Hypermiling a 2012 Malibu LT (4 cyl auto)

[roosterk0031]

I figured out today on the Cobalt if I have the heat on the AC runs, if I blend it just far enough with vents the AC doesn't run.

I often run heat to the floor to get enough air to defog the windshield without turning to defrost where AC run's for sure. If you can't tell if the AC is running, it also won't allow to recycle the air when not blended enough. I can see gph jump about 0.1 when AC is on as well.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

I figured out today on the Cobalt if I have the heat on the AC runs, if I blend it just far enough with vents the AC doesn't run.

I often run heat to the floor to get enough air to defog the windshield without turning to defrost where AC run's for sure. If you can't tell if the AC is running, it also won't allow to recycle the air when not blended enough. I can see gph jump about 0.1 when AC is on as well.

Annoying, right? Why not just let the driver control the car? Have these settings as options on the controls.

FIRST FILL: 454 miles divided by 12.588 gallons = 36.07 mpg. The car is rated 22/26/33.

That is allowing for possible pump variation because you cannot pump your own gas in New Jersey and I did not do the fills at the same station. It is also with the handicap of tires at 30/31 psi instead of the 40psi three of the four tires require (the last is rated 51 psi). I also was only just learning how to hypermile this car.

I have long freeway trips today and in the coming days. I now know this car pretty well. And the tires are all at 40psi. But I did refill with cheap "10% Alch" gasoline.

-james

[roosterk0031]

E10 doesn't hurt that bad, only 3% less energy, have a E35ish blend in the cobalt yesterday and still broke 40. Just topped off with 3.5 gallons more so now a E45ish blend.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

E10 doesn't hurt that bad, only 3% less energy, have a E35ish blend in the cobalt yesterday and still broke 40. Just topped off with 3.5 gallons more so now a E45ish blend.

Drove several hundred miles today. The transmission is pretty amazing. 65mph and just a hare under 2000 rpms. Instant MPG numbers often amazing at cruise. 50s are easy for this car. DFCO in a heart beat. After a few hundred miles I had a 37.3 mpg ave in combined driving. Then I hit two hours of awful stop and go traffic and ended the day at 36.1 mpg

And what's up with the AC on these cars? I sat at a rest stop for several minutes with the car off and the AC on internal circulation and low fan without pressing the "snowflake" button. The air stayed a constant cool temp. It is electric, not belt driven? It seemed to have no effect on instant MPG too (if you can believe the factory gauge).

Originally Posted by longprime

... it is not an electro-power assist?

I can answer this better, now. It has electric asisst power steering: http://www.gmcertified.com/themes/de...let_Malibu.pdf

And apparently it has the "ECOTEC" emissions package, variable valve timing ("VVT"), and multi-point fuel injection.

[California98Civic]

Second tank, in combined freeway/secondary road conditions using E10 gas (lower energy density), two hours of stop-n-go traffic, and a rain storm: 498mi/15.107 gal = 32.96mpg. The gauge on-board said 35.4mpg

[EDIT: if E10 gasoline has 97.6% of the energy density of regular gasoline, then maybe I would have had slightly higher MPG, maybe 33.75?]

[California98Civic]

On the last day I had this car, I got another chance to drive a Hyundai Sonata, this time a 2013. I rented a Sonata last year and wrote about it here. They are similar in terms of features. Both have the manual-auto six speed gear box. But on balance, although I wish I could say differently, the Sonata is the better car. The Sonata transmission shifts better, and it stays in the selected gear better and is therefore more amenable to the upshifting hypermile strategy with these automatics. The Chevy felt like the tranny could fall off when shifting from neutral to drive; not so with the Sonata.