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-   -   Hypermiled an SUV (https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/hypermiled-suv-18169.html)

California98Civic 07-15-2011 01:38 AM

Hypermiled an SUV
 
Hypermiling an unmodified auto-trans SUV is a pain! I respect those of you who can do it. My wife drives a 2010 Subaru Forester, a mid/small SUV. EPA rates it 27 hwy and 20 city, 22 combined. I just drove it nearly 900 miles on a family camping trip--stuffed with camping gear. The trip average was 31.2mpg on the stock gauge, which I calculated overstated by about 1mpg. So I scored a 30.2mpg average on mostly highway but often mountainous (5000ft) terrain and serious LA and Santa Cruz traffic jams. But I had to work hard! I had a 130 mile long stretch in a strong headwind (then virtually the same wind at my tail coming home). Neutral was my friend. So were the very hot temps. I staggered the A/C my family wife and daughter love. Kept everyone cozy. And the trucks I slip-streamed at a 4 or 5 car-length distance to get 36mpg and 40.5mpg for two 30-mile stretches certainly helped.

Props to those driving these things and actually trying for FE! Yikes I don't want to run that experiment again.

camopaint0707 07-15-2011 02:06 AM

love to see pics of this

Superdutytd 07-15-2011 02:32 AM

Sucks trying to HM something that seriously just seems to be trying to work against you doesn't it?

CigaR007 07-15-2011 02:38 AM

Considering the circumstances, you did quite well ! :thumbup:

Piwoslaw 07-15-2011 06:13 AM

I second that. Many normal drivers don't get 30mpg in a regular car, so you should be proud of yourself. We sure are:thumbup:

California98Civic 07-15-2011 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superdutytd (Post 250400)
Sucks trying to HM something that seriously just seems to be trying to work against you doesn't it?

:)

I'll post photos as soon as I can find out where my camera went in all this camping stuff. Gotta go to work today. Driving the Civic. :thumbup:

endurance 07-18-2011 01:17 PM

Subaru's are hard beasts to hypermile. That AWD stuff isn't light and it's always turning with no way to turn it off even when you're on dry pavement. Strong work getting it done.

...but I'm still going to hide this thread from the wife. She really wants a Subaru, but with a 50+ mile per day commute and mid-20s mpg from your average driver I resist it with all my might. Heck, she's barely averaging 27mpg in a Mazda Protege 5. How can a car with that little power possibly get that bad of mileage?

Arragonis 07-18-2011 01:44 PM

Well done, the Forrester is about as square as a cube really, plus the Auto and the AWD and (I'll put it out there but I know many disagree) the flat four being perhaps not the most efficient motor available.

Technique rules, and mine is useless :D

California98Civic 07-18-2011 09:09 PM

4 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by Arragonis (Post 250907)
Technique rules

Agreed. And somebody asked for photos back in this thread... I forgot... here are a couple of trucks I slip streamed and of my peak FE on a shortish Grapevine/LA leg. Oh, and some oil-pumping rigs in the region of Cali where James Dean's last movie, "Giant," was filmed. I figured oil was appropriate.

SentraSE-R 07-18-2011 09:39 PM

Kudos for beating EPA by such a sizable %. I've been appalled by FSPs before - notably my '87 Chevy Astro van, which was difficult to coax 22 mpg out of. My daughter's Grand Caravan was similar. Its mpg stayed solidly under 10 mpg within her neighborhood. Even on a long highway trip, 26 mpg was the best I could get out of it.

What does anyone in SoCal need AWD for, anyway?

California98Civic 07-18-2011 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R (Post 250959)
my '87 Chevy Astro van

I had that exact van, in blue. Traveled the lower south in it for research. Futon. Hot plate. Cooler. Instant "fellowship" housing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R (Post 250959)
What does anyone in SoCal need AWD for, anyway?

From my neighborhood I can see 4000-5000ft mountains 12 miles away. And those are the small ones. Palomar, San Jacinto, and the like. For me, the Civic is enough. But other people sometimes have other ideas. My wife was one of those "other people" on this choice. It was cool to pack-up with camping gear. I'm looking for an aero option on the roof rack for next summer's trips.

brucey 07-18-2011 10:33 PM

Tell me about it. :/ I've been quite happy with mine, it's sort of "Good" Fuel economy class when driven carefully and is basically my pickup truck.

The new Outbacks have a CVT transmission and are rated at nearly what we can get hypermiling. It's a shame we have to have all those revs on the highway.

Fat Charlie 07-19-2011 11:23 AM

Try not to consider a Legacy/Outback/Forester/Baja to be an SUV. The Forester's body is square and tall, but it's a car.

endurance 07-19-2011 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie (Post 251058)
Try not to consider a Legacy/Outback/Forester/Baja to be an SUV. The Forester's body is square and tall, but it's a car.

How do you figure? The EPA classifies the 2011 Forester and Outback wagon as SUVs (although the Outback shows up in both the Station Wagon and SUV categories on the Fuel Efficiency dot gov website).

Fat Charlie 07-19-2011 07:37 PM

I figure that squaring off the corners of my wagon won't make it any less of a car, is all.

brucey 07-19-2011 07:56 PM

Will raising it and fitting it with shorter gearing?

Fat Charlie 07-19-2011 08:30 PM

Will tweaking a Civic make it a race car?

Mifunego 07-19-2011 11:50 PM

Granted it is smaller (the interior on the current model is about 15 cu. ft. smaller!), but that 2012 Impreza wagon has got my attention. Subaru is claiming 36 mpg highway (not sure about city or combined) but that is with their well-known AWD, which would bring me peace of mind when my wife is driving the kids in Chicago winters. It supposedly can accelerate better than the current base model, which gets considerably worse mileage. Of course, the interior would have to be more usable/comfortable than her current Jetta, but I will definitely be checking that out when it hits the showrooms.

Arragonis 07-20-2011 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie (Post 251139)
Will tweaking a Civic make it a race car?

Depending on the tweak level, yes.

http://assets.speedhunters.com/u/f/e...peS/civic2.jpg

endurance 07-20-2011 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mifunego (Post 251156)
Granted it is smaller (the interior on the current model is about 15 cu. ft. smaller!), but that 2012 Impreza wagon has got my attention. Subaru is claiming 36 mpg highway (not sure about city or combined) but that is with their well-known AWD, which would bring me peace of mind when my wife is driving the kids in Chicago winters. It supposedly can accelerate better than the current base model, which gets considerably worse mileage. Of course, the interior would have to be more usable/comfortable than her current Jetta, but I will definitely be checking that out when it hits the showrooms.

If that pans out, it will indeed be an impressive change from 2011. In 2011 the best mpg Impreza was still only rated at 27mpg highway. An improvement of 9mpg would take a complete redesign from the bottom up... which it needs if it wants to compete.

slowmover 07-20-2011 12:48 PM

NIce numbers! And, it's only "work" until it's second nature.

Trip planning plays a big part in better numbers (departure/arrival times, routing, scheduled stops; zero unscheduled), etc.

I'd weigh it next time. Start with an "empty" weight (driver plus full fuel) on a three axle certified scale [CAT Scale], and then as loaded for the trip. Adjust tire pressures to load.

Also, altitude, temps, humidity, barometric, etc.

It's all about prediction, IMO.

P.S. As a big truck driver: I want to be able to see you in my rearview, preferably from the drivers side. That means fall back far enough to be able to see that mirror yourself.

.

Sovereign 07-20-2011 01:12 PM

A small/mid SUV hybrid can have a tough time getting to 30 (I'm at the mercy of the traffic)--kudos for doing it with gas only!


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