Hypermiling Lesson - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

RH77 · 03-25-2008, 10:37 PM

Well, it turns out that Lazarus and I had business in Wichita again this week, so we met up and talked FE over some Chinese.

On the way back, a friendly competition ensued: "Let's pick a route and see who can get the best FE". I knew I'd get get beat badly, but I decided to give it a shot.

Setup: 2008 Dodge Avenger SXT, 2.4L VVT, Automatic
Route: ~3.5 miles in residential Wichita.
Traffic: Mild to Moderate.
Average Speeds: 35-40 MPH Cruise
Feedback Device: ScanGauge II

Round 1: RH77 -- Using the best of my techniques and EOC: 34.6 MPG
Round 2: Laz -- With skill, light acceleration, and coasting (no EOC): 37.9 MPG

I've been beat! But wait, the first one was a practice run -- ya know, choosing the route and all...

Round 3: RH77 -- This time Laz was nice enough to be the Eco-Driver's Ed Instructor. Without EOC and great instruction, I beat the time with 39.9 MPG. Thanks man!

This is a profound realization: each of us hypermile differently and can offer tips and tricks in real-time vs. over the Internet to those who need it. I've been doing it for 2 years+ and learned a lifetime's worth of technique.

Thanks again to Laz for the instruction! It only stresses the importance of meeting in person and sharing ideas first hand...

RH77

s2man · 03-26-2008, 02:03 PM

Don't leave us hanging, man. What were the new techniques? That's a big difference in FE, and without using EOC. Wow.

Lazarus · 03-26-2008, 04:07 PM

Wasting gas to save gas

That was fun. Just picking a random route in a car you never driven before in a city you don't know and winging it.

Hope it transfers to Teggy.

SVOboy · 03-26-2008, 04:08 PM

Neat story! I wish I could get some lessons...I'm sure I could be a lot better.

hondaworkshop · 03-26-2008, 05:40 PM

Put that on video and you'll get some serious Web traffic...I'd watch it, then Digg it.

DifferentPointofView · 03-27-2008, 02:29 AM

Quote:

39.9 MPG.

you did that in the 2.4? hmm... I'm gonna get the Caliber when my mom doesn't want it.. which is after she gets done paying for it... good thing to know...

RH77 · 03-27-2008, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

you did that in the 2.4? hmm... I'm gonna get the Caliber when my mom doesn't want it.. which is after she gets done paying for it... good thing to know...

Yup the 2.4. It's no replacement for the Neon's 2.0, but you can still pull-down some decent numbers at lower speeds.

Experimenting around town today, I found the ideal speed to be just above 45 MPH (42-ish is where the TC engages)...

RH77

Chris D. · 03-27-2008, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2man

Don't leave us hanging, man. What were the new techniques? That's a big difference in FE, and without using EOC. Wow.

EOC?

MetroMPG · 03-27-2008, 09:16 AM

"Engine Off Coasting"

MetroMPG · 03-27-2008, 11:53 AM

Great post, Rick! Nice tutoring, Laz!

I'm with the others who want to know the details of what you changed to instantly boost your results by 15%.

But I'm not surprised to hear Laz is good at evaluating conditions for the best technique to apply - you just have to look at his sig image to know that:

Good work, guys.