newbie in alachua, FL

[Fat Charlie]

My underpowered brick has only been under 50 mpg for one in the last seven tanks- and I did a lot of towing on that tankful. Still got 44 mpg, though.

You know, with regular old inefficient combustion and only two added parts- an UltraGauge and a sheet of plastic blocking the lower grille, held in place with a zip tie and some duct tape. High tech, huh?

You are what makes mileage. Bolt-ons and "upgrades" are useless if you are still going to drive inefficiently. Ditching an underpowered brick for something with more power or better aero is only going to turn your paper route into a money loser.

[charlo49]

i have been trying. i set the cruise control at 60 for an hour's drive on florida's backroads, which are pretty flat and generally do not have a lot of traffic. one person and a/c running. that returned 34.

i just did a 140 mile r/t on freeway. i set cruise at 70 so as not to impede traffic too much. 2 people and a/c. that returned 30.7.

i've quit the paper route and am now doing uber. that's a lot of short trips.

i'm interested in your blocking air intake idea. i'm a bit worried that here in florida in the summer with 90 deg temps it may overheat.

i've noticed the large plastic shroud that covers the underside of the engine is missing. i'm thinking of contacting honda to see how much it would cost to replace. presumably that will be adding to drag.

i'm also investigating removing the side mirrors and installing a rearview camera. any comments on that?

[Mustang Dave]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

My underpowered brick has only been under 50 mpg for one in the last seven tanks- and I did a lot of towing on that tankful. Still got 44 mpg, though.

You know, with regular old inefficient combustion and only two added parts- an UltraGauge and a sheet of plastic blocking the lower grille, held in place with a zip tie and some duct tape. High tech, huh?

You are what makes mileage. Bolt-ons and "upgrades" are useless if you are still going to drive inefficiently. Ditching an underpowered brick for something with more power or better aero is only going to turn your paper route into a money loser.

^What he said. Adjusting that "nut behind the steering wheel" is the most cost-effective way to get better fuel economy. Because it's free.

[charlo49]

i just got this from a friend of mine. anybody got any comments?



i checked the weight of the 2012 honda fit: it's 2496 lb (1134kg).
that means you _could_ get hard silicon compound tires (aka "eco"
tires) - but bear in mind that (this is from memory ok - please
check!) they're rated for an absolute maximum of around 84mph, and if
you use them for significant highway driving they're _going_ to wear
out _fast_.

honestly my advice would be to find someone who isn't going to drive
very much (so that the vehicle's effect on the environment is greatly
reduced) and sell it.

then go looking for something that has amazing fuel economy. my
recommendation would be an old golf diesel. i know someone in the UK
who had one re-chipped, it did 100mpg @ 55mph. the reason why he got
it re-chipped is because "by default", VW had it set to run *anything*
- ethanol, paraffin, you name it, it could burn it, because the car is
sold world-wide, and often the only thing people have access to is
non-standard fuels!

by getting the VW Golf diesel re-chipped, the timings were set much
more accurately: it would then *only* run on standard (pump) diesel,
and the fuel economy was increased from 80mpg to 100mpg as a result.

i don't know if you can get older VW Golf Diesel cars in the U.S. -
people who have them i imagine tend to hang on to them!

[charlo49]

i've been reading the air/fuel ratios on the Fit (i have torque on my phone). i notice that at cruise it doesn't seem to change from around 14-15.

i know that in aircraft you can adjust the mixture to lean it out in cruise. you have to watch the exhaust gas temp to make sure it doesn't overheat.

why couldn't this be done on the car? i notice there do seem to be chips available that allow the air/fuel ratio to be adjusted.

[dirtydave]

yeah but they cost $$$$ and you will never see a return on investment

[charlo49]

i'm more interested in the principle of whether you can make any improvements that actually work as an experiment. i'm not so concerned with roi at the moment.

few of these devices seem to have been objectively tested so we really don't know whether they work or not. i'm willing to outlay some money in the interests of science.

[charlo49]

i notice they're using a VW diesel


In Florida, a team of motorsport enthusiasts will drive from the Atlantic Coast of Florida to the Pacific Coast of California on just one tank of renewable fuel on June 21-26, 2015. This is made possible by NEXBTL renewable diesel that is produced from bio-based raw materials by Neste.

The Guest Champion in Across the USA challenge is Tanner Foust, four-time X Games gold medal winner, three-time U.S. Rallycross champion and two time Formula Drift champion.

The car is a Superlite Coupe (SLC) which is custom-built by CLP motorsports. It has the aerodynamics necessary for maximum efficiency at speed, which is enhanced by a lightweight aluminum monocoque chassis and fiberglass body. The SLC has all of the handling of a race car, but it is street legal and is powered by a modified Volkswagen 1.9-liter TDI diesel engine.

The across the USA drive will start on Sunday the 21st of June. The SLC car will drive across the United States on Interstate 10, the fourth-longest transcontinental highway in the U.S., which is more than 2,400 miles long. It runs through eight states, starting in Atlantic Beach, Florida, and ending on the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by charlo49

i have been trying. i set the cruise control at 60...

i'm also investigating removing the side mirrors and installing a rearview camera. any comments on that?

The best place to start trying is here: 109 hypermiling / ecodriving tips ...

Originally Posted by charlo49

i'm more interested in the principle of whether you can make any improvements that actually work as an experiment.

Improvements that actually work are listed here: 68 vehicle mods for better fuel economy ...

The fun part with this is that every platform is different with its own unique aerodynamic, weight, powertrain and other issues. Identical mods will have different results on different cars. Removing the side mirrors will helpful, but will they be as helpful as wheel skirts?

Originally Posted by charlo49

...i'm not so concerned with roi at the moment.

few of these devices seem to have been objectively tested so we really don't know whether they work or not. i'm willing to outlay some money in the interests of science.

ROI is another way of saying "effectiveness." Every production car will benefit from some basic mods the moment you make them, while reinventing the wheel for combustion in your spare time may help someday- in the car that you've left otherwise as inefficient as it was the day it left the factory. Until you hone your own driving skills to be as effective as possible none of your data will be worth a damn. None of it. The driver is the biggest variable in FE and you can't objectively test anything until you can be an objective tester. Time spent working on technique isn't wasted- time spent driving without working on technique is.

There's no sense wishing for better mileage if you won't work on yourself.
There's no sense modifying your car if you won't modify the way you use it.
There's no sense reinventing combustion if you're going to ignore bigger inefficiencies.

A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step. Start with that one.