Introducing "LOG"

[PaleMelanesian]

I spent $7 on the charger (on sale at harbor freight) and I spend $0.50 or less per tank on electricity to run it. You can't even buy the cables to relocate a battery for that cost.

My current battery is three years old, and it's toast. It can sit for a regular weekend but any longer and it won't turn the starter. The combination of extensive EOC, small capacity battery and exceptional heat (even by TX standards) is a recipe for killing batteries. The charger strings it along until it gets cold, then I'm getting a new one.

[pletby]

I've installed a charger for the same reason if different temperatures. Repeated starting in the winter here are killer on the battery. I do enough highway driving during the summer that it's pretty much topped up, but winter brings many short drives for me. Good find on the charger man, mine was 2/3 off for $20. Hard wired into the car and uses the same plug as the block heater. Now I need a Kill-a-watt so I can measure what I'm putting in.

Back on the topic of 'LOG', I'm thinking about the best combination to mix together for a slushbox, as I can only coast to a stop with the engine off. The tranny REALLY doesn't like being put back in drive after being put in neutral unless I'm jogging speed or below. I'm P&Ging with 70% load in the city, but never thought to use it on the highway, DWL on our few overpasses and bridges, and EOC to stops. Any other thoughts?

[PaleMelanesian]

With an automatic you'll need to do a lot more DWL and less P&G. Do all you can to keep it from downshifting on hills. Lose speed as you climb, but if you lose too much it'll downshift. To solve that you need a running start for the climb so you can lose speed and still be above the shifting point.

In town, anticipate everything as far ahead as possible. Stops are even harder on mpg with an automatic, so avoid them like the plague. Even 5 mph is better than a full stop.

Yeah, the problem with cold is it slows down the chemical reactions and reduces the power the battery can put out. Heat really kills them, but they're ok until the cold weather shows the weakness. I got this chart from Interstate a while back.

[pletby]

Thanks for the tips PaleMelanesian! I'll try that today.

Amazing what effect that heat has on batteries. Wow.

[redyaris]

This Tank has been amazing 21.3L/580.3km = 3.67L/100km or 64.03mpg, this is so far beyond my already outstanding 90 day average of 53mpg that I have to keep checking the guages. 64mpg/53mpg = 1.2075 or a 20% improvement. Not only that but my odometer reads 76km when the distance is 80km. On Saterday when I fill up I will see the real numbers...
How I do this winter in the snow and cold using LOG will be interesting, maybe I can get my lifetime average to over 50mpg this year.
One thing that I have started to do is to use the slow Truck lane for going up hilles on the highway so that I can drive at 60km/hr - 80km/hr [35mph - 50mph] without bothering any one. also by using 4th gear and DWL I can keep the Load at 70 - 80 for the hill. I don't know how much this affect FE but my thinking is that at 70km/hr [40mph] the aero load is reduced...

Fueled up to day August 27, 2011 419m/6.48Gal = 64.66mpg It's looking like I may get to the 90 day 60mpg zone before the winter.

[pletby]

Wow is all I can say. I want to get rid of my car and get a stick shifting eco box very badly now. I'm going to start with GLEN tomorrow and move up to LOG as I get comfortable in the work car.

For bump starting, what gear is appropriate for city speeds? The gear you need or something higher?

[PaleMelanesian]

One gear higher than the one you need is a good place to start.

[brandonppr]

I gave it a try. At first I thought my DIC was not logging the miles because it would say 0mpg with engine off key on, but when I restarted it my avg mpg jumped up. I only drove down to the store a few miles from my house so I haven't had time to try it out, but I did increase my DIC avg MPG by 1 MPG in a short trip.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by brandonppr

I gave it a try. At first I thought my DIC was not logging the miles because it would say 0mpg with engine off key on, but when I restarted it my avg mpg jumped up. I only drove down to the store a few miles from my house so I haven't had time to try it out, but I did increase my DIC avg MPG by 1 MPG in a short trip.

PLEASE CHECK TO make sure your auto trans can be operated with the car off. If it cannot you will eventually damage the transmission because fluid is not circulating while the car is off. One way some have suggested checking is by researching online or in the owners manual as to whether you car can be flat towed, which, they say, would mean it can run EOC too. But I would not know. The safest bet with an auto trans is always to keep the enine on and coast in neutral or in gear. Good luck!

[redyaris]

Originally Posted by pletby

Wow is all I can say. I want to get rid of my car and get a stick shifting eco box very badly now. I'm going to start with GLEN tomorrow and move up to LOG as I get comfortable in the work car.

For bump starting, what gear is appropriate for city speeds? The gear you need or something higher?

What I have found is that I can bump start in 5th gear as low as 50km/h [30mph]. what I have noticed is that the higher the gear I bump start in the smoother it is. the only problem I have notice when bump starting in 5th gear at very low speeds is that even the smallest amount of thoatle gets the scanguage to 90%+ load rightaway. what I do now depending on conditions is bumpstart in 5th and then down shift to 4th then pulse to 80km/hr [50mph] and glide... what I also do is pulse and glide eoc to the road conditions, in order to engage gravity drive.