What throttle setting is best for fuel economy?
I have the option to alter my throttle setting on my Subaru. there are 3 different settings:
- economy
- sport
- SportSharp
I personally do not see any difference between economy and sport...i think in eco it just keeps the torque converter locked longer before unlocking but i'm not sure. otherwise the throttle maps are both 'numb' meaning the first 5-10% of pedal depression does very little but then it suddenly ramps up to 100% with just 1/3 accelerator pedal depression. For sportsharp, which is my favourite, the throttle is very responsive. The first ~15% pedal input opens the throttle generously. In sportsharp it's very difficult to keep vacuum high and my MPG readout never really goes below 8L/100km during steady throttle functions. But this setting forces me to do mini pulse and glides resulting in high MAP or TPS to keep a steady speed. Shift points are the same if I keep the tranny in D or Drive... it shifts at 2000-2800 RPM based on how fast I roll on the thorttle in normal driving. The SportSharp setting, unlike eco/sport, keeps throttle linear after the first ~15% 'surge' all the way to ~2/3 accelerator input ( So SportSharp is sensitive first ~15% but it starts to tame after,,, good for the track?).
so the question is assuming all other parameters such as shift points, timing and fuel ratio stay the same, which type of throttle setting is best for fuel economy with mix of city and highway?
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