what gear to start in?
 

I'm trying to get the best MPG out of my daily around town driving. with a lot of stop and go i drop to about 10 or 11 mpg, but on the highway i get around 28. my car has the torque to start in a higher gear than first but it'd be a little harder on the clutch. i try not to accelerate hard or anything but just can't seem to do much better.

another question, on the high way my top gear is at about 1400 rpm doing 80mph... when i need to pass i keep it in 6th an roll on the throttle but would i be better dropping it to 5th so i don't apply as much throttle?

Welcome to the site.

Sounds like you drive something with a big engine. You can probably accelerate from a stop in 2nd gear. What you are trying to do is use more throttle and less brakes. Look up brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) for a good lesson on engine efficiency. If you can pass without downshifting that is the way to go.

Be sure to check out the 100+ hypermiling tips (link at the top of the page) too.

ok cool, will do. I just found the site so i figure i might as well get active here like other forums i'm on. I love the performance of a big engine, but also like to be economical when i'm not wanting to play

Sounds like you could use a smaller engine and a turbo.

Maybe some day when you have caught the bug hard enough, you'll put a little diesel in it that'll let you drive around with the big engine off when you don't need the acceleration! ;)

Welcome.


Bi-motor FTW.

there is no replacement for displacement, but a turbo does sound nice :thumbup:

there is no room for another motor, as it is the motor and transmission is longer than a smart car

Welcome from me as well.

The question of "roll on or downshift" is really one which varies from car to car.

In my vehicle (GM variant similar to Pontiac G8 with the old 3.8 engine and 4L60E trans) coaxing the car to stay in top is the better option and can make as much as 0.4 l/100 km difference on a given trip to and from work.
Not a huge amount but worth having.

Post how you go.

Peter.

[QUOTE=sbfuller;267599]there is no replacement for displacement, but a turbo does sound nice :thumbup:

Yes there is, and it is a turbo. :cool:

I think it depends on the BSFC map for the particular engine. If downshifting allows the engine to spend more time in low-consumption zones, that should be beneficial.

How long do you stay in 1st ?

Aside from starting in 2nd, quickly shifting up from 1 to 2 will also help - say 1 car length, just to get it rolling..


Slow down as much as possible while keeping in top gear, and you'll do a lot better.