Maybe in your car but not in mine. My car gets crappy mileage at any speed much under 40mph because you can't be in 6th gear. Flooring it and doing a first to sixth shift will eat a bunch of gas to be sure. Babying it and taking forever to get to 40mph is just as bad as flooring it. For a simple proof imagine accelerating so slowly that you never hit 6th gear. A happy medium is the answer (in my car anyway). A semi will keep me in too low of a gear for too long.

Corvettes have a game gauge that shows instant and per tank MPG.

 

Hi Lakedude:

___I cannot comment on your Vette as I haven’t driven one in a very very long time but with its game gauge (your HCH as well as our Insight’s are equipped even better ), you can most certainly adjust to whatever style maximizes your fuel economy in it. If this is fast to steady or slow to steady or something in between, you have probably already figured that out. Not stopping sounds even more important to the Vette given your description … With this knowledge, you can take the appropriate steps to use the traffic and the “so called” normal driving techniques of those around you to your advantage. The Grand Am and 18-wheeler is a no brainier depending on the light condition when within ½ to 1 block away but you also have to take advantage of the gift when it is offered or there was no point in the mental exercise.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Earlier I wrote:
Tonight I drove home and locked it at 60MPH. At 20 miles I read 53.3 MPG and that is how I finished 45 miles total. This is very hilly freeway, A/C off, windows up.
May I add a very boring drive and about 10MPG less than I usually roll in with.
On the brighter side I arrived 5 minutes early.

 

xcel

You clearly know what you are doing, your mileage speaks for itself.

When you said that it was a good idea to get behind a semi I almost snorted diet Pepsi out my nose. I got to thinking about it and another big reason you don't want to get stuck behind a semi (where I live) is because it is hilly. Semi's can not maintain speed up hills. Like a semi I also slow down going up a hill but never much slower than 40 mph because that would require a downshift. I've learned that getting up a hill in 6th results in better mileage than using lower gears/speeds (and it is quicker). Actually my full hill climbing technique is to speed up a bit before the hill, leave it in 6th and hill climb going at least 40mph until near the top, just before the top take it out of gear and coast down to 25 or 30 mph to get ready for the next downhill (traffic permitting).

 

Hi Lakedude:

___It sounds like you have your Vette’s habits dialed in nicely … The MDX is similar in that anything less than 37 mph or so on a mild incline and she starts to lose her composure. The Insight is still hanging in there all the way down to 32 - 33 mph in lean burn but you had better be coasting up that last little bit of slope at that speed because any acceleration from that slow a speed while in fifth, Assist kicks in and fuel economy sinks like a stone. Unfortunately, semi’s rarely travel slow enough to use them for anything in my area other then for slow acceleration from stop lights which is when they are worth there weight in gold … That and Traffic side drafts as they are pacing or passing along side. This is with the Insight. With the other vehicles (MDX, Corolla, Ranger), all other vehicles on the road are opportunities in one form or another

PS: I just had a look through the mileage database and saw your first tank post. 4 more tanks like your Vette’s last and you are soon to be recognized as a Hypermiler!

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Cool! I've not been able to find my own data yet. So far this tank is even better/personal record setting. I found out that my onboard display is about 2.5mpg off and that the actual mileage is lower.

 

Hi Lakedude:

___Make sure you only post actual miles / actual gallons purchased when you enter in your data. I am not sure what year or type your Vette is but if a 19 City/28 Hwy EPA estimate is any indication (03 6-speed manual), 24 mpg combined is a very nice target to shoot for.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

If you look at the notes the display showed 30.1mpg but 333.3 miles by 12.178 gal was only 27.4mpg which was the posted amount.

Even this figure depends on the mileage gauge in the car and the fuel dispenser being correct.

I can't wait for the next tank, it will be the first full tank using the manual key shut off on the down hills method of coasting instead of just the neutral, ICE running coasting I had been doing.

If push starting the car is really bad for it I'll stop after making the hypermile list.

 

I have read this entire thread with great interest. I am a new HCH owner (today is 1 week) and right now the trip gauge reads 42 MPG with a little over 200 miles driven. I have been trying to use some of the techniques I have read about here, but it is not a habit yet. After I fill up the tank the first time I am going to put more air in the tires since they are filled to "max comfort" of 32 and I feel like that will help my mileage.

Billy Tiller

 

Hi BillyT:

___Welcome to the GreenHybrid forum. I hope you find all that you are looking for and make sure you search around as there are plenty of fuel economy tips and tricks for a new HCH owner to try. And yes, 32 #’s is like trying to ride your bike thorough sand to many of the hypermilers amongst us

___By the way, 42 for your first tank so far isn’t too bad. After a few break in miles, a change of oil, increase in pressures, a change in habits, 48 mpg tank over tank is not all that far away!

___Good Luck with the new HCH.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net