Hypermiling

[W3H5]

For the city and anywhere I hit slow traffic I turned the eco mode on to limit fuel usage but since this was the first time in my life I've had a chance to have fun in a car (I generally hate driving) I don't think I came below 120kph on the multi-lane highways and on the twisties I was going as fast as the tyres could handle. Still only cost us about 700B which is less than $20.

 

[synchromesh]

Whenever I drive my Mini, I always have a good time, so my average fuel economy looks like this:

My generation Mini (R50 5 speed) should be getting around 30 combined city and highway. Haven't even heard of hypermiling until now

 

[W3H5]

Today I took upon myself the challenge of a trip home (wife's home town) and back, around 200km, in full hypermiling mode. Strangely I noticed that with the Eco-mode button switched on I wasn't getting a smooth power delivery so I turned that off. Getting out of the city was tough and as I had set the clock/counter to 0 for this ride it was moving up very slowly; 9km/l...12.2km/l...14.6km/l and once I hit the highway it started to level out in the high teens. FYI - 1km/l is 2.3mpg.

With careful throttle work I managed and average of 20.5km/l (48mpg) through the mountains. Some stretches rose for more than 5km and I had dropped down to 19.9 at one point (44mpg) on a step section, but regaining level ground I got into my home town at 21.6 (50mpg) thanks to never exceeding 80kph without gravity assistance. That journey was 84km.

After running around town for a bit and clocking up another 20km I'd kept a steady 20-21km/l before leaving for the same highway through the mountains again to return home.

On the way back I went a tad slower, probably averaging around 70kph which angered a few people on the sections with a single lane. The clock dropped down to the 19s at one point on the hills but steadily made it back to the 20s. Out of the mountains and on a straight open highways I upped the clock to 22.2km/l (52mpg) where it stuck until we reached the city. Amazingly the last 15km through the city were slow but steady and I managed to keep moving at a good speed and not stop resulting in the final readout at 22.5km/l (53mpg) after having peaked shortly earlier at 22.7.

Not too interesting but I just wanted to document it here for future reference.

 

[synchromesh]

Today I took upon myself the challenge of a trip home (wife's home town) and back, around 200km, in full hypermiling mode. Strangely I noticed that with the Eco-mode button switched on I wasn't getting a smooth power delivery so I turned that off. Getting out of the city was tough and as I had set the clock/counter to 0 for this ride it was moving up very slowly; 9km/l...12.2km/l...14.6km/l and once I hit the highway it started to level out in the high teens. FYI - 1km/l is 2.3mpg.

With careful throttle work I managed and average of 20.5km/l (48mpg) through the mountains. Some stretches rose for more than 5km and I had dropped down to 19.9 at one point (44mpg) on a step section, but regaining level ground I got into my home town at 21.6 (50mpg) thanks to never exceeding 80kph without gravity assistance. That journey was 84km.

After running around town for a bit and clocking up another 20km I'd kept a steady 20-21km/l before leaving for the same highway through the mountains again to return home.

On the way back I went a tad slower, probably averaging around 70kph which angered a few people on the sections with a single lane. The clock dropped down to the 19s at one point on the hills but steadily made it back to the 20s. Out of the mountains and on a straight open highways I upped the clock to 22.2km/l (52mpg) where it stuck until we reached the city. Amazingly the last 15km through the city were slow but steady and I managed to keep moving at a good speed and not stop resulting in the final readout at 22.5km/l (53mpg) after having peaked shortly earlier at 22.7.

Not too interesting but I just wanted to document it here for future reference.

I have so much respect for you. I could never hypermile like that. You see, I'll tell myself I'm gonna save fuel. After 3 minutes I get bored and forget it lol.

 

[niky]

Today I took upon myself the challenge of a trip home (wife's home town) and back, around 200km, in full hypermiling mode. Strangely I noticed that with the Eco-mode button switched on I wasn't getting a smooth power delivery so I turned that off. Getting out of the city was tough and as I had set the clock/counter to 0 for this ride it was moving up very slowly; 9km/l...12.2km/l...14.6km/l and once I hit the highway it started to level out in the high teens. FYI - 1km/l is 2.3mpg.

With careful throttle work I managed and average of 20.5km/l (48mpg) through the mountains. Some stretches rose for more than 5km and I had dropped down to 19.9 at one point (44mpg) on a step section, but regaining level ground I got into my home town at 21.6 (50mpg) thanks to never exceeding 80kph without gravity assistance. That journey was 84km.

After running around town for a bit and clocking up another 20km I'd kept a steady 20-21km/l before leaving for the same highway through the mountains again to return home.

On the way back I went a tad slower, probably averaging around 70kph which angered a few people on the sections with a single lane. The clock dropped down to the 19s at one point on the hills but steadily made it back to the 20s. Out of the mountains and on a straight open highways I upped the clock to 22.2km/l (52mpg) where it stuck until we reached the city. Amazingly the last 15km through the city were slow but steady and I managed to keep moving at a good speed and not stop resulting in the final readout at 22.5km/l (53mpg) after having peaked shortly earlier at 22.7.

Not too interesting but I just wanted to document it here for future reference.

Fantastic things, CVTs, eh?

 

[W3H5]

I have so much respect for you. I could never hypermile like that. You see, I'll tell myself I'm gonna save fuel. After 3 minutes I get bored and forget it lol.

It's not that I do it to save fuel or money, although I do like being environmentally friendly, I just find it such a challenge to squeeze every last bit of efficiency from a vehicle. The results I've had from motorcycles have been amazing but this is the first time in the car I've not though "That corner looks fun!" and managed a whole go-and-back journey in full HM mode.

Fantastic things, CVTs, eh?

I'm really amazed at the gearing. There were times when I was hovering around 85-90kph and though if I could just slightly make a nano blip on the throttle to switch up a gear and then get the engine running on that gear I could level up a decimal. The window came down once when Mrs. Shem wanted to "smell the countryside" and I began to scream "Nooooooo! My mileage!!!1!!". I also remember, on steep declines, saying at least twice, that if we had purchased a manual I could be coasting in neutral rather than being in gear. Was odd that the tiniest amount of throttle on a decline made a good 300rpm difference (1800 free coasting Vs 1500 with gas), that I can't work out.

I've been economical before but never to the lengths I went to today, I felt like my grandfather at times, doing a good 20% under the speed limit. I guess my GT practice came in handy for navigating tight mountain corners without scrubbing off too much speed or using the brakes. It's such a big difference to be out motoring on highways compared to the city where I do most of my mileage. My wife commutes to work and gets an average of 13-14km/l according to the computer, probably because it's impossible to get over 60kph around town.

All in all a fun day, and one I'd like to repeat before I'm away from the car for a year. This started as a distraction to make my commutes fun (by motorcycle) but now it has become hobby and somewhat of a passion. At least now I know that given a VTEC and a gallon of ethanol (or preferably petrol) I'm going to be the last person caught in the zombie apocalypses! I'll be out-driving kei cars with any luck.

 

[synchromesh]

It's not that I do it to save fuel or money, although I do like being environmentally friendly, I just find it such a challenge to squeeze every last bit of efficiency from a vehicle. The results I've had from motorcycles have been amazing but this is the first time in the car I've not though "That corner looks fun!" and managed a whole go-and-back journey in full HM mode.



I'm really amazed at the gearing. There were times when I was hovering around 85-90kph and though if I could just slightly make a nano blip on the throttle to switch up a gear and then get the engine running on that gear I could level up a decimal. The window came down once when Mrs. Shem wanted to "smell the countryside" and I began to scream "Nooooooo! My mileage!!!1!!". I also remember, on steep declines, saying at least twice, that if we had purchased a manual I could be coasting in neutral rather than being in gear. Was odd that the tiniest amount of throttle on a decline made a good 300rpm difference (1800 free coasting Vs 1500 with gas), that I can't work out.

I've been economical before but never to the lengths I went to today, I felt like my grandfather at times, doing a good 20% under the speed limit. I guess my GT practice came in handy for navigating tight mountain corners without scrubbing off too much speed or using the brakes. It's such a big difference to be out motoring on highways compared to the city where I do most of my mileage. My wife commutes to work and gets an average of 13-14km/l according to the computer, probably because it's impossible to get over 60kph around town.

All in all a fun day, and one I'd like to repeat before I'm away from the car for a year. This started as a distraction to make my commutes fun (by motorcycle) but now it has become hobby and somewhat of a passion. At least now I know that given a VTEC and a gallon of ethanol (or preferably petrol) I'm going to be the last person caught in the zombie apocalypses! I'll be out-driving kei cars with any luck.

Eww CVTS
Jk different strokes for different folks

 

[W3H5]

Eww CVTS
Jk different strokes for different folks

Until my wife learns to drive a manual that's what I'm living with. It does make city traffic decidedly easier.

 

[synchromesh]

Until my wife learns to drive a manual that's what I'm living with. It does make city traffic decidedly easier.

You're a better man haha. All 3 of my cars are manuals and I told my gf she's just going to have to learn. I like having more control but I think nowadays CVTs get better mileage anyway.

 

[niky]

Honda's latest CVT isn't perfect, but the addition of a torque converter makes it much more palatable than the fragile-as-glass previous generation one (which burnt clutch packs like nobody's business). That torque converter (hopefully) provides more longevity, and an aggressive locking algorithm provides for some satisfying "thwumps" when you use the paddle-shifters to select virtual rations in seven speed mode.

Even without the seven-speed mode found on high-end variants, the extra sense of attachment you get from not having to wait for the transmission to slur up to a speed where the clutch packs can engage properly makes it feel more livable than before.

The only issue is that, like all CVTs, the Honda unit starts slipping when it gets hot. So no shenanigans (shem-anigans? ) unless you're willing to invest in addition transmission cooling.

Otherwise, the performance is unwordly smooth, and the economy in free-moving traffic and freeway conditions will be hard to beat with a manual. With the torque converter, in-traffic economy isn't as good as the old dry-clutch CVT, but I'd rather spend a little extra on fuel than have to change the entire transmission every few years.

 

[synchromesh]

Honda's latest CVT isn't perfect, but the addition of a torque converter makes it much more palatable than the fragile-as-glass previous generation one (which burnt clutch packs like nobody's business). That torque converter (hopefully) provides more longevity, and an aggressive locking algorithm provides for some satisfying "thwumps" when you use the paddle-shifters to select virtual rations in seven speed mode.

Even without the seven-speed mode found on high-end variants, the extra sense of attachment you get from not having to wait for the transmission to slur up to a speed where the clutch packs can engage properly makes it feel more livable than before.

The only issue is that, like all CVTs, the Honda unit starts slipping when it gets hot. So no shenanigans (shem-anigans? ) unless you're willing to invest in addition transmission cooling.

Otherwise, the performance is unwordly smooth, and the economy in free-moving traffic and freeway conditions will be hard to beat with a manual. With the torque converter, in-traffic economy isn't as good as the old dry-clutch CVT, but I'd rather spend a little extra on fuel than have to change the entire transmission every few years.

CVTs get better gas mileage. What do manuals get?

Ladies.

 

[niky]

CVTs get better gas mileage. What do manuals get?

Ladies.

MINIs get ladies. Manuals get dudes.

 

[synchromesh]

MINIs get ladies. Manuals get dudes.

First part is the truest thing that has ever been said. My girlfriend loves it. However, she also loves my perfectly rev-matched downshifts too

 

[W3H5]

The few times I've have an issue with the gear box not catching up to the engines has been going up hill while overtaking. Foot in the floor and the revs climb but rather than a gradual acceleration it's like a turbo diesel in that it's going, going, going and then 'whack' the car rockets into life and the speed climbs.

I would have preferred a manual for such activities so I could just drop down a gear and overtake that way but while hypermiling there are very few vehicles I have to overtake (on single lane parts of the highway) and it's mostly other overtaking me.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Bump.

Not really a hypermiler but we don't have another fuel economy thread so figured I would post in here instead of making a new thread. So the last couple of weeks I spent trying to stretch one tank of fuel on my Forte Koup and managed to get it done with roughly 40 miles range indicating on the display and the fuel gauge showing below empty when I filled up tonight.

My work commute is roughly 23 miles one direction, most of which is country roads where I can set the cruise at 55-60 mph. When in town, if I see a red light coming up I lift off and let the car coast in gear. Light throttle application when accelerating, etc. I'm always watching the instant fuel economy bar like a bad habit. It's cool to watch it go higher and higher when you're coming up behind a big rig on the highway.

Anyway, here's the recent tank results. Keep in mind this car is rated 25 city / 34 highway / 28 mpg combined.

Edit: I'm going to add that the mileage average calculated by the car is usually not far off. I think it said 37.7 mpg when I stopped at the station to fill up.

 

[Obelisk]

I do a little hypermiling myself, whenever I commute. It's just practical and brings out another side of my 3's fun factor at lower speeds. So far, I've been pretty consistent, between 36 and 40 MPG averages on the built-in economy monitor. My record so far is 44.4 MPG on a 20 minute commute in the city.

 

[mustafur]

On my Mazda 2 my record for a full tank is 4.5L/100 km(52mpg) which was done when I went down the south coast from Sydney which is basically 90% highway with cruise Control.

The best I have ever gotten in a single drive was 3.8L/100km(61mpg) when i drove to my friends house 30 mins away on a flat 80km/h road with no traffic which is probably the peak of this cars fuel economy capability from my experience.

The Mazda 2 1.5L engine is brilliant fuel economy wise in highway conditions but in full city conditions I tend to average 6.1L/100km(38mpg), the 6 Speed manuals gear ratios are ideal for Highway driving as in 6th gear it doesn't hit 2,000 Rpm till 85km/h, which is pretty significant for a Petrol Subcompact.

*MPG US is what I mean.

 

[homeforsummer]

Unsurprisingly I've not been driving for economy much recently and I actually kind of miss it. I think it's the application of skill required. Unless you have a death wish or are happy breaking the law by a large margin you can only really use skills for driving quickly some of the time, but driving economically is something you can do from the moment you start the engine to the moment you're at your destination.

Current commute isn't ideal for it either. Suspect that if I still owned the Insight, I'd be seeing numbers in the 60s rather than the 70s and 80s. Lots of fairly quick sections separated by roundabouts. Lots of slowing down and speeding up again, which is never great for economy.

 

[niky]

Bump.

Not really a hypermiler but we don't have another fuel economy thread so figured I would post in here instead of making a new thread. So the last couple of weeks I spent trying to stretch one tank of fuel on my Forte Koup and managed to get it done with roughly 40 miles range indicating on the display and the fuel gauge showing below empty when I filled up tonight.

My work commute is roughly 23 miles one direction, most of which is country roads where I can set the cruise at 55-60 mph. When in town, if I see a red light coming up I lift off and let the car coast in gear. Light throttle application when accelerating, etc. I'm always watching the instant fuel economy bar like a bad habit. It's cool to watch it go higher and higher when you're coming up behind a big rig on the highway.

Anyway, here's the recent tank results. Keep in mind this car is rated 25 city / 34 highway / 28 mpg combined.

Edit: I'm going to add that the mileage average calculated by the car is usually not far off. I think it said 37.7 mpg when I stopped at the station to fill up.

View attachment 579795

Not knowing how your idle time is when you're close to work, that's pretty good if it's the Forte Koup 2.0 (worst I've gotten out of that one is about 150 miles on one tank... but then we were doing an average of 80-100 mph through a twisty mountain pass at the time... ).

You can probably eke a little more out of it by killing the cruise control and maintaining constant power instead... letting the car speed up and slow down with the slope of the road.

-

My current average is a piddly 26 mpg, because we use the car for my daughter's school run, which is a super short 2 miles, in which the engine hardly ever warms up and we sometimes get stuck in incredible 5 mph traffic.

Just waiting for a long trip to see if I can beat 50 mpg. I know the car does over 45, but I don't know how far over 45 it does.

 

[W3H5]

I'm always watching the instant fuel economy bar like a bad habit.

That how I do it (well, haven't driven since Jan but will be back on the road next month). I know the dash indicator isn't the most accurate but every tenth of a litre change I have to announce aloud like I've just won a prize. When I goes down a tenth my announcements are much sadder.

3.8L/100km(61mpg)

That's almost 26 KM/L. I'm not sure I've ever done that well. My usual, 80km long range drive through the mountains used to get roughly 22KM/L IIRC, but I always blamed the first 5km of city traffic for not getting any lower.

The slight disadvantage I have is an automatic gearbox. No neutral option for coasting available.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I don't monitor my fuel economy that closely, but my 120d currently reports an average of around 34 mpg. I know on a motorway style run it will return around 55 mpg, and on a longer local drive it gets around 42-46 mpg. Sadly, I would estimate that about half the fuel I burn on weekly basis is done on my short commute to work, where the car returns around 13 mpg. Obviously the culprit here is me driving with a virtually stone cold engine in the mornings and evenings. A block heater would probably be overkill, though letting the car warm-up at idle in the mornings is a bit of a pain (hence it never happens).

 

[W3H5]

Even living in the tropics with plenty of heat in the engine before it's even turned over I still sit for a few minutes and let the engine get up to temperature. It helps that the dash has a light to indicate when the engine is properly warmed.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Fabia still returns 60+ MPG. the sticky turbo/limp issue seems to have gone away so hopefully I can get back to driving it like a TDI and not an SDI. Should see the fuel economy creep back up to the 65+ MPG in that case. Also my aircon isn't working, so that's free MPG, amirite?

I don't monitor my fuel economy that closely, but my 120d currently reports an average of around 34 mpg. I know on a motorway style run it will return around 55 mpg, and on a longer local drive it gets around 42-46 mpg. Sadly, I would estimate that about half the fuel I burn on weekly basis is done on my short commute to work, where the car returns around 13 mpg. Obviously the culprit here is me driving with a virtually stone cold engine in the mornings and evenings. A block heater would probably be overkill, though letting the car warm-up at idle in the mornings is a bit of a pain (hence it never happens).

There's no real advantage to letting a thermally efficient diesel idle from cold, they take forever and you're burning fuel either way. The difference is at idle you're getting 0 MPG.

I've considered a block heater too, but it's the electrical side of things that is more difficult than the mechanical. Running power to the car would be relatively easy, but not something I'm confident in doing.

 

[MatskiMonk]

There's no real advantage to letting a thermally efficient diesel idle from cold, they take forever and you're burning fuel either way. The difference is at idle you're getting 0 MPG.

I've considered a block heater too, but it's the electrical side of things that is more difficult than the mechanical. Running power to the car would be relatively easy, but not something I'm confident in doing.

Hmm, fair point.

I've had a look at the stick on patch type sump heaters, looks like a 250 Watt heater would be recommended, so let's say it's on for 2 hours in the morning before work, it would cost me about £1.28 a month to run (250W × 2hrs = 0.5kWh @12.82p per kWh = 6.41p per day × say 20 days per month).

Currently this applies to a journey 1.3 miles @ 13.1 mpg and 114p/l, × say 20 days per month = £10.27

If it raised that journeys economy to the cars current overall average of 34 mpg, that cost would drop to £3.95, or £5.23 including the electricity - so a saving of about a fiver per month

Not really worth it considering it's 1.3 miles and I could just cycle my lazy ass to work! But it would give me way more satisfaction when I was looking at my overall economy!

 

[W3H5]

Not really worth it considering it's 1.3 miles and I could just cycle my lazy ass to work!

The best form of hypermiling is to not drive at all!

I'm surprised you bother with a car for a journey that short. Surely you could even walk it in 20 minutes to half an hour?

 

[MatskiMonk]

The best form of hypermiling is to not drive at all!

I'm surprised you bother with a car for a journey that short. Surely you could even walk it in 20 minutes to half an hour?

It's fairly common that I might need the car during the day, but honestly the main reason is my biological incompatibility with mornings. It's not uncommon for me to be in bed at 8:50, and be at my desk at 9:00. I'd love to turn it into a 5 mile cycle route each way each day, it's just not gonna happen!

 

[mustafur]

That how I do it (well, haven't driven since Jan but will be back on the road next month). I know the dash indicator isn't the most accurate but every tenth of a litre change I have to announce aloud like I've just won a prize. When I goes down a tenth my announcements are much sadder.



That's almost 26 KM/L. I'm not sure I've ever done that well. My usual, 80km long range drive through the mountains used to get roughly 22KM/L IIRC, but I always blamed the first 5km of city traffic for not getting any lower.

The slight disadvantage I have is an automatic gearbox. No neutral option for coasting available.

The automatic probably isn't too much of a disadvantage as it's also a 6 speed, but i did this without Cruise control, Cruise control tends to accelerate and brake on the Mazda 2 in a way that can be bettered when going up or down a hill.

In that run I literally had no acceleration from a stop apart from the initial start though so this was pretty much best case scenario.

Also I don't know if this is a Mazda only thing but the difference between Premium fuel and Regular economy wise with this car is the biggest i've seen in a car, when I use it for uber I would say on average 98 Octane returns an entire 1L/100km less then 91 Octane, it's likely got to do with the Skyactiv high compression, but this car chews alot more fuel on lower octane.

 

[W3H5]

Also I don't know if this is a Mazda only thing but the difference between Premium fuel and Regular economy wise with this car is the biggest i've seen in a car, when I use it for uber I would say on average 98 Octane returns an entire 1L/100km less then 91 Octane, it's likely got to do with the Skyactiv high compression, but this car chews alot more fuel on lower octane.

I have a dual-fuel set up so often run a mix of 95 and ethanol. Not sure what advantage I'd get running an unmixed tank either way but I might give it a try when I get back to driving in the next few weeks.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Not knowing how your idle time is when you're close to work, that's pretty good if it's the Forte Koup 2.0 (worst I've gotten out of that one is about 150 miles on one tank... but then we were doing an average of 80-100 mph through a twisty mountain pass at the time... ).

You can probably eke a little more out of it by killing the cruise control and maintaining constant power instead... letting the car speed up and slow down with the slope of the road.

2.0L, 6-speed auto. The throttle in this thing has a huge dead zone at the top of the pedal and it's hard for me to maintain constant speed without gradually speeding up, so I prefer to just keep it on cruise during long stretches.

Slope of the road? What slopes?

 

[ExigeEvan]

Hmm, fair point.

I've had a look at the stick on patch type sump heaters, looks like a 250 Watt heater would be recommended, so let's say it's on for 2 hours in the morning before work, it would cost me about £1.28 a month to run (250W × 2hrs = 0.5kWh @12.82p per kWh = 6.41p per day × say 20 days per month).

Currently this applies to a journey 1.3 miles @ 13.1 mpg and 114p/l, × say 20 days per month = £10.27

If it raised that journeys economy to the cars current overall average of 34 mpg, that cost would drop to £3.95, or £5.23 including the electricity - so a saving of about a fiver per month

Not really worth it considering it's 1.3 miles and I could just cycle my lazy ass to work! But it would give me way more satisfaction when I was looking at my overall economy!

I've seen the oil pan heaters, but I'm not sure I rate then as much use I our climate. AFAIK oil temps usually rise a lot quicker than coolant temps.

It's a block heater I would want, or a coolant pump. There's a few on the market and a relatively easy chop into the existing coolant system. Given that my car takes 9-12 miles to warm up in winter (with grill block and on motorway) it could make the start of the journey much easier too!