Just joined- 2005 Matrix- ideas?
 

Hi all! Just found you via a link from matrixowners.com. This seems like a great community with some good resources. I just entered my gas receipts since last May and am currently 15.6% above EPA. I'd chalk that up to my driving techniques, or is EPA generally pretty low? Plenty of room for improvement.

Anyway, I'm excited to get started with some mods and driving tips. I'm all ears for low cost ways to get started bumping up my MPG. Thanks in advance for your help and ideas.

PS-Any other members in Virginia?

Welcome to our group! You're doing fine for starters. Read the 100+ Hypermiling Tips thread to get started. 80%-90% of your fuel economy improvements will come from changing your driving habits. A manual transmission driver can beat the EPA combined mpg estimates by 70%, and an automatic transmission driver can beat the EPA estimates by 35%, solely from driving changes. Another 10-20% of your potential might come from car modifications. The most extreme hypermilers can top 225% of EPA in the Summer, just from driving behavior changes.

So, adjust the nut behind the wheel first. That's the low-hanging fruit you want to pick first.

roadwarrior_xrs -

Welcome to EM! Great platform to work with. I would crib off of the work of Weather Spotter :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...rix-14954.html

CarloSW2

Glad to see you followed my recommendation and joined up!
Can I get you to build a boat tail too?

I was recommended to EM by doax who is also on Matrix owners.

I would recommend getting a scan gauge or ultra gauge. Instant feedback makes all the difference in changing the nut behind the wheel.

Welcome to the forum. There are lots of Matrix owners so you can learn from their experiences.

Welcome to the site Roadwarrior. What driving techniques are you currently using?

Thanks for the 'hi' everyone.

Props to weather_spotter for referring me to the site. I certainly hope to be following some of the examples of him and daox. The boat tail is a real work of art. I haven't seen #s yet on how efficient it makes you tho. Upper air dam is what I'm aiming for as my first mod.

EPA+70% just from driving style!!? Wow. Sounds like I need to focus lots of energy on that.

Just gassed up my car yesterday, so am ready to start hypermiling for real. Previous to yesterday I was doing some basics:
Looking way ahead to traffic lights
Trying to avoid braking too much for corners
Rolling stop signs in 2nd gear
Keeping my tire pressure at 32psi.
Always using 'pull through' parking spots at grocery stores, etc.
Using cruise control for flat highway cruising, not exceeding speed limit by >5mph.
Turn off car if idling for >5 minutes.
Stay in high gear unless accelerating.
Windows for ventilation <45mph.
Trying to avoid using lift frequently (>6400rpm)
Using my bicycle for commuting :)

Why you have not seen data on my tail is because I do not have any hard data. My best estimates are 5mpg.

Well my MPG has gone up since my post on 3/1, but not by leaps and bounds. I'll have to work on some more techniques.

In other news, I was pulled over by a cop this week for 'completely rolling a stop sign'. Actually I slowed down, looked both ways, shifted to 2nd and went, and didn't cause any traffic hazards. I got off with a warning but I'm not sure my hypermiling excuse would get me out of a traffic ticket. Has anyone else had police encounters due to their hypermiling???

None here. >45,000 hypermiling miles, no tickets.