Hypermiling a 2001 Toyota Camry (Generation 4)

[LostSouthernStar]

Another question...I know I'm getting annoying, lol.



Regarding my UltraGauge...which gauges should I have displayed on the screen to help me achieve the best fuel economy??? There are many fuel tracking gauges and other factors that affect it as well...

Which gauges of these should I use to hypermile???...

-% Engine Load
-Relative Throttle Position %
-Instantaneous MPG
-Average MPG
-Instantaneous Gallons/Hour
-Average Gallons/Hour
-Volumetric Efficiency % (MAP vehicles only like mine)
-Trip Average MPG
-Trip Ave Gallons/Hour
-Srt Trip Average MPG
-Srt Trip Gallons/Hour
-Distance To Empty (DTE)


...and any other others I may have missed.





Thank you everyone!

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by LostSouthernStar

So our cars perform better at 60 versus 50-55???

No.

If you can cruise at 50 without constantly unlocking the torque converter or kicking down a gear (due to hills, for example) you will get better fuel economy there.

I think you're overestimating the speed at which your torque converter locks in top gear. It's likely closer to 40-45 than 50.

I have a very, very difficult time maintaining a constant speed with my Camry due to its sensitive accelerator, that's why I've used cruise control...

Cruise control is fine if (a) you drive on dead flat roads, or (b) you're unable to modulate the pedal smoothly & consistently on your own.

Would switching to synthetic oil, a K&N air filter and changing my fuel filter result in better fuel economy???

Miniscule difference; no difference; no difference.

[broski499]

30mpg is a great for average mpg, when I got the 36 that one time it was just a straight freeway shoot with no traffic. I live in california so I feel you on the heat, sometimes unless you want to show up to work sweating you have to use the AC.

Yes for some reason I get better mpg at 60 to 62 then at 55, I know this sounds stupid but this is what my ultraguage tells me, i think when I hit the 60 to 62 mark I Must be in the overdrive gear, this is a guess I don't know much about cars.

I use synthetic oil and this may contribute to some mpg gains

I too inflated my tires to max sidewall, really watch your tire pressure I once let it get low an was getting 22mpg which is just sad.

Living on the edge with the spare not in tow haha I have AAA too, how much do you think the tire weighs?

[LostSouthernStar]

.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

No.

If you can cruise at 50 without constantly unlocking the torque converter or kicking down a gear (due to hills, for example) you will get better fuel economy there.

Aaah ok, awesome! I do have 2 highways I can take to my work, but one is a few miles longer with many more stops and more city driving required but the highway part of it has a 55 MPH speed limit and has more rolling hills....so that route would probably worsen my mileage...or am I wrong?

I think you're overestimating the speed at which your torque converter locks in top gear. It's likely closer to 40-45 than 50.

You know, now that you say that, I do notice that it kicks into overdrive around there...depending on how much I'm pressing on the accelerator.

Would it be ok to go 50 MPH in a 70 in the right lane???


Cruise control is fine if (a) you drive on dead flat roads, or (b) you're unable to modulate the pedal smoothly & consistently on your own.

I don't really have a dead flat commute, as there are a few "mounds" along the way but it doesn't cause my cruise control to accelerate dramatically to get over the hill.....I just wonder if it's costing me alot of MPGs. I guess my Ultrgauge will be able to tell me once I install it.

Miniscule difference; no difference; no difference.

Awesome, that's what I needed to know.

[LostSouthernStar]

Originally Posted by broski499

30mpg is a great for average mpg, when I got the 36 that one time it was just a straight freeway shoot with no traffic. I live in california so I feel you on the heat, sometimes unless you want to show up to work sweating you have to use the AC.


30 MPG average is nice but my goal is to average 35-40 MPG...that's just to keep me motivated to try harder, I hope it's realistic. Oh the summers must be awful for you as well...the humidity is the real nuisance, ugh.

Yes for some reason I get better mpg at 60 to 62 then at 55, I know this sounds stupid but this is what my ultraguage tells me, i think when I hit the 60 to 62 mark I Must be in the overdrive gear, this is a guess I don't know much about cars.


Hmmmm...that is interesting. It may have to do with aerodynamics, mechanics and local terrain of your area but that's just a guess. Have you tesed it at all other speeds to see if the changes are drastic...say 50 versus 60 or 70 versus 60???

MetroMPG made an excellent point...overdrive kicks in gear around 45-50 MPH on our Camrys. The torque converter is then locked, allowing for the best mileage to occur.

I use synthetic oil and this may contribute to some mpg gains

Wow, that's great and it really prevents sludge buildup, which these Camrys are well known for. I've heard Mobil-1 synthetic is one of the best but I'm not sure...

I too inflated my tires to max sidewall, really watch your tire pressure I once let it get low an was getting 22mpg which is just sad.

I will try that max sidewall pressure again...it was just a bit too stiff, so I reduced by 5-6 PSi.

Living on the edge with the spare not in tow haha I have AAA too, how much do you think the tire weighs?

My tire was a full sized spare...and it weighed about 50-60 lbs. inflated to 44 PSi...it's made the car much lighter, though it fishtails a bit easier now, but that's just because of the Camry's suspension I think.

I don't recommend this to everyone, only at your own risk...I'm just trying it out to see if I notice a difference in MPG...I probably will a slight difference.

[LostSouthernStar]

I know that Driving Without Brakes is one of the top FE tips to use but I still find myself braking at every stop out of habit I guess.


I can't seem to find a landmark to release the gas and begin coasting in time to a complete stop without either having to re accelerate again orhave some moron riding my tail and honking because I'm coasting around 20mph.....HELP!!! Lol.

This may sound silly but I thought I'd be wasting more gasoline taking more time coasting to a complete stop due to the engine idling still versus coasting to slow down and braking lightly to a stop...?


What about the Emergency Brake??? Can I use that to gently slow me down or will it cause permanent damage to other components???

[MetroMPG]

No need to use the emergency brake - the difference between that & the hydraulic brake isn't what wastes fuel. The reason braking wastes more fuel than coasting is because you stayed on the power LONGER before slowing down than you do when you try to "DWB" (drive without brakes).

I can't seem to find a landmark to release the gas and begin coasting in time to a complete stop without either having to re accelerate again orhave some moron riding my tail and honking because I'm coasting around 20mph.....HELP!!! Lol.

There's no magic solution. Keep working at it - you'll start to figure it out. Try not to hold people up - I modify how much/slowly I coast based on following traffic. Maybe you can also choose different routes or driving times that enable you to do more coasting without disrupting "normal" flow.

[user removed]

You have to find a happy compromise between coasting and aggravating other drivers.
Use the recirculate button on your AC to save energy. Get it cool inside and then use the lowest fan speed you can tolerate with recirculate to recool the same air. This uses much less energy than fresh air which has humidity that the AC uses power to remove.
Recirculate also recools the same air over and over which is much easier than trying to cool off the hotter outside air. Better to use max temp and lower fan speeds, unless you can tolerate higher temps on lowest fan speed.

regards
Mech

[LostSouthernStar]

Thank you! I've been curious about that for quite a while.


I am courteous to others to a point. I'm not inconsiderate like WG but if people honk and flash their lights at me, I'm not speeding up or moving because they want to get to the stop sign or light 2 seconds faster then me. They can go around if they really want to go faster.

I tell others tha I pay my own gasoline bill, nobody else...so if I want to hypermile and stretch my fuel, then by all means I will do it.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

No need to use the emergency brake - the difference between that & the hydraulic brake isn't what wastes fuel. The reason braking wastes more fuel than coasting is because you stayed on the power LONGER before slowing down than you do when you try to "DWB" (drive without brakes).






There's no magic solution. Keep working at it - you'll start to figure it out. Try not to hold people up - I modify how much/slowly I coast based on following traffic. Maybe you can also choose different routes or driving times that enable you to do more coasting without disrupting "normal" flow.

I try my best to coast to stops and keep a good distance so I can slow down and try to beat traffic lights to keep from stopping...but every once in awhile, I get some moron who cuts in front of me just to turn right and they take their sweet time turning as well grrrrrr.

[LostSouthernStar]

Thank you for your reply!


I've always used to Recirculate feature but I've kept it on maximum as well...I'll try the lowest setting to see if that helps me. I'm glad it's fall, that way I can just use my vents on the highway and windows cracked in town

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

You have to find a happy compromise between coasting and aggravating other drivers.
Use the recirculate button on your AC to save energy. Get it cool inside and then use the lowest fan speed you can tolerate with recirculate to recool the same air. This uses much less energy than fresh air which has humidity that the AC uses power to remove.
Recirculate also recools the same air over and over which is much easier than trying to cool off the hotter outside air. Better to use max temp and lower fan speeds, unless you can tolerate higher temps on lowest fan speed.

regards
Mech