Thoughts on Hypermiling
 

Since joining this forum, and looking at how I can improve my fuel efficiency, my thoughts and perceptions of driving have changed. Now, to be clear, my raison d'être for trying to improve my fuel efficiency is not really to save money (the Scottish government gives people of my age a free pass for bus travel throughout the country, so my wife and I could travel everywhere for free, if we so wished), but to continue using my car as I have always done, just with improved fuel figures. I have to admit, I am treating it as a bit of a game and a challenge.
Most of my daily mileage is here in the town, and consists of 2 journeys, each of 4 miles, and always with a cold engine. The route I take includes 2 sets of lights. I could take a slightly shorter route, but it has 14 sets of lights so I long ago discounted that one.
What would make a huge difference, especially in the cold Scottish winters, would be a block heater, but as I live in flats, well away from my parked car, a block heater is not an option. I do have a garage (no power there either), so in the winter I reverse the car back into the garage between trips.
A thing I have noticed, since starting Pulse and Glide, is that when it is raining, and the road is wet, you do not get as good a Glide as you do when the road is dry. And it rains a lot in Scotland (they are forecasting 60 – 80 mm here, for today).
One thing I have to address, is switching the engine off when I drop my wife off at her work. I am only stopped for about 30 seconds but I am aware that the fuel is being burnt. I’ll wait till I have my ScanGauge fitted, then evaluate whether it would be better to switch off or leave it running.
I do not do Engine Off Coasting. I don’t like the lack of control and loss of power steering (minimal though that is on the Jazz/Fit). I coast with the car in neutral and the engine on. I don’t know what is more sympathetic to the car. Coasting with the clutch down and in gear (wear on clutch release bearing), or, as I do, coasting in neutral with the increased wear on the synchromesh. I decided that as the car is a town car and designed for thousands of gear changes during its life, the synchromesh is probably pretty tough. However, as I said at the beginning, it is all these things I have never given thought to, before joining Ecomodder.

I know what you mean- it adds a lot of fun to otherwise boring driving conditions.

What he said!

I actually enjoy the 40 minute drive to work now. And it doesn't hurt that I was able to buy a couple of cars along the way with my gas savings! :thumbup:

If you rev match, there's no wear on the syncros. In the UK, cars die of rust at 100k miles that would go 200K miles in drier climates.

Cars are not too bad now, here in the UK. My last few have managed 200K. It is the salt that is spread on the roads during our winters that kill them. For 6 months of the year it is like driving in the sea! At least now manufacturers of cars bound for the UK take appropriate measures. When the Japanese first started importing cars into the UK they rusted through within three years.
A mate brought an old car over from Australia, and when he took it for its MOT test the tester asked if it came from the moon! Unfortunately the rot got it as soon as he started driving on our roads.

here in finland we salt our roads too.

But underbody coating jobs are common here to do to your new car.

NEVER trust OEM rustproofing.

Private buyers do that here, but fleet/lease buyers don't bother. And unfortunately, about 90% of the used cars coming on the market after 4 years, are fleet/lease.

Made a big mistake today. Took the cats to the cattery while we go off for a few day. Yard was empty when I drove in and I just stopped with the nose to the wall. When I came back out to the car there were a load of cars, and it took be about 5 minutes to shunt and shuffle back out. I'll store that in the data banks for next time!