Then don't. I'm impressed you are getting 48mpg at those speeds.

 

I believe the problem here is that with the engine off for a long period of time, the hydraulic pressure in the CVT starts to go down, and that is what holds the transmission in a "higher" gear. Re-engaging at a lower gear than expected would cause the transmission momentarily to try to rev the engine very high. Very shortly after this I imagine the pumps would adjust to the right ratio, but for a second it would be quite jolting.

I've never attempted FAS in my '03 unless I'm going very slow and I know I will be coming to a stop (such as rolling around in a parking structure with a slight decline, or waiting in stop-and-go traffic on a decline) but I have coasted in neutral before at those speeds. I've never had any bucking or jolting in the CVT doing that at all, as I've always taken pains to precisely rev-match before re-engaging.

 

I've never re-matched when restarting the engine at any speed (including over 45mph) and I don't see any excessive reving. Maybe my car is so old they changed things in the cvt or whatever after I bought it.

 

I think the comment about rev matching was for MT only (how can you rev match a CVT - what virtual gear are you in?)

I personally don't rev match - I don't even start the car with the key, just "clutch and go". I usually have the motor spinning at about 1k rpm after said practice, so its probably putting as much stress on the clutch as a moderate shift, and a lot less that starting from a standstill going up hill.

Clearly the only time it is required to restart the car with the key is if you coast all the way to 0 and have lost your kinetic energy. I forgot about this at one light and felt embarrased when I went to pull away from a light and nothing happened.

 

I absolutely agree, and I waited until I was able to repeat the feat 3 times before I posted. I was so proud the first time I got 700 miles, then just kept refining my technique. Its certainly not out of reach of members of this forum to accomplish this.

In order of importance, I'd rate the following as the key success factors:

1. Personal driving technique: anticipate lights, don't speed, carry momentum around turns, FAS, run red lights , avoid the AC, etc.
2. Weather - specifically temperature. Its been discussed a lot, but cold air and cold fuel are great for making power but stink for efficiency. I've not had that much mileage variance with rain - YMMV
3. Terrain - If you have the techniques down, terrain isn't a big factor as I initially thought, with one main caveat - If you have to use your mechanical brakes any significant amount in your regular driving then you will be challenged to break 65 MPG (or even 60 for that matter). I've found that draining the IMA batteries up long hills then regenning either on level ground or down hills is still pretty effcient.
4. Tires - keep em inflated to max sidewall. If its good for a few MPG, this could make the difference between 975 miles and 1000 miles. I imagine have a 0 toe alignment would do wonders, but I haven't had my alignement checked since purchasing the car. When I do, I'll specify 0 toe <= I'm not recommending this, since it WILL CHANGE the handling dynamics of your car (read: sketchy)

 

ok, my rant on driving to mpls. on the interstate. ACCCCKKKK!!! boy, i hate that. the speed limit is 70, and i ended up for the most part doing 64, just to keep from being run over. especially on the way down when i was going against (?) traffic. every friday night there are 3 lanes crawling up north for about 20 miles or so out of the far northern burbs (not from downtown). i don't see how people can do that on a regular basis without losing their minds.

traffic in my lane was crazy, but at least there were fewer drivers in that direction. i got off the freeway with my display at 59.1, which i thought was great for using the cruise most of the way.

saturday morning driving around in town brought that down, as did coming home, when i was surrounded by speed crazy traffic. it was late afternoon, and for at least 2/3 of the way home, it was nuts. i never could get a feel for traffic flow and struggled more to keep my sanity than my FE. once i got to my home town i filled up just to see how i did overall, and it was 53.3, so i guess that's not bad.

i am always apalled at how much development is spreading up the interstate from "the cities" as it's called here. the thing that really made me gag was a new construction which labeled itself as the future home of a HUMMER DEALER!!! obviously this guy has more money than brains. good grief.

 

Oh yeah, another reason I don't do this... the radio doesn't get interrupted. I have an amplifier that takes a good 3 seconds to "reboot" when I start the car with the traditional starter.

 

so you cannot rev match with a CVT? so if your in neutral and your going 30 mph lets say and you put it back in drive... do you get a shift shock?

As well force auto stopping in stop and go sounds logical but to a red light or stop sign I rather just nab as much regen as I can. If I know the light is about to turn green i'll put it in S to prevent AS. If its a stop sign i'll probably do the same thing to conserve momentum lol but as I slow down ill always regen! BUT in some cases FAS is better when you know you have to cover a long distance and your going straight for awhile but if you need to slow down and turn i'd regen instead.

But ya many tips and tricks man i just want to try them all out! I need more confirmation though from a person who FAS all the time and still has no problems.

 

In my car there is no shift shock even up around 50 or 60 mph. Some others do notice issues when they go over 40 or so.