Eco-Driving and Hypermiling

[nasoj007]

I was getting seriously tired of high gas prices so I started looking around for ways to increase my Intrepid's (yes Intrepid) fuel economy. I stumbled across http://ecomodder.com/ . Check out the EM Garage for different peoples mileage numbers.

This site has useful tips and also some extreme tips. Most of it revolves around changing your driving habits such as slowing down (90-100 gets significantly better mileage than 110-120). There are some pretty extreme Hypermilers on this site that do things I would never do (coasting with the engine off, building 'boattails' for their cars, etc) but some things I've tried (pulse and glide... if no ones behind me).

I thought you guys would like to check this out as even doing the simplest things such as driving the speed limit, smoothly accelerating and avoiding idling I was able to increase my mileage to about 15% above the EPA estimates (this was in U.S. mpg remember).

P.S. I've since sold the Intrepid and bought a Civic (sorry Kaj the VW diesel was out of my price range... man I would love to see what I could do with a diesel).

P.P.S. There is also a neat instrument called a Scangauge that will tell you your mpg (if your car doesn't tell you already).

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig1121a.png (http://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-log.php?vehicleid=1121)

[kaj27]

Great Info!

But hey you know what's funny. I had an Intrepid too :) I don't have a scangauge, wish I did. But I do use my laptop which provides me with a lot more information. I can log my fuel usage and graph it in excel...Oooooh :)

I agree with you, I would never turn my car off while driving, little dangerous.

http://www.scangauge.com/

If anyone is interested in a scangauge I can probably put a group buy together and save everyone about $25.

You are 110% right on the speed factor! I drive about 100 on the highway, nevermind about the people passing me, but I noticed a large MPG jump in just dropping 10km/hr.

:)

[trinity]

I find the biggest gas wastage is waiting in traffic on the highway, I don't know why it took them 6+ weeks to do one small section of the highway, but I don't even want to think about what gas was wasted by me and the dozens of other cars stuck there day after day- I only drive out to KV 2 days a week, but when the highway was unobstructed, I was getting 320, 330 km/ tank of gas easy, but doing exactly the same amount of driving when the traffic was tied up, my mileage dropped to about 280 km/ tank. I was horrified, but as soon as I tried going Rothesay Ave and then the old road, instead of the highway, that's when the genius city planners also timed the blockage of half of Rothesay Avenue too.

[drakelogan]

OH MY GOD you only get 320 KM per tank....what are you driving an 18 wheeler lol...I get at least double that from my sunfire....

[jrmdes]

My 05 elantra gives me about 600 - 650 KM/Tank..

320/tank i assume a v6/v8 probably a minivan?

[Freudian]

I've got a 97 VW with a V6 and on long trips driving 100-110 steadily with no aggressiveness, I get about 8.5 L/100km AVG giving me about 550km to a tank, filling up before the 'gas light'. Generally, though, I drive aggressively and only get 350-400km to 3/4 tank which works out to like 11 L/100km. That's pretty bad, but we're talking driving hard and fast the whole time.

I don't drive my car very often now, so it doesn't impact my budget too much.

Civics and Corollas get great mileage, but the downside is the HP.

A sports car with a turbo will often give you great mileage while behaving yourself on the road but when you want to drive hard, you have plenty of power on tap. Something to think about.

[trinity]

OH MY GOD you only get 320 KM per tank....what are you driving an 18 wheeler lol...I get at least double that from my sunfire....
Station wagon. 1997. As far as I know, it's only a 4 cylinder. There is an evap error problem that no one has been able to correct in the 4 years I have owned it. I think I get at least 500 km/ tank for my new car, a Yaris. I'll let you know when I have to fill the tank for the second time. (first time I hit the trip-meter trying to turn on something else)