for DFCO, It's only really helpful when you want to slow down. On the highway, a neutral coast will help you more. I may have already said elsewhere that you may actually be going into DFCO but the torque app may not be reading it properly.

When I bought My Rondo was when I started really getting interested in hypermiling. I got really discouraged seeing all these guys posting crazy high mileage numbers, and like you, I was struggling to meet EPA much less beat it. Then I realized all those guys are driving standards or hybrids. Now that I have a standard trans car, I am confident of what I suspected before. Much of what is posted here that works well with a manual, doesn't work well with an auto. I've tried to hypermile that car for nearly 10 years. My numbers never looked that great on here, but when I compared my mileage to the average Rondo owner, I was getting great mileage. Be patient, experiment, listen to the guys that drive automatics, and don't lose heart. You will improve. You may want to look at some mods as well. Aero mods will help on the highway and mods to help you warm up faster will help minimize the hit on cold starts.

[Hypochondriac]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

How long are your trips?

Mixed use, city is usual 7-10 miles rt 5 days a week Highway is about 30 miles a week

[Hypochondriac]

Originally Posted by JRMichler

This is right near the best efficiency point for that engine RPM, so you have little or nothing to gain by P&G.

What is your speed, RPM, and MAP at those conditions?

Not sure I'll check next time I drive