Normal Driving vs Hypermiling - Experiment.

[Draigflag]

That was me who suggested the "cost per trip" indicator, better still would be cost per mile, more instantaneous and would change alot as you adjust your driving style. It's only when people start seeing £££ or €€€ or $$$ signs they start caring a little more!

I'd like to do my own test soon, but it would have to be a set route, probably about 50-60 miles using the same set up (the garage already let some air out my tyres on the last service!) Watch this space.

[Draigflag]

Ok I did my own experiment (very little on TV tonight...)

Same route, same starting point/destination (round route) on the same night so conditions were consistent. Using the cars computer model as a form of measuring, despite its slight inaccuracy, different results can still be compared to one another. Tyre pressures are currently at manufacturers recommendations and we're not altered between the tests.

Test 1 - air con on constant, eco mode off. Aggressive driving style, flooring throttle and changing up at 3000 Rpm. Leaving car in higher gears for longer than necessary, avoiding lifting off throttle entirely at all times so DFCO doesn't kick in! Purposely trying to use fuel. Cruising speed between 65-70 where possible. Results:
Distance 47.2 miles
Average speed 49.5 MPH
Overall 53.2 MPG

Test 2 - Aircon off, eco mode back on. Gentle driving techniques applied, slow acceleration and early gear changes. Using DFCO wherever possible, when slowing down, on declines etc. Speed limiter set at 56 MPH for better cruising effeicncy. Results:
Distance 47.3
Average speed 45 Mph
Overall 68.2 MPG

A difference of exactly 15 MPG or a 28% increase when driving carefully. If that were consistent over a tankful, it would make a difference of roughly an extra 175 miles per tank! (11.658 gallons x 15) Over 12,000 miles a year, driving carefully would save me £252 per annum in fuel, or roughly 2 pence per mile. Similar results to Oliver. My true results probably lie somewhere in between, I'm fairly gentle but realistic too, save fuel when I can, but need to get where I'm going at the same time. I enjoyed the calculations, but the drive in the wind, rain and dark was not fun!

[benlovesgoddess]

Love the look of Alfa 156. Yeah, I prefer trying to hypermile rather than racing around. When I was just getting low 60 mpg, not the mistakenly expected 80, I frustratedly tried booting it to see if that would help mileage. I then got low to mid 50s. Best thing I ever did was getting a ScangaugeE, now I'm getting 69/70 mpg. I ve been on 4 eco tyres for a while too. Annual saving of over £400, but biggest benefit less stress, less damage, less risk. Blasting round back roads good chance of busting something hitting a deep pothole as you squeeze by oncoming vehicles, or hitting a tractor or deer.

[LDB]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Test 1 - Results:
Distance 47.2 miles
Average speed 49.5 MPH
Overall 53.2 MPG

Test 2 - Results:
Distance 47.3
Average speed 45 Mph
Overall 68.2 MPG

A difference of exactly 15 MPG or a 28% increase when driving carefully.

An mpg increase of 28% with an average speed decrease of roughly 9%. That is what the goobers rushing and racing to the next stop sign/light don't get. The time gain is nowhere near as great as the mpg loss.

[Draigflag]

Exactly what I was thinking, it added 6 minutes to my journey time, a small penalty for better fuel efficiency. Obviously on longer journeys that will multiply but even then, you're not looking at huge time periods. My MPG'S should be alot higher than that on the 2nd run, but with severe cross winds and up to 70 Mph head winds as per the forecast, it was a strong battle at times!