Even those that can get 40mpg can learn from this forum. I have the nav. computer and have all the tools in my FEH to improve mpg posible for the FWD. I read from a number of post about using low gear to improve MPG and didn't get the picture till today. Not sure where this came from and maybe it was from more than one poster. Like many times as I have seen, one person brings it up but can't communicate as well as some of you can. I tried it and see there is a big advantage in charging the battery for the EV mode which I use whenever I can. It keeps the battery full and cuts short on the ICE using more fuel to charge the battery.

Shifting to low will cause the generator to act as a brake but more important to me in a FWD, its better than using the brake and gives you more control of charging the battery. It gives a better charge to the battery during a need to slow down or stop. This recharges the battery faster and allows you to use the EV mode longer from this added charge. The brake pads are saved also as brought up in other post.

What made me try this was one of the questions proposed to ask at the up coming seminar in Dearborn. I think it ask if it hurt the FEH to do this and another point I heard was at what speed it would be safe to try it. I kept my speed below 45mph today.

Please add to this subject if you can. This is my first time using this and I can see it will help everyone that shows an interest in saving fuel.

Gary

 

I've been using Low gear since I got it, but in recent months, I've been using it more and more. I also talked about using it in my thread(s) about how to get good FE.

According to the owners manual, it's safe to change gears into and out of L gear at any speed at any time. (I suspect the ecvt has something to do with this.) Over the last few tanks, if I hit traffic, or when I'm doing pure city driving, I'm in L gear, and it does seem to give a better performance. I did a little looking, but couldn't find too much about it online, or beyond the little paragraph in the manual, but I went from only shifting at a dead stop to just shifting like it's a stick, and I've gone in and out of L to or three times during a 40 plus mile drive, and so far, it seems quite safe to do so, though believe me, I fully intend to ask if I'm doing anything negative to my vehicle at the Ford FEH session. Another benefit is that if you've let off the gas, and you coast down to 40 MPH, the engine goes right off, no double tap needed, and you can glide a bit if you wish. I'm starting to get pretty good at knowing when to let off to come to a near complete stop without shorting it or needing too much break. Though, let me remind you that you don't have brake lights on, so when I start getting close to stopping, and are at a stop, I put some pressure on the brakes, not because I really need them, but to indicate to anyone behind me that I'm braking/stopping, so they don't hit me.

Though I'll freely admit I'm no engineer, so I may be wrong and destroying my baby.

 

I'm jealous of you FEH guys. Very jealous. You have so many tricks to explore on your vehicle!

 

It's about time you guys caught onto this.

I have been using exclusively low gear since shortly after I got mine. I found out quick that using low gear allows less ICE usage, helps deceleration without using the friction brakes and thus boosts the mileage. I don't have the NAV system so I could never prove any of my theories except by watching the average mileage gauge.

I don't think it hurts the vehicle at all as it really isn't anything in the transmission that changes - all it does is change the way it manages regenerative braking. Instead of coasting, it puts a little load on the generator to simulate what a "normal" vehicle feels like in low gear. The eCVT has no low gear.

The manual says it is safe to shift into "low" at any speed. I leave mine in low even at highway speeds unless there is absolutely no traffic. If I need to slow down, I let off the accelerator and down comes the speed - if I want to coast more, a little pressure on the pedal takes it out of braking mode. I have gotten to the point that I barely need to hit the brakes coming up to a stoplight.

I don't worry about the lack of brakelights - if someone is that close they'll figure it out sooner or later that they are getting closer.

My average mileage on the '06 keeps rising so something I am doing is working.....

 

Excellent!!..I'm not sure why I did not catch on to this before. Thanks for the info Gary (and who ever did the post that Gary read).


Mike

 

So... it was you two that brought this trick to light. Thank you very much. When I tried it it was like I felt when I found out how to use the reset on my Exployer to get an instant MPG reading. Had that thing on a number of Fords for years but didn't know how to use it. I now can check to see where and what speeds it gets the best MPG just like the FEH. I tested pulling the boat on I-95 at 65mph (about 12.5mpg) and drafting pulling the boat at 65mph and found a 5mpg increase.

Ray, I still don't see how staying in low at speeds above 35mph would help you. I can see if your slowing down at any speed you would charge the battery and save the brake pads. Below 35mph it sounds like it might keep you in the EV easier and I need to try that for myself. I'll see what the computer shows while staying in low with the ICE running over 40mph. I think it will show the same as it would in "D"drive if it hasn't hurt your MPG on the highway. I found myself taking it out of low in the EV mode to stop slowing, coasting and to increase my speed in EV. I need more testing with this.

I did see the ICE shut down when I got below 40 like when you tap the brakes. As far as the brake lights I figured that out right away because I don't want to hurt my baby either. I'd like to point out that tapping the brake (light) to shut the ICE down sends a message to the guy behind to get off your butt. Sometimes this causes them to pass around you in a manner that isn't safe if you know what I mean. So the low gear method does work much better to shut down the ICE in two ways.

The way I look at this new found info for me is a much better use of the EV mode and it give the ICE a break form running more. All this equals better MPG. I wouldn't rule out 45-50mpg city under ideal condition for myself now.

Way to go Pravus Prime and Ray! I'm going to save some bucks from your help and I know others will also.

 

There was a thread back in June that we talked about this very topic - forget what it was called....Found it - https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...l?page=2&pp=10

Gary - At the higher speeds I don't think it helps the mileage much (if at all). What it helps on the highway with is more driving style. I haven't been to Florida in a while but around here on the highway, if there is more than a couple or three car lengths in front of you to the next car, someone sees that as a void that needs to be filled. Next thing you know there is a car 10 feet from your front bumper. Instead of hitting the brakes, I let off the gas and slow down until I have a safe distance in front of me again. I have found that in drive I used the brakes more in situations like this than having it in "low". I just like the performance of it better I guess - probably because I have always driven standard transmissions and low in the FEH feels like when you let off the gas in a standard shift car with the engine doing the braking. If I am on wide open highway and if I remember, I'll use "D". As long as your foot is on the gas pedal though, there is no difference in performance between "L" and "D".

Once again I will qualify my technique by saying that it is my understanding (and opinion) that this does no damage to the vehicle - can't see how it could. If someone gets any answers from Ford that this isn't a wise practice, I guess I'll have to stop.....

 

I guess you could say that I have no faith in other drivers. (And it's really quite warranted around here.) No matter what I'm doing in L gear, if I get to a much lower speed, or am going to stop, I use the brakelights to indicate that I'm not moving fast or stopping, just to alert the guy behind me who may be closing fast on me or just not paying attention; I don't want to take the risk of being rear ended by a dimwit.

Also, maybe it's me, but it's kinda cool to be driving along, and then suddenly shift because there's congestion on the expressway ahead and just drift to a slower speed.

I would be really quite surprised if above 40-50 MPH there's any difference between the 2 gears, the power display doesn't seem to come up any different. The big thing I think is that it's more aggressive at getting the engine off, and less aggressive at getting the engine on. Maybe it's just me, but I can push the pedal harder in L gear and remain in EV mode than I can with D, which would explain the differences.

Now, somewhat oddly, I usually have the MPG display on, and I've noticed a few times that when I shift out of L to D, at 35 or so (As I'm getting on the expressway), the instant MPG drops a bit. While conversely as I was saying at a high speed 65, when I shift from D to L, it also drops a bit (before I let go of the gas to slow down for congestion into the traffic jam.) Now, this could simply be because I'm changing gears and that's what's causing the change, or it could be because I'm leaving the best gear for that situation at that time.

 

I have also been using "L" most of the time. The one exception for me is on the highway when I'm going downhill and want to build some speed for the next uphill climb. I think the ability to have the ICE stop as soon as speed drops to 40MPG is one of the biggest benefits. Like others, the fact that it also saves the brake pads is another side benefit.

The way I see it is that the whole system is run by the computers and the gear selection is just our way of telling the computer our preference and letting it do the rest.

 

I see your point Ray and I just got back from lunch and tested low at above 55mph. From what I can tell, the RPM acts the same way as you are in "D". The computer showed no change in charging or how the power was going to the wheels than if it was in "D". In other words the computer takes control of getting to the higher speed and changes the planetary gear and RPM's.

From what can tell so far, taking it out of low for coasting and keeping up mommentum with no presure on the gas pedal (there is no battery drain showing on the computer at this point) in EV and putting it in "D" is better for MPG. Keeping it in low seems to require pressing the gas pedal and cause a battery drain flow on the computer.

Wow, my gas guage has already slowed down with the number of miles. I think this trick will improved the value of the FEH. As far as damage to the FEH, I can't see where there would be a problem other than working the hell out of the battery which I don't think is a problem either.

I can't expect my wife and many others to be messing with doing this. She could care less about EV mode and she turns the A/C on max and forgets about it till she is cold. At that point she turns the fan down or adjust the temp. dial while still on max A/C. Someone (me) has to make up the loss. At least the FEH saves gas for everyone, no matter how they drive.

I wonder if this tricks works on the Highlander Hybrid?

Gary