New guy! - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Zebulon1993 · 11-15-2016, 10:22 AM

Hey everyone, I came here hoping to learn some techniques on how to save fuel as I drive about 120 miles a day 3-5 times a week. Also, is there an app where I can access this forum for an iPhone?

A little about me and my vehicle. 2003 Toyota Camry 2.4l 4 cylinder. Without any hypermiling techniques except lower RPMs when accelerating I get 32-33 MPG with mostly highway driving. I would love to increase this to 40 mpg over time. 80% highway 20% city.

My first question is this, is it ok to coast in neutral in an automatic transmission? I have read it isn't harmful to the car but then I have read it is. A little insight please. My car does need a tuneup and oil change, I expect to increase my MPG a little by doing those things. Thanks everyone!

fusion210 · 11-15-2016, 10:55 AM

Welcome! While I don't know if your Camry can coast in neutral, the general idea here is if it can be flat towed it can.

Both the forum owner and I have parents with the 2002 2.4l auto and have made great numbers. http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...2-a-23818.html

If you threw the normal slew of mods at it (grill block, engine/trans heater, low rolling resistance tires and some underside treatment) 40mpg seems perfectly attainable. If you need any parts or want factory upgrades, I do see this generation from time to time at the Cash for Junk Cars & Used Parts: Pull-A-Part Auto Salvage in Charlotte and Winston Salem.

mcrews · 11-15-2016, 12:42 PM

welcome!

Had an 99 Avalon that I coasted (a lot!) never had a trany problem. sold at 217,000 miles.
Raise the psi to 40 +.

MetroMPG · 11-15-2016, 05:07 PM

No dedicated app for accessing the forum - just browser-based.

Are you asking about coasting in N with the engine running? That's OK. Engine off is the issue for most automatics (they aren't properly lubricated unless the engine is on).

You're also going to want to look into aerodynamic modifications since you spend so much time on the highway. The low hanging ones are things like smooth wheel covers, partial grille block, etc. Check the mods list at the top of the page.

Also do you have a resettable fuel economy display in the Camry? I think yours does.

And .. welcome to the forum!

elhigh · 11-15-2016, 05:37 PM

Coasting in neutral should be okay. Just don't try to coast with the engine off.

Whether it's worth the trouble to shift and coast will be up to you. When you add some instrumentation (SG or UG, whatevs), monitor injector duty under in-gear decel, see if the duty cycle goes to zero. If it does, the engine is simply being pulled along by the transmission in that circumstance. In that case it's really up to you to decide which is more effective, a fuel-less but somewhat shorter coast, or a longer one at minimal consumption?

With SG or UG you can do short "trip average" mpgs to find which is yielding the greater results. That may require a bit of fiddling and testing.

MetroMPG · 11-15-2016, 05:53 PM

Hey - I just realized this is the same car my folks have:

Theirs is an '02 though.

FYI, I did a speed vs. MPG graph for it (ScanGauge was not calibrated to the car, but was more pessimistic than the onboard MPG computer):

Details:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...2-a-23818.html

Zebulon1993 · 11-16-2016, 09:45 AM

I have the LE so no on board MPG display.

Zebulon1993 · 11-16-2016, 09:46 AM

That is extremely interesting. I have been going 60 on the highway and coasting down hills, no cruise and people hate me for it lol. Haven't been doing it long enough to tell a MPG difference though.

MetroMPG · 11-16-2016, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zebulon1993

I have the LE so no on board MPG display.

OK - definitely get some kind of MPG display. You're driving blind!

Also: having instant & resettable trip feedback turns this into a game.

There are a bunch of OBD-II compatible options available.

elhigh · 11-16-2016, 10:56 AM

For the cheapest heads-up instrumentation option, you can purchase the Torque app (I don't know if it's available for iPhone, probably is) and get an OBDII adapter to send to the phone. NOTE: be certain you get a WiFi-capable adapter as I understand iPhones don't do Bluetooth.

Don't forget to check your tire pressure. Even if you're not willing to push them all the way to the upper limit specified on the sidewall, you can still ascertain that they're at least as high as they're supposed to be. That made a huge difference on my Civic.