Greets from Sweden.

[Benighted]

Hello everybody,

I've been reading here for a couple of weeks and thought I'd get a user account and introduce myself.

I'm a 30 year old guy from Sweden, who is a vegetarian (well lets call me a non meat eater, I do eat fish and eggs ) and I'm committed to trying to minimize my impact on the environment, and as a part of this I'm here, looking for tips on improving my gas mileage. I've improved my gas mileage from about 8.7L/100km to about 7.4L/100km the last couple of months and it's still improving, just by adjusting my driving style.

I'm also looking into buying a more suitable car for me, thinking along the lines of Toyota Yaris/Agyo, Citroen C1 or similar. Owners of small nice cars are welcome to add to this list and comment on their cars.

Looking forward to reading and contributing to the forums.

regards
/J

[soletek]

Welcome from Northern California!

Some of the best ways to save gas that I've found: drive like you don't have brakes, step on the throttle as if it had a raw egg strapped to it, coast when you can, and most importantly look as far ahead as possible. Learn your traffic lights and anticipate when they will change, trying to keep rolling on through (this will give you the best chance at decreasing the amount of time you sit and idle).

Out of the cars you have listed, I'm not sure which would be best, but here are a few things to look for: find out if one of them has pre-programming in the ECU to shut off fuel to the engine under deceleration (that saves gas when slowing down and maintaining legal speed limit on downhill runs, while burning no fuel.) Which one weighs the least? Which one coasts the best? Which one is the least expensive to maintain and most reliable (inexpensive replacement parts, parts availability, spending money always fixing the car detracts from efficiency.) One rule I follow when searching for an efficient vehicle: if it corners like a race car that means you don't have to slow down for corners which means you don't have to speed up for the next straightaway. Also, check out the after-market up-grade options for each vehicle. This will help allow future mods for increasing efficiency.

Great to see you here.

[Benighted]

Thanks for the tips, they are appreciated, I'm getting better and better at the drive technique, testing different ideas for a while checking out the difference between them, idling really kills ones gas mileage thats for sure. A question, I'm going between the raw egg throttling and the other idea of using the engines most effective rpm (around 2-3000rpm) to accelerate and then go to a high gear as quickly as possible, what are your observations in which is the most efficient acceleration technique? (as you have GREAT mileage on driving). The onboard computer (to monitor the instantaneous mpg) and cruise control are great things to use, but in steep inclines i turn of the cruise control to prevent the car guzzling gas . It's weird how addicting this "game" of improving ones mpg is =)

I'm with you on the idea of cornering (my girlfriend sometimes complains about me cornering so fast, my reply is "Can't loose the momentum I've built up"). In a lot of cases I think the best car to use to save gas would be a small light sports-car (I think of a lotus of something like that) as they have a good aerodynamic profile, and equip it with a tiny engine and a hypermiler behind the wheel .

God thinking that about the after-market upgrade options, haven't thought to much about it but it makes a lot of sense.

Thanks for your reply, and good luck with the mods on your car.
/J

[soletek]

I love the Lotus Exige and think it would be a great car for a hypermiler. Plus it would be a really stimulating challenge, especially in the corners.

What is the most common speed limit in Sweden in the area where you drive? That is a good thing to weigh when picking a vehicle.

I actually skip gears a lot. Start in first, shift to second then go to fifth with the CRX VX because it has more torque to weight ratio than other vehicles. If you haven't seen the write-up it is CRX HF to VX Swap in the How to/DIY thread. The link at the end displays lots of pictures.

I feather the throttle when varying speeds at acceleration, then hold at the best rpm with normal cruising. I do put the hammer down on on-ramps or when merging. No one likes a tiny slow car in their way. Not that this one's slow but to others it may look that way from my normal driving habits. If your girlfriend has a sense of humor you can tell her to . . . either roll or stroll.

[bobc455]

Hi, /J!

I was just in Sweden a couple of months ago, it is beautiful there.

I was in a small town called Smalandsstener, and also Halmstad.

Welcome to the board!

-Bob C.

[Benighted]

Originally Posted by soletek

I love the Lotus Exige and think it would be a great car for a hypermiler. Plus it would be a really stimulating challenge, especially in the corners.

What is the most common speed limit in Sweden in the area where you drive? That is a good thing to weigh when picking a vehicle.

I actually skip gears a lot. Start in first, shift to second then go to fifth with the CRX VX because it has more torque to weight ratio than other vehicles. If you haven't seen the write-up it is CRX HF to VX Swap in the How to/DIY thread. The link at the end displays lots of pictures.

I feather the throttle when varying speeds at acceleration, then hold at the best rpm with normal cruising. I do put the hammer down on on-ramps or when merging. No one likes a tiny slow car in their way. Not that this one's slow but to others it may look that way from my normal driving habits. If your girlfriend has a sense of humor you can tell her to . . . either roll or stroll.

Don't you think the exige would be hard not to drive aggressively, probably a problem with most sports-cars, just to fun to drive in a non eco-nomic/-logic way. But take that Exige and pop in a tiny 1.0L engine with ~60bhp (and take the scorn from the Lotus enthusiasts ) and you'd have a nice hypermiler.

Well mostly the speed limits where I drive are 70km/h (45mph) and some city driving at 50km/h (~30mph), thats mostly why I'd like a smaller car with a "tiny" engine as I really don't grind miles on end on the highways.

Nice conversion, really impressive work, are you a mechanic by trade or just a amateur "grease monkey"? (that mass of cables just scared the daylights out of me, hope you connected everything right )

Your driving habits are about the same as mine so that makes me more confident that I'm doing things right. Got a nice new record a couple of days ago, first time I broke the 40mpg threshold (on a 20mile drive, including quite a bit of city driving), feels great.

*lol* I'll try that line the next time she complains , but I think she is getting accustomed to the new driving habits .

[Benighted]

Originally Posted by bobc455

Hi, /J!

I was just in Sweden a couple of months ago, it is beautiful there.

I was in a small town called Smalandsstener, and also Halmstad.

Welcome to the board!

-Bob C.

Hi Bob,

Sweden is a great place in the spring and summertime, winter can be nice if it isn't like most of this winter (mild, rain and overcast), should be a lot of crisp white snow that brightens the day. Great that you liked Sweden, we do have a lot of nice nature, although when one has grown up with it, you take it all for granted, too bad actually.

Thanks for the welcome
/Jani