Some Hypermiling questions

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Kodak

Every heard of the abbreviated method, in which you simply clutch-in, downshift the gear shifter, and blip the throttle (rather than going into neutral) before letting the clutch out?

Is this method inadequate?

Sure.
Why would it be inadequate ?
I don't suppose you're still driving around with an unsynchronized gearbox ?

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRun

Its a '93 Civic Dx

Quoted for context. Larry's CRX below is a good comparison. His advice is spot-on and worth repeating.

Originally Posted by larrybuck

We are trying to help a raw beginner here! The advanced stuff might be a bit much at first.

My daily driver is an '87 Honda CRX. 1st gear just to get you rolling...2nd to 3rd at around 15mph...into 4th 22-25mphish.... into 5th by 30mph on downhill or level roads, if I'm slightly accelerating to approach a slight hill, I might wait on 5th until 35mph.

You are on your own on hills... from your motorcycle, just remember not to let it bog down. For the most part....forget about downshifting... go into neutral.. practice coasting toward stoplights, and signs, as much as following traffic will allow. You MUST learn to MIRROR DRIVE a lot to help yourself set up your next best move!

Try to find good 30-45mph. roads in your area to take that have the fewest stop/light/signs... just work on being Smooooooth!!!

Try to use the brakes hardly at all.... anticipate traffic problems ahead, so you are never surprised into having to brake hard.

rpms.... most of my upshifting is between 1,200 and 1,500...very mello. If you commute in a busy place during rush hrs, people behind you aren't going to appreciate your econo efforts! Be ready to back off perfection, or grow a hard turtle shell.

Don't go over 50-55mph anywhere if you can help it.

Think about bumping up your tires to maybe 5-7 psi above what the sidewall cold max. says on the tire. That's not too much to ride real rough, or wear the tires out too fast. It does mean to remember common sense to NOW go into wet corners a little slower than you used to....my latest idea for a bumper sticker would be this: Friends don't let friends do LATERAL SCRUB!!

Have fun and practice, practice, practice!!!!! Never use the clutch like a brake!!

[Kodak]

JohnnyRun, sorry for highjacking your thread with rev-matching questions. I feel bad, so I'll stop asking questions in your thread after I explain my line of thinking below.

Originally Posted by euromodder

Sure.
Why would it be inadequate ?
I don't suppose you're still driving around with an unsynchronized gearbox ?

Nah, synchronized gear box. It just made me think: "who would double clutch if rev matching (clutch in, blip throttle etc. - the method I called 'abbreviated') does the job?" I guess that's the answer: if there are no synchros.

--

JohnnyRun your stick driving practice was Thursday, right? How did it go for you?

[JohnnyRun]

Unfortunately I wasn't able to drive it, but I will soon. And no worries about asking questions on my posts, the more you ask the more I learn!

[ciderbarrel]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRun

I recently purchased a manual transmission car, and have a few questions on how to increase its fuel efficiency even greater. This is my first time driving stick shift (aside from a motorcycle), so I was wondering what would be the best time to shift gears (in rpm's) in order to keep efficiency up. Its a '93 Civic Dx if that helps. One more question. Lets say I'm coasting in neutral at 30 mph, and need to accelerate because the streetlight turned green. Would I shift to the appropriate gear for that speed? And would going from neutral to 3rd, for example, damage the transmission? Any answers would be greatly appreciated, since I'm only a beginner! I've been hypermiling in automatic cars though, and have seen some impressive gains, like 20% mpg, so I'm optimistic! Thanks again

I'm in a similar position as you. 12 years as a biker, 2 months as the owner of a stick (2005 Mustang GT).

Drive it like your bike. You'd never dump it into 1st going 75 on the bike, so the same applies to your car. Like others have said, pick the right gear for your speed. Like the bike, you will know just by the sound of your engine, so give it some time.

Once you get used to the feel of the engine and your gear ratios, you will be able to dump it into a higher gear. In your example, you're in neutral at 30 MPH and need to go into gear. Because of my gearing in my Mustang, I can put it into 5th gear at 30 MPH (and be just above idle at ~949 RPM). Acceleration will be slow, but I'll most likely be catching up to the cars that were stopped at the light. If there were no cars ahead, I'd dump it into 4th and get up to speed and shift normally, assuming the speed limit is higher than 30, otherwise I'd just stay in 5th.