[mac_24_seven]

I am in NO WAY advocating Acura/Honda over Scion! I own both and it just so happens my Acura Integra is my daily driver, thus my experiment was conducted using it. I love both and ALWAYS equate Honda/Acura quality (which is undeniable) with Toyota/Scion quality (also undeniable).

I originally posted this on a Honda forum but the information is good for ANY vehicle. I conducted this test last week and it will be ongoing for the next several weeks.

I do not expect everybody to be able to go to the extremes as I did, but if nothing else, here is proof that by ONLY changing the way you drive, you can increase your mileage drastically.
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It cost me $53.49 to fill up my car Friday.. I was dumbfounded when I was handed $6.51 back in change, out of $60.00. I vowed to never do that again and to change my driving habits.

A few details on my route to work
I live in a small town, so city traffic isn't bad. Round trip, I go through 14 red lights If I catch a green light through all of them, I have to make 9 stops, 8 if I roll a stop sign. I pick up 2 guys everyday for work. One is kinda fat(230 lbs or so) the other one is just a big guy(220lbs or so) so I'm carrying approx 250 lbs of passenger weight, excluding my weight (138 as of Saturday). I have some stuff in the trunk, maybe 40 lbs.
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The Test
I've hit 36.6 MPG 2 times before, just driving easy, slow starts.. Common sense stuff. My record is 42, but that was ONE TIME and I didn't back it up, so I'm not counting it. This time, I'm adding a couple more stipulations to my driving habits:

#1 - Coasting *** I do not know if this applies to our XB's. I would THINK it does... but I do not know.***
I know when decelerating in gear (5 spds) the injectors are closed and you are using no gas. Problem with that, is you can't coast very far. I've found out that if you are doing 55-60 MPH (on a flat road) you can coast a good 1/2 mile before you're going pretty slow (30 mph or less). I figure I'd rather coast much farther using a lil bit of gas than coast less and use none. I suppose it's all on how you feel/think. I'll try both ways to see which is better in my case.

I can coast a 1/2 mile 5 times one way, 10 times total.. So thats 5 miles (give or take) approx I get just from that. I NEVER get all green lights so I coast then too. I figure I can coast around 2- 2.5 miles, total trip in town.

Realistically, I can coast 7-8 miles a day.. MAYBE 8, depending on the red lights. realistically, I can do 6, no problem. I've coasted exactly 3 miles coming to work this morning!

I work 4 days a week.. So I'm looking at anywhere from 24-32 miles just chillen at idle. Thats anywhere from over half a gallon to a gallon of gas (normally) I'm saving.

#2 - Acceleration
It takes me approx 1 mile to get to 55 MPH. I shift at 2000 RPM, every gear. I give my car JUST enough gas to move, no more, no less.


Reference the video below to see how I am accelerating during these tests. On avg, this is how I do it, though this one is SLIGHTLY longer because I had to go around a rather large curve.

#3 - Hills
This is an obvious one.. You can roll down hills or build up a lil speed when you're going down them to be able to coast UP them. I have very few hills in my lil town, but I've got enough I can play with and get a lil bit of coasting out of em

#4 - Air Conditioning
Not using it. Crazy in Florida, but I like rolling with the windows down. These tests will all be with the windows down, no AC. I have confirmed (in my case) I lose approx 1 mpg. I tested this on a trip. 1 tank without AC: 32.9 I got 31.9 WITH the AC on. This was done on the open road, 75-80 mph (which is 3500-4000 RPM in my GSR).

#5 - Fill Up
I don't like it, but I think it's the most accurate way of testing: Fill it till you're about to overflow.
It's the ONLY way to know you're 100% full. Hell, if anything, fill up, drive around the block, and do it again. That way if you had an ai rpocket or something, you can fill the rest of the way up.
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I figure it merits mentioning that these techniques I'm using are only when it's safe. No, I'm not puling out in front of somebody and driving like a grandmother. I'm very mindful of traffic, though in my small town, I have the luxury of little traffic.

SO, for the next couple of weeks, I will take a picture of my trip odometer and gas gauge at the end of the day, so you can see whats happening. This week and the next, I will use the above driving style to get an avg mpg with coasting.

The following 2 weeks I will leave my car in gear and let the tranny slow my car, with the injectors closed. While this stuff isn't new, I figured since I was doing it myself, I would make a thread showing the results for other to see and let them decide on how to drive. My car isn't stock, but it's not "right" either, but thats a whole 'nother story

Stay tuned and keep the flaming to a minimum, please.
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Note: An extreme measure which I MAY use in some circumstances in the future is while I"m coasting: Shut the car off. It's how the guys with the Priuses get over 100MPG. Thats not very safe so, like I said, in certain circumstances only.
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**Edit** I figured I'd post this. It's straight out of the helms, proof (in case anybody questions it) that the injectors close during coasting IN GEAR.
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Monday 6-16
Coasted - 5.9 miles Engine off: 0.8 miles
6.7 miles total
No pic.. parked on an angle, fuel gauge incorrect. (edited mileage, was incorrect)
Temperature: Morning 70 degrees - Afternoon low 90's humid

Tuesday 6-17
Coasted - 4.6 Engine off: 1.8 miles
Picture as of the morning, as I got to work:
http://s13.photobucket.com/alb...2.jpg
6.4 miles total
Temperature: Morning 70 degrees - Afternoon high 80's - humid

Wednesday 6-18
Coasted - 5.6 Engine off: 1.4 miles
Picture as of the morning, as I got to work:
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
7 miles total
Temperature: Morning 70 degrees - Afternoon lower 90's - humid


Thursday 6-19
Coasted - 4.6 Engine off: 1 mile
Picture as of the morning, as I got to work:
http://s13.photobucket.com/alb...2.jpg
3.2 miles total
Temperature: Morning 64 degrees


Running total:
Coasting: 20.7
Engine off: 5.0
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25.7 Miles
Results from the week: 42.7 mpg

The test:
To duplicate last weeks results. Same exact techniques from before will be used. Looking to hit 41-42 mpg again.

Monday 6-23
Coasted 0.0 Engine off: 0.0
Wife had my Integra, fill up at night.
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So thats where I am.. Tomorrow starts my new batch of testing to back up my original results.

Here's a lil video stuff...





SO, the point of this is by changing how you drive you can have a serious effect on your mileage.. for the good or bad.

You guys take this info however you want to... I just hope it helps because gas isn't gonna get any cheaper.

Oh, as far as gas saving modifications, everything I've done should have "hurt" my mileage.. The engine has been rebuilt, bigger cams, different intake manifold, even a not so great tune.

Terrance

[simijoecool]

wow that was a lot of reading. ha

thanks

[PCH]

The only thing is, i dont think shifting at 2K RPM is good for the engine (bearings etc). If you are really light on the gas pedal, then may be it'll be OK. Also what if you never drive with a full tank? Instead fill up to the half when you get down to the warning light. This way you will not be hauling extra 5 gallons of gas with you. Just a thought.

[TheRockBox]

right now im a little under a half tank and im a little over 200miles and i think thats pretty decent. the only thing i keep in my car is my girlfriends bowling ball and i just keep up on the preventative work. always make sure your tire pressure is good too. does anyone know if the short ram air helps with gas mileage? and does it mess with the ecu if you have one on?

[chaotic_mindz]

man your getting 42mpg
i would love to even get 30 miles to the gallon right now for some damn reason im getting like 22mpgwtf

[Dooby]

I want my MPG

[Padanky]

I do the coasting deal almost 3/4 of the way to work and back. I'm pretty dead on at 22mpg still. Only work three miles away though and it's all intown driving, very little long distant driving (15miles is long for me.)

[bdvinco]

wow thats alot of info...keep it coming

[mac_24_seven]

Originally Posted by PCH

The only thing is, i dont think shifting at 2K RPM is good for the engine (bearings etc). If you are really light on the gas pedal, then may be it'll be OK. Also what if you never drive with a full tank? Instead fill up to the half when you get down to the warning light. This way you will not be hauling extra 5 gallons of gas with you. Just a thought.

I think gas is like 6 lbs a gallon? Not enough I'd worry about.. it's kinda a necessity.

And how would it be hard on the bearings?

What woudl be hard it lugging the engine, pouring in more fuel than whats being burnt, resulting is cylinder washout. Never a good thing.

I'm not lugging, so it's no big deal. I drove the XB yesterday and shifted at 2,000 RPM and it was fine.

Best we've got out of the XB is 33.9 mpg :S

I'd like to add that a guy on Honda-Tech followed what I did to a T and got 42.2 mpg

How awesome in that???!!

[mac_24_seven]

Backed it up with 41.7 MPG. For any who doubt the fill up, here's a video.



NOW, I didnt fill up the beginning of this week, so I won't have any results.. but NEXT week, I'm not going to coast in neutral, but going to coast in gear.

I'll see what difference that makes.

[Skylergirl]

I read somewhere that if you don't keep your tank full, the gas evaporates quicker. The underground storage tanks have floating roofs to elimate space due to people buying gas and thus emptying out the tanks. The floating roof inhibits the empty space, less evaporation.

Also, if you kept your car half full, how many times would you be hitting the gas stations? If it was me, I spend the least amount of time standing there pumping as I possibly can. Not to mention all the fumes that get spewed into the atmosphere.

So I'd rather pump once a week and be done with it, than to keep going back to the pump to fill up.

Translate your time into money. You may find that your time is worth more than the few cents you'd save by lightening your load due to less gas.

I got my '09 xb in mid June. I'm approaching 1000 miles now. I've averaged 29-30 mpg on the vehicle, according to the vehicle's onboard computer.

HOWEVER, during the last tank, I reset the car's trip meter, reset the aveage mpg and every thing else to zero.

When I pulled by into the station to fill up, I got an average reading of 30.2mpg.

But when I did the math using the miles on the trip meter and the gallons I filled up, my cell phone calculated 26mpg.

So what do you think would make such a great discrepancy between the onboard computer and my actual computation of my mileage?

[Cravin]

Originally Posted by Skylergirl

When I pulled by into the station to fill up, I got an average reading of 30.2mpg.

But when I did the math using the miles on the trip meter and the gallons I filled up, my cell phone calculated 26mpg.

So what do you think would make such a great discrepancy between the onboard computer and my actual computation of my mileage?

The computer is employed by Toyota.

[bdvinco]

wow...big difference!!

[mac_24_seven]

Maybe because the computer averages.. Sometimes your getting 25 and sometimes your getting 35 (number are for an example) and the computer takes all that into consideration.

You, onm the other hand, avg'd nothing and the only things taken into consideration are the miles and gallons used.

ALso... another thing is you may not have filled up all the way.
Very important to fill up at the same pump and fill it to the very very top.. also fill it slowly so vapors don't build up in the tank, causing it to be full while it's not.

[grizzly_choppers]

Okay, gotta mention one thing here because you all keep hitting it.

DO NOT fill your tank all the way into the filler neck. The neck is not designed for that and some fuel can seep down the vent lines installed in the neck and get into the charcoal cannister. This will foul the cannister and cause it to cease functioning properly. This trips your engine light and reduces economy. The repair bill will be somewhere upwards of $500 on the cheap side.

Our shop replaces several of these each month (even in a small town) because of this.

Doing it a couple of times won't hurt, but filling your car this way every time will cost you after a year or two. Sometimes even less.

-Alex

[dubeexb06]

See, you learn something everyday on this site. I usually put gas in at the slow setting on the nozzel and when it stops,bump it to get my $$ even.

[mac_24_seven]

Originally Posted by grizzly_choppers

Okay, gotta mention one thing here because you all keep hitting it.

DO NOT fill your tank all the way into the filler neck. The neck is not designed for that and some fuel can seep down the vent lines installed in the neck and get into the charcoal cannister. This will foul the cannister and cause it to cease functioning properly. This trips your engine light and reduces economy. The repair bill will be somewhere upwards of $500 on the cheap side.

Our shop replaces several of these each month (even in a small town) because of this.

Doing it a couple of times won't hurt, but filling your car this way every time will cost you after a year or two. Sometimes even less.

-Alex

I've removed my charcoal canister Screw the oznone and future generations! I want a cleaner looking engine bay

[Mightbegiant]

When I was driving back from Billings Montana to Calgary Alberta, I did a constant 80mph for an entire tank of gas. I ended up getting 36mpg. I have yet to even come near that number since.

[Eav10xB]

Mac_24_seven - i do pretty much the same thing you do, and i get about 33-34 mpg in city and high way mixed... more in city than high way though.

Also, LMAO! @ your "I've removed my charcoal cansister" sentence that was hilarious.

Mightbegiant- if you would have driven 55-60 mph and stayed under 3k RPMs you would have gotten almost 40mpg... I've tested that theory before, my highest just on the high way was 388miles on an entire tank, so if i had filled up completely to 10 gallons and stopped that would have been 38.8 miles.

All of this is Hypermiling for the most part. I do it every day.

When i first switched to my NGK Hypo spark plugs i got 245-250 mpg, now that i started doing this "Hypermiling" i get almost 33-34 mpg every tank.

It works.

[mac_24_seven]

Best I've got out of the XB was 34 mpg. But that was doin 65-70 (mostly 65) up and down hills, which is terrible.

I'm confident at 55 mph, on flat roads, I can hit 36 mpg if not more.
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So far, so good on my teg mileage. I"m on my second week of being on one tank...

This is from another guy on Honda-Tech who is doing the same as me.
His trip meter and fuel gauge...



Mine od and gauge:


Pretty close. I think were well on the way to 40mpg over a the course of a full tank.. He drives to and from work everyday and also drives on the weekend as well.