The single most important improvement to FE you can ever do. FREE.
Two days ago I drove 20 miles to the top of a mountain near me. I wanted to do a concrete test of the benefits of Engine Off Coasting in a manner that anyone can understand. I already know that this is the longest coast in my area.
My test would compare Engine Off Coasting in high gear with Engine Off Coasting in neutral. Engine on coasting can only be worse in each case.
Turned out to not be much of a test at first. In gear, car would not even roll downhill on a sizable grade. No problem with that in neutral.
So I decided on a running start from 55 MPH for each scenario. I would travel down the mountain till car speed slowed to 30 MPH, stop and note the miles travelled, immediately turn around and drive back up to the start.
1. Engine Off Coast in 5th gear. Car slowed immediately after engine was shut off. Fastest speed recorded with ScanGauge was 53 MPH. Average speed was 36 MPH. Distance travelled 5.1 miles, much of it near 30 MPH. Even so, no fuel was used. Turned around and drove back up mountain to start. At that point, SG current trip 47.2 MPG for 10.2 miles. This is a climb that would indicate about 25 MPG without the coast being involved.
2. Engine Off Coast in neutral. Car gained speed from the start. Fastest speed recorded 76 MPH with hitting the brakes twice to stay near 75 MPH. Average speed was 56 MPH. Distance travelled 8.7 miles. No fuel used.
Turned around, drove back to start. SG current trip 67.4 MPG for 17.4 miles.
This amounts to 70% more miles travelled and +20 MPG over the 17.4 miles.
I ran each test a second time and results were so close they don't bear repeating.
I attribute much of my FE success to this very thing. I honestly believe this is the single most important ingredient of my FE. And it's all FREE.
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