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My brother has a Honda civic hybrid with a readout that tells you the car's fuel economy in real time and we noticed that as we were stopped or in traffic the economy gauge would, fairly quickly, tick down from 45 to 42, 40, 38. This may be the reason why you are not getting the mileage you are supposed to.
Just an idea.
I moved a few month's ago & now sit in quite a bit of stop & go traffic on the daily commute. Even with the air conditioner on, mileage is still outstanding as long as RPM's are kept low. Running average (last 10 tanks) is 41 MPG & overall average is 39.6 since October 2012. (2005 -5 speed)
Thanks!
Don
Thanks,
Don
Try to not stop completely when approaching red lights as well. Starting up from a complete stop uses more fuel than a very slow roll. Avoid surging as much as possible.
Do not warm up the car more than 30 seconds, but do drive gently for the first few minutes to allow ALL the components of the car to safely warm up. Just sitting in the driveway waiting for the car to warm up only warms the engine, not the transmission & other vital components.
Turn off the engine if you will be idling for more than 3-4 minutes.
Unfortunately, the automatic can only yield impressive numbers (around 40 MPG) on the open flat road at speeds 65 & under. Add in some hills, or stop & go & you can only expect around 30 or so MPG.
The manual allows complete control over the engines pumping losses which can account for most the fuel conservation. Maintaining the lowest possible RPM's without lugging is the key to getting impressive numbers in stop & go driving situations. For example, when accelerating if the RPM's are kept BELOW 2500 with a medium to heavy foot, pumping losses are greatly reduced & less fuel is used. When climbing steep hills, only downshift if necessary & mash the accelerator to the floor if needed with the manual. I just traveled through the steep twisty Route 50 through West Virginia (never again) & managed an almost record 43 MPG on that tank. One incline was steep enough to require a downshift to 3rd gear & the accelerator to the floor for at least one mile. (Yikes) Keep in mind that the procedures explained in this last paragraph ONLY APPLY TO MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. Heavy acceleration with the automatic will use MORE fuel, not LESS, as with a manual & proper gear selection.
The best part about driving for me is observing all the idiots that seem to have zero common sense & drive by the seat of their pants. But then again, somebody has to keep those guys at Midas busy!!
There are times that things just don't go the way we want, but here are some thoughts.
I try to keep in mind that the main difference in highway mileage and city is the use of the brakes. Whenever brakes are used, we either just wasted gas or about to waste it. And the more frequent and harder the brakes are applied, the more gas we wasted.
Another common but not recognized waste of gas is accelerating on an incline. Much better to accelerate on a decline so gravity can help mileage rather than hinder.
But we have to use good sense also!
Kip
This is the why the manual transmission can far exceed a conventional automatic in city driving scenarios. The manual also wins out on the highway in hilly/mountainous areas. Automatics will downshift & jack the RPM's up to an inefficient level. (Higher RPM/ small throttle opening=reduced efficiency) With the manual, burying the accelerator & avoiding unnecessary downshifts is far more efficient, of course you don't want to lug the engine. (Lower RPM/wider throttle opening= higher efficiency)
Google "Pumping losses", Atkinson Cycle engines" & Diesel engines for a more thorough explanation.
thanks!
Don
I am going to do it again to confirm. Any insights into making my test better ?
thx in advance.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4