New Personal Record: 33 MPG!

[Junket]

I managed to squeeze that out of my little car.

I got about 390 miles out of 11 gallons of gas.

Accelerate slow, and coasting down mile long declines at 60 mph.

It may be a junker, but this '87 Accord saves me soooooo much money.

[anachronistic]

My car is a junker too *high five* You get better MPG than I do, though... I think my top is 27 MPG. What are you doing differently?

Is your car in good condition? Mine is, except it needs some body work from a couple deadly accidents I was in. I do all the work myself, too

[Junket]

It's not in good condition, look up my recent "Honda Fit vs. Scion XD" thread...

Anyway, like I posted up there. Accelerate slowly, and I usually keep to the right or middle lane, rarely exceeding 60 mph. For my car, going above 60 puts me at about 2500 rpm. 70, 3000 rpm.

I also try to keep any unnecessary weight out of the trunk, and I coast (neutral) as often as possible, letting the momentum of the car carry itself along rather than administering anymore fuel.

It's a lot of highway driving for me, but I have my share of stop and go, city driving.

Plus, I ride my bicycle almost anytime I'm at home, to run errands and things.

OH, and my A/C doesn't work, so that helps my fuel economy. AND I drive a stick shift, which, if you drive correctly, definitely saves you fuel.

[Tone]

I'm moving downtown next week where I'll be in walking distance to school and work.

Looking forward to saving all that gas money.

[Illusional]

i burn gas like i drink alcohol. i don't worry where it ends up because it's useless to cry over.

raverboy

[1averagejoe]

Coating in neutral saves close to zero gas. Most cars actually cut fuel when you're coasting in gear. Depending on the car, most cars when you're not on the gas, the engine will be at a certain rpm higher than normal, but the engine is spinning based off of the momentum of the car spinning the wheels. As soon as you put it in neutral it has to give the engine gas to keep it from stalling and spinning. So actually you're not saving gas, you're doing the opposite. But it also depends on the car, I'm sure your car works the same way like almost all cars do.

If you really want to save gas, next time you're driving, throw it in neutral and turn off the engine and coast. Works great behind semis where you can get behind their draft (them breaking the wind).

Max I got out of my car was about 29mpg. That was with extremely slow acceleration, braking only when necessary and as little as possible, drafting behind large vehicles, and turning off the engine when I could just coast it.

I get an average of about 24-25 when I drive like a normal person. But I normally don't, so I get about 20mpg. I know, it's a terrible habit.

[boobaa]

Congrats. You drive manual or automatic?

[Junket]

Coating in neutral saves close to zero gas. Most cars actually cut fuel when you're coasting in gear. Depending on the car, most cars when you're not on the gas, the engine will be at a certain rpm higher than normal, but the engine is spinning based off of the momentum of the car spinning the wheels. As soon as you put it in neutral it has to give the engine gas to keep it from stalling and spinning. So actually you're not saving gas, you're doing the opposite. But it also depends on the car, I'm sure your car works the same way like almost all cars do.

Your logic makes absolutely no sense to me, and defies the fact I've been getting better mileage when I manage to coast in neutral about 2 full miles every morning. That's an extra 12 miles per week where my RPM's are at about 1000.

Find some research to back up what you're saying and I'll consider it, but everything I've ever been told and read suggests otherwise.

Boobaa: I drive a stick. I hate automatics.

[Illusional]

if you really want to save gas, get a damn moped or bicycle.

raverboy

[bluesummer]

OH, and my A/C doesn't work, so that helps my fuel economy. AND I drive a stick shift, which, if you drive correctly, definitely saves you fuel.

Me too, on both counts.

Up until two months ago, I always drove an automatic. Now that I drive stick, I only need to fill my gas tank every two weeks, it's awesome. I won't go back to automatic until I'm rich and spending money on gas means nothing to me.

[Illusional]

you can move in with me because i'm rich!!

raverboy

[bluesummer]

Ok, but are you paying my gas bill?

[1averagejoe]

Blah...I'm too lazy to find research. But anyways, do you keep your foot on the gas when you're coasting in gear? Because you may notice your car should actually be slowing down a bit quicker than when it's in neutral due to friction of all the parts. Basically when you're in neutral you're cutting the transmission off from the engine (less to spin).

So in a sense I could see you saving more gas by not having to accelerate as much by coasting in neutral. But when the engine is in gear and you're not on the gas pedal, most cars will cut fuel to the engine and it will spin solely off of the momentum of the car. That's why when you're, say at 60mph your rpm is higher than when it's at a stop. Because the wheels spinning keeps the engine spinning without giving it fuel. But when you're in neutral, you're basically cutting off the connection from the transmission (which is attached to the wheels), so the engine has to give it fuel to keep it spinning. That's why it spins at just under 1000rpm.

You say your AC doesn't work, ha? Rip that sucker out, save some weight and get better airflow to your radiator. That will probably gain you a couple more mpg's.

[To0C0oL]

i burn gas like i drink alcohol. i don't worry where it ends up because it's useless to cry over.

raverboy

Yep, having 2 Mustangs and a Diesel F250 does that to you..

[Illusional]

i always wanted a corvette, but that was in the past. now i'm into the luxury.

raverboy