[iibbmm]

I set out this morning with a goal. I knew it was absurd, and I knew it was going to be tough, but I also knew that if any car could do it, it was this one.

I decided that I was going to get 70mpg during my morning commute (Orange county. about 6 miles to the freeway, and about 2 miles from the freeway to my office, and not exactly flat land or low traffic). I also decided that my average for the day would be over 60mpg. I know this might sound like crummy mileage, but I have a CVT.

Here's some photos I took with my PDA.

Home to office : http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... C00063.JPG

Home to office to home (keeping in mind that I'm in 5pm south orange county traffic (stop and go) and it's 95 degrees) : http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... C00082.JPG

I hit 11 stoplights on my way home, which sucks, and 3 on my way to the office thanks to it being early in the morning. I wish I had a way to get home with less city driving, as we all know that starting from a light kills mileage like nothing else.

Needless to say this is a personal best. I always giggle when I fill up, I just wish I had a 5speed now.

 

[Dougie]

That's pretty cool. Maybe you could find a slightly longer route that would cost less in gas. Miles / MPG gives gallons, so you're using 0.74 gallons. If you could get 70 MPG then you could go 51.5 miles on the same amount of gas. That gives you about four miles of route flexibility...

 

[Resist]

I got exactly 71.2 mpg once in my CVT, but is was a very short leg. So care to tell us how you managed this feat, any new tips?

 

[iibbmm]

I got exactly 71.2 mpg once in my CVT, but is was a very short leg. So care to tell us how you managed this feat, any new tips?

well, I went slow. I averaged around 55mph on my drive to the office on the freeway, which isn't too hard early in the morning. The real trick is just to find the speed sweet spot for whatever road you are on. I've had 80-85mpg sustained for over 5 miles just by finding that one place where the road, the speed, and my foot all agree. I typically play with pedal pressure and speed to find the exact spot that works for the road. Sometimes I pulse and glide, but I find that finding a good point to keep constant speed works better for me.

Drafting is helpfull, of course, just don't be a jerk When it comes to driving in traffic, you can actually get really good mileage by planning ahead based on the traffic coming. I can still get 60+mpg easily in traffic by planning and keeping momentum.

 

[Resist]

Did you get up to speed very fast or very slow?

 

[2hybrids]

Yes, ditto on the fast/slow accel question. Though I've been told to accelerate quickly to speed for best FE, I find that it is more efficient to gain speed slowly.

In fact, I can accelerate 1 mph every3-5 seconds while sustaining around 60 mpg. though I don't like doing that when people are behind me.

Good job on your great fuel mileage!!!!!!