Driving economically.

  • Thread starter Thread starter MistaX
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In my Rodeo (manual 5-speed), I do not go 3rd -> 2nd -> 1st -> N when approching a stop. Once I downshift to 3rd, I go straight to neutral.

I couldn't tell y'all what RPM's I shift at, as my Rodeo doesn't have a tach. I've learned to shift solely by sound and feel. Luckily I learned to ride dirt bikes years before I learned to drive, so learing to shift without a tach was easy for me.
 
I find that when you are accelerating only use enough throttle as you need. If you are shifting at 2500rpm it is all good, but if you have your foot flat to the floor while you are accelerating it is only half of the deal. I know that on my 17 year old car the ECU has different engine maps (so modern cars would aswell) for how hard you have the throttle down, ie if it is flat to the floor more fuel is going into the engine, at half throttle there is less fuel etc. If you only use about 1/3 throttle whilst accelerating you shoud notice a few extra km's out of your tank while not really much of a loss in acceleration.
 
Me, too. Not just RPMs, but I watch how hard I press the gas pedal.
 
On the surface, you guys are correct. But, as stated before, experts have found out that you even save more fuel if you reach your traveling speed faster, meaning to accelerate harder.

I know this sounds wrong, but think of it like this: you do use more fuel when you accelerate harder, but the time you need to reach your desired speed is shorter. There is the perfect relation in there somewhere, where you use the least amount of fuel overall. And the experts that have done some research say that it's better to accelerate fairly hard and then shift early, rather than accelerate slowly.

Regards
the Interceptor
 
the Interceptor
On the surface, you guys are correct. But, as stated before, experts have found out that you even save more fuel if you reach your traveling speed faster, meaning to accelerate harder.

I know this sounds wrong, but think of it like this: you do use more fuel when you accelerate harder, but the time you need to reach your desired speed is shorter. There is the perfect relation in there somewhere, where you use the least amount of fuel overall. And the experts that have done some research say that it's better to accelerate fairly hard and then shift early, rather than accelerate slowly.

Regards
the Interceptor
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I wonder if the "hard" they are talking about is the way I drive. My right foot just kisses the gas pedal, but at the same time, it's enough to accelerate my car quickly. This obviously depends on the vehicle, but in my car, I can let my engine sip gas, and still more than keep up with the fast traffic. Only time I lag behind is when somebody starts hauling, right from a dead stop.

Recently, with the rise of gas prices, I stopped accelerating "hard"(my hard). Now, I still get around quick, but press on the gas pedal a lot less and coast a lot. My average MPG went from 21-ish to 23.
 
i see it's the usual, again. most of the economy suggestions are for a Stick...which i HAVE NEVER SEEN...let alone driven (i'd be afraid of frying the clutch).

my basic problem is that the cars I owned were well under 200 hp front drive automatics. my truck, SUV and my first car are rears. i saw absolutely no real change

here's what I managed to get, in order of ownership
85 Marquis Brougham (3.8 CFI v6, 157k)--16.6 (23.1 on 89 oct)
83 Celebrity (2.5 4, 135k)--24.4 (31 on 89)
83 Camry LE 5 door (2-SE 2l OHC 4, 135k)--25 flat
90 Lumina (3.1 MPI V6, milage disremembered)--16.6/23 on 89...untill it threw its knock sensor
91 Acclaim (2.2 4 130k est)--22
91 Taurus GL (3l V6, 140k)--20
98 Sierra K 1500 shortbed (4.3 Vortec? 100k)--17.5...with a 100 gallon off road deisel fuel tank filled to the brim, and a hundred more pounds of logging equipment, pluss two hefty Amish!
92 Taurus LX (3.8 V6, 140k)--15.4....with a missing head bolt and blown catalitic converters
92 Blazer Tahoe 5 door (4.3 vortec V6, type W with central fuel injection, 90k)--peak of 13 (we still can't figure out what is going on with this engine

as you can see, my milage varies, but tends to hang around close to the window sticker's EPA estimate

i get complaints either I don't drive fast enough...or too fast. but then, I'm used to 150 horse engines and whimpy 3 or 4 speed autos
 
The fuel consumption - throttle relation would be altered on different engines, obviously.

I think the best way to drive is to be at the peak of the power band; Famine said a while ago that the RPM at which it makes the claimed hp figures is when the engine is at its most efficient out of all rev ranges.

In short, be in the power band. Shifting too early to be in the power band would make the engine consume more fuel.

I hope I made sense...
 
GT4_Rule
I think the best way to drive is to be at the peak of the power band; Famine said a while ago that the RPM at which it makes the claimed hp figures is when the engine is at its most efficient out of all rev ranges.

In short, be in the power band. Shifting too early to be in the power band would make the engine consume more fuel.
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Really? My car's maximum horsepower is 175@6000 RPM. But if I drove around at six grand all the time, I can gurantee that My MPG will drop noticeably.
 
a6m5
Really? My car's maximum horsepower is 175@6000 RPM. But if I drove around at six grand all the time, I can gurantee that My MPG will drop noticeably.
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Agreed. Most owners manuals have a suggested shift point. For a Neon, it was 3200. I usually shifted between 2500-3000 and pulled in 39mpg doing 60mph.
 
I would just like to add that if you drive a pickup truck, do not drive with the tailgate down. Doing so can actually increase drag, and it makes you look like an idiot.
 
TB
Agreed. Most owners manuals have a suggested shift point. For a Neon, it was 3200. I usually shifted between 2500-3000 and pulled in 39mpg doing 60mph.
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I wonder if GT4 or Famine can tell us bit more about that in detail......

Wolfe: Great info.......... But I can't stop laughing from the fact that they actually wind tunnel tested a pickup truck with tailgate up & down. :lol:
 
Umm that info was posted like, 2 months ago so I might have mistyped some parts...

But I do remember Famine saying that engines are at their peak efficiency when they're at the point in the RPM range where they make the highest hp output because engines are converting the fuel into power most efficiently at that point.
 
I just tested generally everything in this thread. I had to drive ~40 miles (20 mile trip each way, and I had to go there and back) starting from just above E. It's mixed driving, both city and highway.

I made it there fine, but the trip back was a bit iffy. I left with the gauge reading below E. So I assume that I had about a gallon left. A Gallon to go 20 miles. In a V8.

I used every technique I remembered from this thread.
I stayed in 6th nearly the entire time. I figured out that it only lugs at 40MPH if I give it gas, but if I only lightly hit the pedal it'll stay at 40 and not lug. Which I thought was odd.

Once I got on the highway I stayed at 55MPH, where I would usually be doing 75 or so.
I dimmed the instrument panel lights almost down to nothing, and I turned my foglights off, which I nearly always have on.
Around town I shifted at 1300RPM instead of 1500. It lugged a little tiny bit at first, but then would stop. So I figured that it was fine to do that.

I made it home without running out of gas, so I guess that means I learned something :)

But the problem now is can I make it 2 blocks to get gas tomorrow.. :(
 
GT4_Rule
Umm that info was posted like, 2 months ago so I might have mistyped some parts...

But I do remember Famine saying that engines are at their peak efficiency when they're at the point in the RPM range where they make the highest hp output because engines are converting the fuel into power most efficiently at that point.
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Oh, I get it. Famine was just saying that burn is most efficient when it's at their peak, which doesn't necessarily mean that you are saving gas. By pumping out that much horsepower, you are burning more gas.
 
MistaX
But the problem now is can I make it 2 blocks to get gas tomorrow.. :(
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You got to save gas, and get to exercise tomorrow. This is beautiful! :D

GT4_Rule
Ohh...my bad...misundestanding in my part.
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No prob. I even learned something. :)
 
Sniffs
i see it's the usual, again. most of the economy suggestions are for a Stick...
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That's because driving style influences gas mileage, and there are more ways to drive a stick than an auto because with stick, on top of acceleration/braking styles that automatics are limited to, stick shifting can be done many ways, all of which influence economy differently. There are only so many ways to drive an automatic.
 

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