Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > General Efficiency Discussion
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 03-19-2013, 01:00 AM   #1 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ryland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903

honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
Thanks: 867
Thanked 433 Times in 353 Posts
Starting battery age affect on gas mileage.

My starting battery is getting old, I've been putting it on the charger every month or two, this morning after not driving all weekend it wouldn't crank over with it 15F outside, but the weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer so I'm not going to have the lights on as much and it's not going to see a voltage drop from the cold... but should I go ahead and replace it anyway? as soon as the weather warms up I tend to coast down my short drive way and pop the clutch then only use my gas car for longer trips as my electric car comes out of storage.
In electric cars with lead acid batteries as the batteries age the watt hours per mile drop, you can end up charging the batteries longer and get fewer miles out of them, so I was wondering how that works on a gasoline car, does anyone have a solid number of how much their mileage went up when they got a new starting battery?

I suspect the starting battery is at least 6 if not 8 years old, so I know I should replace it anyway, but my driving habits vary enough that my mileage numbers are not consistent to test this my self.

My other thought is of course being cheap and just plug it in to a 1.5 amp charger when I know I'm not going to be driving it for a day or two, I'm sure I could get another year or two out of the battery that way if it's not going to help my mileage.

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 03-19-2013, 01:15 AM   #2 (permalink)
(:
 
Frank Lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
I've had fe drop due to a bad battery- the alternator must have been working harder to try to keep it charged.
__________________


  Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Frank Lee For This Useful Post:
Cobb (03-19-2013), Ryland (03-19-2013)
Old 03-19-2013, 10:05 AM   #3 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,058
Thanked 6,957 Times in 3,602 Posts
No hard numbers for you, but anecdotally I've heard another credible member note a drop with a weak 12v battery (krousdb - not active any more).
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to MetroMPG For This Useful Post:
Ryland (03-19-2013)
Old 03-19-2013, 11:38 AM   #4 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 2,643
Thanks: 1,502
Thanked 279 Times in 229 Posts
My sidekick was dead the other day so I swapped out the group 51 starter battery for a group 24 deep cycle and pre charged it. Man, my sidekick felt like it had 15 mo hp by the seat of the pants dyno.

Ive also found a low or bad 12 volt battery lowers the mpg of the Insight and hinders the ima system performance too.
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-19-2013, 12:39 PM   #5 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NY state
Posts: 501

XJ Cherokee - '00 Jeep Cherokee Sport
90 day: 12.96 mpg (US)

FoFO - '11 Ford Focus SE
90 day: 36.78 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1
Thanked 51 Times in 38 Posts
A bad battery will definitely hinder the fuel economy and "feel" of the engine. I had a bad battery in the Cherokee over the summer. In addition to starting hard, the alternator whined, voltage seemed to be a bit low and it felt sluggish (and also stalled every once in a while).

Once I installed the new battery, it felt like it had more pep, voltage was normal, FE went up a bit and the alternator stopped whining.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com