Auto FE - It's all about driving style

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

2500 @ 60 isn't too terrible, methinks there are issues with efficiency below 1500 and over 3000.

[almightybmw]

Well I can't say how well I can P&G, as the mountains here make it difficult, and I drive mostly (95%) in town. But I have noticed that by staying under 2000rpms, neutral coasting (this car rocks at that, so heavy), and "pulsing" to a reasonable speed when needed, I've managed to get 200 miles so far on a half tank (I know my gauge, half is more like 1/8 under half). I can't wait to finish the tank off, and see what kind of mileage I've managed. 21.4mpg was the last best in town, so far I'm on track for at least 24mpg, maybe more.

I'll say its challenging to keep the rpms under 2000. I have to contantly watch them and listen, and adjust when it shifts gears. I do know if I can reach 38mph with a warm tranny I'll hit lockup, and that drops me to 1100rpms. That's the sweet spot for crossing town. Helps bundles too that Bozeman is slopped, I can pretty much coast to work every night.

Now if it'd only stop raining I'd bike instead.....

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

2500 @ 60 isn't too terrible, methinks there are issues with efficiency below 1500 and over 3000.

Hmm. Below 1500...that's where this car lives a lot of the time...

[Hoopster]

Originally Posted by sakigt

I let off the throttle a little bit to get the transmission to shift then I speed up again.

This seems to be a good technique to perfect for auto transmissions.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Hmm. Below 1500...that's where this car lives a lot of the time...

Which one? Isn't so bad on a manual, any autos that don't lockup below 2000 rpm it's bad though. I can get into lockup at 1500 in my escort though. Have to be going about 40 IIRC, but can ease it down to about 33ish and it will stay in.

[almightybmw]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Which one? Isn't so bad on a manual, any autos that don't lockup below 2000 rpm it's bad though. I can get into lockup at 1500 in my escort though. Have to be going about 40 IIRC, but can ease it down to about 33ish and it will stay in.

Dang, 33 in lockup is good. I hit lockup about 39-41mph, but it drops to 1100rpm, soo not much room to improve. I can hold it in 4th at 30mph around 1200rpms though, unlocked. Its the accelerating that kills my FE. That V6 just sucks gas when accelerating the car's mass. And accelling below 2000rpms makes me as slow as me biking (roadbike ftw).

Eh. It redeems itself with 34mpg on the highway.

[1cheap1]

Went to pick up a friend today and took the 94 intrepid. The good thing was it has a gauge that goes up to 99mpg on the read out. I use the Intrepid for practice technique and it is a automatic with overdrive. I notice in drive that the shift pattern is not the best for FE. I tried starting in first, quickly into 3rd, then into drive. When i did this i noticed it went into overdrive sooner and it held at 1300 to 1400 rpm. At 40 mph it was showing 56 mpg for a bit then 44 mpg. I will play around with this to see just how much i can squeeze out of it. It has 168k on the clock. I don't drive it all that much and was thinking about getting rid of it. My daughter was driving it to school and back and was showing 16mpg avg. I got it up to 28 mpg.

[Beelzebubba]

My parents have an '07 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x2 V6 with Towing Package. The reason I mention the Towing Package is because it changes the Axle Ratio from 3.55 (standard) to 3.73. The purpose is to provide a little extra pull from a stop to help get the weight of both the SUV and the weight it's towing in motion. To the best of my knowledge, a changed axle or possibly gear ratios are often part of similar Towing or Heavy-Duty packages that many mid- and full-size SUVs may have.

When it's not towing anything, my parents will never tow with this vehicle, the benefit is that it feels a little snappier off the line. The negative- a bit more fuel consumption.

My mom drives this vehicle 90% of the time and she has never managed to break 16MPG average. Miraculously, I can coax 19+MPG out of it when I drive it for a while.

I finally rode along with her a few days ago and observed her driving- she always seemed to be lightly coasting or very lightly acclerating. A while on the accelerator, then a while off of it....I found the culprit! I also took her on a 10-mile stint on the expressway with her driving in one direction (16.6mpg) at approx. 70mph and then I drove the 10-miles back with the cruise control set at 70mph. I topped 20mpg, but just by a hair- 20.1mpg.

It was an eye opener for both of us...and I can't believe I'd never noticed her erratic accelerator foot before (I needed a Dramamine after a few miles)...then again, I avoid being her passenger whenever possible. =)

[shatto]

Seems to me all that coasting could put a strain on your automatic transmission fluid because of decreased cooling caused by low fluid circulation.

It may actually help your MPG because it works better, but I do know that Amsoil ATF will stand up to the heat better than any other fluid.

[MTUboi86]

Hey all. Nice posts.

Have a couple of questions.
Where I live there's very steep hills (similar to climbing mountains... guessing 6-8%+ grade), but they're short (generally less than a mile). Any tips for saving gas on these? Going down them I generally downshift into 2nd to keep speed (25mph) w/o breaking as much. There's stop signs only going down hill and on cross roads, not up hill.

Also, I have a '93 Buick Century with a 3.3L V6, and one of the best gas mileage calculations I've ever gotten was when my Check Engine light was on cuz my Idle Air Control valve was screwed up, causing the car to idle extremely fast and run hot. I think I got 36+mpg that trip (going 55mph for 5+ hrs). In the city I'd have to shift into neutral to stop, otherwise I'd be fighting the engine ... and I still got better gas mileage than normal (~17mpg city is normal for me, and I got around 20). Wondering if the higher idle rate in the city helps with gas mileage on these large hills. This problem has since resolved it's self... though, does idle fast on occasion (like once every two months... or when driving thru puddles from rain)

I'm def. going to try some of the tips you all have mentioned here.