The little things - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Mustang Dave · 10-31-2011, 12:28 AM

Shift into the gear you're going to need (with a manual gearbox) before starting the engine.

tinduck · 10-31-2011, 04:30 AM

- Leave the radio off to save elecricity = fuel.
- Check traffic situation via internet before getting into the car, re-route if necessary.
- Use satnav to check for congestion while driving, radio stations often only report the heaviest obstructions when the traffic situation goes south. It also uses less electricity than the radio.
- Look for 'warm' parking spots; e. g. at work, we have a spot in our parking garage where warm air from the air conditioning system of the building is blown into the garage. Good for keeping the vehicle (and engine) warm in autumn and especially during the winter.
- Close garage door as fast as possible when the vehicle is parked, you can keep the thermal energy from the cooling engine inside and have a (little bit) warmer car the next morning. With our double garage (brick / no insulation, away from house) this works out to about 5°C higher temp. in the morning than outside.

So long,

tinduck

mcrews · 10-31-2011, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Use rain-x and save your wiper motor's electrical use.

regards
Mech

I am always amazed at how well this stuff works!!!!

My daughter;s boyfreind was very impressed....lol!

euromodder · 10-31-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodak

What about carbon monoxide poisoning? Is your garage separate from your house?

If you back into the garage and shut down, it's not an issue at all.

Doing all pre-start tasks before actually starting the engine is a fringe thing, but it helps.
My car consumes around 0.6 L/h when warmed up, so every minute it's not running is 0.01 L gained. Cold, it's a good deal more.

PaleMelanesian · 10-31-2011, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

I try to park facing towards the sun. That way the reflective windshield cover keeps most of the heat out, and keeps the engine bay slightly warmer. In the summer I prefer shade, but also facing the sun with the windshield cover deployed.

Yes. In the Texas summer this is important - you can only use the reflective cover on that one window, so face it where the worst heat gain would be.

Watch the traffic patterns before you start up. You can often exit the lot and get be on your way with not stops if you time it right.

Automatic transmission - turn the car off, then shift to P. Saves a second or two of idling.

PaleMelanesian · 10-31-2011, 06:24 PM

Potential Parking - I park at the highest spot in the lot at work. It saves gas by not climbing the hill with a cold engine when I leave. It's also the first spot, so I save miles as well.

Diesel_Dave · 10-31-2011, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinduck

- Leave the radio off to save elecricity = fuel.

I've actually started doing this more. Not so much becuase of the reduced electrical load. While I don't have any data to prove it, I'm convinced I drive better when I can hear my engine better.

Gotta love that beautiful Cummins diesel sound too!

user removed · 10-31-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcrews

I am always amazed at how well this stuff works!!!!

My daughter;s boyfreind was very impressed....lol!

LOL, I remember driving through Atlanta when I moved from Houston to the DC area in 1983. Driving my 84 CRX 1.5 in one of the worst rain storms I have ever seen. Wipers off with a tractor trailer rear tire blasting water at my windshield like a fire hydrant. I could still read his license plate!

regards
Mech

Piwoslaw · 11-01-2011, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Watch the traffic patterns before you start up. You can often exit the lot and get be on your way with not stops if you time it right.

Ah, yes. When leaving a parking space on the shoulder, my passengers have sometimes asked me why am I just sitting there, why don't I start the engine. I reply that I have to wait for the string of cars to pass, so there is no need to wait with the engine on.

tinduck · 11-02-2011, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcrews

I am always amazed at how well this stuff works!!!!

My daughter;s boyfreind was very impressed....lol!

Mhhh... if you like that stuff for the effect, OK.

But do not expect to get a return on investment from the fuel saved by not operating your wipers... the stuff is much too expensive for this to pay for itself.

I guess all these little things mentioned here only work because they are for free; the fuel saving effects are very low but add up. But if you spend money for such low savings, you are out of the box rather quickly, IMHO.

so long,

tinduck