How do YOU Pulse and Glide?

[NoD~]

I P&G everywhere possible. I go from 1.5K to 2.5K for each shift with what I can only assume is around a 80% load (scangauge won't read this in my daily driver for whatever reason).

Here's my daily example route from home to work:

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Open garage, start car and immediately back out. Go down driveway @ ~480 feet hitting maybe 15mph with a little glide at the end, engine on (pretty much the only engine-on glide this whole trip).

I hit the main road and get up to 40MPH, slightly uphill at the end with around 1/8th a mile total acceleration, then engine off glide to the stop (2/3 mile).

From that stop, I get to about 20MPH and glide engine off downhill to the next stop (total of 1/4 mile).

From there, I get up to 35MPH, engine off until I get to around 30MPH, then take advantage of a mild downhill to get back up to 35MPH, engine off coast. Climb a slight incline (around 1/2 a mile at this point from last stop) and, pending traffic, get to about 20-25MPH and go down a nice decline that will get me around 30MPH. Bottom of this decline is nearly 1/4 mile.

At the bottom of the decline, there are a few lights. Typically, straight through the first one and left on the next (as it's a yellow yield left turn), which is 1/3 mile engine off coasting.

Left turn here, typically make it 1/8 mile in and have the accelerate just a bit to get to the next stop sign (400 feet). Another turn, get to around 20mph or less and glide engine off to the next stop (another 1/8th mile).

Another turn, right into a steep uphill face! I'll get up to 25mph, engine off coast up to the top the hill (.1 miles) where I'm around 15MPH, then get to 35MPH on the way down and coast the rest of the way to the next stop (another 2/3 mile).

Finally, get up to 25mph, engine off up a little hill, kick on the engine back on at top of the hill and get back to 25 from usually 20, and glide into work parking lot, engine off coasting.

Total distance: ~3.7 miles.
Total Engine On: ~ 0.85 miles
Total Engine Off: ~ 2.85 miles
Starting elevation: 2217 ft
Ending elevation: 2154 ft

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From work to home is quite a bit different. Same roads, but much different P&G schedule. Still P&G the whole way, but fighting a lot more uphill and different traffic patterns. Won't map it all out, but I gotta say, knowing the traffic lights from a distance makes all the difference!

Now, if I'm going on the highways, pending traffic, location, etc. it's almost always 55MPH and drop to 40MPH gliding engine off. When hills are around, I'll pulse to 60MPH downhill and get as far as I can going uphill, usually no more than 35MPH. Highway is kind of tough here with high MPH speed limit, though. So I usually keep a keen eye behind me and make sure to get up to a decent speed if anybody is coming up behind me.

Hope all that that I just said above makes sense... lol

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by NoD~

I P&G everywhere possible. I go from 1.5K to 2.5K for each shift with what I can only assume is around a 80% load (scangauge won't read this in my daily driver for whatever reason).

Here's my daily example route from home to work:

---

Open garage, start car and immediately back out. Go down driveway @ ~480 feet hitting maybe 15mph with a little glide at the end, engine on (pretty much the only engine-on glide this whole trip).

I hit the main road and get up to 40MPH, slightly uphill at the end with around 1/8th a mile total acceleration, then engine off glide to the stop (2/3 mile).

From that stop, I get to about 20MPH and glide engine off downhill to the next stop (total of 1/4 mile).

From there, I get up to 35MPH, engine off until I get to around 30MPH, then take advantage of a mild downhill to get back up to 35MPH, engine off coast. Climb a slight incline (around 1/2 a mile at this point from last stop) and, pending traffic, get to about 20-25MPH and go down a nice decline that will get me around 30MPH. Bottom of this decline is nearly 1/4 mile.

At the bottom of the decline, there are a few lights. Typically, straight through the first one and left on the next (as it's a yellow yield left turn), which is 1/3 mile engine off coasting.

Left turn here, typically make it 1/8 mile in and have the accelerate just a bit to get to the next stop sign (400 feet). Another turn, get to around 20mph or less and glide engine off to the next stop (another 1/8th mile).

Another turn, right into a steep uphill face! I'll get up to 25mph, engine off coast up to the top the hill (.1 miles) where I'm around 15MPH, then get to 35MPH on the way down and coast the rest of the way to the next stop (another 2/3 mile).

Finally, get up to 25mph, engine off up a little hill, kick on the engine back on at top of the hill and get back to 25 from usually 20, and glide into work parking lot, engine off coasting.

Total distance: ~3.7 miles.
Total Engine On: ~ 0.85 miles
Total Engine Off: ~ 2.85 miles
Starting elevation: 2217 ft
Ending elevation: 2154 ft

---

From work to home is quite a bit different. Same roads, but much different P&G schedule. Still P&G the whole way, but fighting a lot more uphill and different traffic patterns. Won't map it all out, but I gotta say, knowing the traffic lights from a distance makes all the difference!

Now, if I'm going on the highways, pending traffic, location, etc. it's almost always 55MPH and drop to 40MPH gliding engine off. When hills are around, I'll pulse to 60MPH downhill and get as far as I can going uphill, usually no more than 35MPH. Highway is kind of tough here with high MPH speed limit, though. So I usually keep a keen eye behind me and make sure to get up to a decent speed if anybody is coming up behind me.

Hope all that that I just said above makes sense... lol

My first 4 miles are eerily similar. It sure is nice to have allot of downhill while the car is warming up

[user removed]

Met the wife for lunch today, about a 46 mile round trip, in the Fiesta, down to Hampton with a stop at the scrap yard for some aluminum and another stop on the way back home. I cheat a little and let the climb up the driveay run the last trips mileage down (read 54.5 at reset) and reset at top of the driveway. .3 mile to the end of the neighborhood 3 pulses and glides to the stop sign at 32 MPG, with a cold engine. Left turn and accelerate to 50 and glide, rinse and repeat 5 times. By 2 miles, I barely hit 50MPG after a .4mile coast from 60 down to 40 to stay above the 6th gear shift point. 2 more miles to the Interstate then the acceleration ramp and a downhill coasting opportunity. Traffic is typically heavy and this time I drop in behind an 18 wheeler, left lane is bumper to bumper with 4-5 car lengths separation. 3 miles down the road following the 18 wheeler and pulse drafting repeatedly, I pass 56 MPG when he exits at Fort Eustis. I coast up the off ramp, which kills some speed and move over to the left lane and pulse downhill to get past merging traffic, then glide down behind another big rig. One more hill and a coast (all engine on) and I'm pushing 58, then shortly after I see 60 MPG. By the time I exit the Interstate almost all the time averaging over the 55 MPH limit, I see the highest MPG I have ever recorded for a similar 22 mile drive, 62.7 MPG. Traffic was soo heavy the speeds were about 7 MPH below normal 65 MPH

Ambient temps were high 80s going there and low 90s coming back. No AC, just a radio to listen to the traffic report to try to avoid a jam on I64 east. Coming back home into the wind and climbing 60 feet.

96.8 miles total on tank
54.3 MPG for this trip
570 miles distance to empty (668.8 predicted total tank)
28054 total vehicle mileage

Last tank was predicted at 614 when I refilled for 52.07 MPG. This one will be better if I don't kill it with short hauls.

regards
Mech

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by mcbota

today I made my first trip with P&G, in neutral. I was on a flat road, a national road, ... the consumption was very good comparing with the ongoing route.

You may want to verify the results by doing P&G in the other direction, and "normal" on the stretch where you used P&G.

Flat isn't always flat.


I coast in neutral, because I don't like all the restarts (new car) and the old one didn't like restarting using inertia while rolling after the engine was shut down.

I mainly pulse & coast in the city, not on the open road.


Increase the rpm of the engine a bit when shifting back into gear, and wear on the clutch will be absolutely minimal.

[mcbota]

What is the normal speed for P&G in the city, on short streets, and in which gear is the best to be? Probably tommorrow I will test in the other direction to see the results. However, seems to be a very good method and if the clutch will not be ”hurt”, then everything is OK. From this point of view, Romania is a good country to make P&G because we dont have so many highway, and a lot of cars on national roads!))))

[101Volts]

I've been experimenting with this lately, It works. Depending on the road and where I'm pulsing and gliding to the speed changes, But generally if there isn't anyone behind me I may go down to 25 MPH before accelerating to 40 or 45. I tried this on a road up between Franklin and Oil City, And the average MPGs were close to 35 in the Caravan according to the ScanGaugeII. I only went between one and two miles but imagine it with the engine turned off! And yes, This is something I learned from Diesel Dave so thanks!

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by 101Volts

I've been experimenting with this lately, It works. Depending on the road and where I'm pulsing and gliding to the speed changes, But generally if there isn't anyone behind me I may go down to 25 MPH before accelerating to 40 or 45. I tried this on a road up between Franklin and Oil City, And the average MPGs were close to 35 in the Caravan according to the ScanGaugeII. I only went between one and two miles but imagine it with the engine turned off! And yes, This is something I learned from Diesel Dave so thanks!

Is your caravan a manual?

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by mcbota

What is the normal speed for P&G in the city, on short streets, and in which gear is the best to be?

Depends on street length, and allowed speed.

I do constant speeds of 30kph in 4th (warm engine, not when going uphill) and 50 kph in 5th (same) until I come to the point where I can shift into neutral and coast to the next stop / corner .

On short streets, it's often not even necessary to go to the speed limit to reach the end of the street.
When they're a bit longer, I sometimes go a little bit faster than the speed limit then shift into neutral and let it roll, if that means I can get to the end of the street.

I tend to pulse rather briskly in 2nd or 3rd gear, depending on the speed / gear with which I start the pulse.

As a warm small engine uses about 0.5 L/h when idling, I don't coast below speeds of about 15 kph - that makes 3.3 L/100km as it'd take over 6 hours to get to 100km.
Idling at 10kph means about 5L/100km - and that's simply too high.

[kYLEMtnCRUZr]

I tried a new style (to me) P&G today, I guess it's what everyone else does pulsing at 3000-5000 RPMs for a few seconds to glide for a while.

Problem is that means I keep it in 4th gear instead of 5th to hit 65 (Which is odd to me but ok) So I have to blip the throttle (or should I let clutch drag up to speed?). Just seems like a lot of work and strain on car. But I gather that strain is most effecient opposed to my opposite P&G style of 5th gear 65-45 2000ish rpms to 3500?

I did notice that in 4th gear I hit 65 in a couple of seconds, whereas my old method took about 10.

I have a 2.5L Subaru so I tend to think 5th gear is fine. I go up steep grades in 5th at pretty low rpms. So I guess I have a fair amount of torque. I think I need a BSFC chart done! I doubt one is out there for my 2.5L pig.

[bestclimb]

There is one for the 2.2L Subaru, that should be a pretty close guide. Search BSFC ej22