Hyper-mile-ing

[windstuffnow]

  Has anyone heard of the newest craze Hypermiling?   I just heard about it a week or so ago on CNN.   I had to chuckle, I've been doing this for years...

  I thought I was doing really good with my S10 getting 32-35 mpg consistantly.  I decided to purchase a ScanGauge III several months ago.   Since then I've been getting 41 to 47 mpg.   We don't realize how badly we drive or how wasteful we are until you can actually see what we're doing wrong.

  This gauge simply plugs into your on board diagnostics (OBDII - 1996 or newer) system and monitors everything that is going on.  It also gives you instantaneous MPG which is why I purchased it to begin with.  

  It should be mandatory that all new vehicles have a MPG gauge installed, you would be quite surprised at how even simple changes in driving habits can save lots of money at the gas pump.  

  I'm not a hypermiler "extreem" as those shown on CNN... speeding around corners trying not to loose momentum or turning off the engine and restarting it all the time.   I'm more of a conservative, casual hypermiler ( safe ).  I do coast alot, I've found routes to my normal stops that aren't full of traffic or stop lights just simple things.   I've made 2 modifications to my truck that does help as well... I purchased a set of Integrity's - low rolling resistance and run them at sidwall pressure, about 44 lbs.  I also installed a set of pulstar plugs but I only picked up 3 mpg with those.  

  I'm not affiliated with the ScanGuage in any way, I simply think it is a must have for those trying to save some money on fuel.  

  On the other end of things, you can now convert your car/truck to a hybrid.  Transwarp motors are designed to connect behind the transmission, and has a tail shaft built in for sliding a shorty driveshaft to the rear end.  The control box connect directly to your OBDII outlet and controlls the elecric motor based on throttle position.   As a plug in hybrid this could actually save a considerable amount of fuel.   Unfortunately, the units are still quite expensive and converting a vehicle could cost 5-6k by the time your done.   The payback would take a while depending on how much you normally drive.  

  Lots of neat stuff on the horizon... hopefully it will become more affordable so all can participate.   Right now it seems only the rich can save money, the rest of us pay out the bun's to barely break even with the costs...

.  

 

[DanG]

Wow - okay... At $100USD per fill-up I am sure interested in maxing out highway driving.

Question - where'd you find a Scangauge III? I see II's and II 3-in-1's but no III's...

[windstuffnow]

Oooops... your right they only have the SGII, I was thinking it was a version 3.  

Anyway, it will pay for itself in short order and teach you how to drive your vehicle efficiently.   Also, it makes driving kind of fun and challenging again.  

I never really gave much thought to how poor of mileage you get when running through the gears from a stop.  Also, sitting at stop lights.  I have mine set up to show instantaneous MPG and average MPG.   The average is easy to get up there, keeping it is the biggest challenge.  Sitting at a stop light you loose .1 mpg off your average for every 15 seconds you have to sit there.  

It's really a fun device.  You can set it up to display any 4 gauges you want.  It will display anything that is in the OBD including why your "check engine" light is on, what caused it to trip the code etc.   There are lots of other things you can program in as well.  The trip meter gives you all sorts of info including total miles, how much the trip cost, average mph etc.

As you can tell I'm pretty passionate about saving fuel and this is a fun way to do it with imediate visual results.  

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[tecker]

I found some really large fundamental mapping problems with the ford 4L . They set up the fuel use way too high ( I assume to get the pulling and weight rate right ) As I started using HHO on a regular basis I took The maf sensor down to a small window (pin 88 and 56) It's a resistive device and the EFI can be totally recalibrated with those two pins . I now have 5K series to a 10K pot for adjustment I could have made some significant fuel usage drops without the HHo intake . The MAF dumps a wad of fuel in at low vacuum and the three O2 sensors react to bring it back . My point being the motor can be leaned out very easily .Changing the way you drive is a big part of saving fuel also .

[tecker]

At idle I can see not using any gasoline at all in the very near future .I can shut down the pressure on the fuel rail with a flick of a switch .I need a diferent flow pattern to the intake for a smoothe transition .

[TheCasualTraveler]

     In my youth I had a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda. Next to the speedometer was a big gauge, I forget what it was called, but it basically measured vacuum off the carburetor. If I remember right the gauge showed power at one end and economy at the other. I learned a lot about saving gas by watching that gauge. Slow starts, taking my foot off the gas when a light up ahead was turning red and rolling up to the light, keeping my speed at an efficient rate saved lots of gas, even though it was only 36 cents a gallon then.

     Today when I see people in gas guzzlers tromp on the gas when their only going a few hundred feet, only to have to break hard to turn, I don't know whether to laugh or be disgusted.

[zap]

I don't know whether to laugh or be disgusted.

I do both.

I guess a certain percentage of people will never "get it" even when gas hits $5/gal.  Although I have noticed more people driving slower and certainly more scooters on the street.

Ed what year is your S10, 4x4? Manual?  That was a pretty significant increase using the ScanGuage.  Visual feedback is a great thing.

[powerbuoy]

I am trying to drive more conservative as well. Never throttle above 2000 RPM, neutral downhill, avoid AC etc. 50 miles max on interstates ... you name it. The public catches on as well. Try Ebay on Geo Metros, small VW Diesels or small motorcycles like the Ninja 250. You regularily see at least 10 people bidding on these. I did a lot to my house as well, new windows, extra roof insulation, high efficient furnace etc.

Unrfortunately, here is the drawback: While I have the satisfaction of being conscious and proactive, I still have the feeling that i am only putting sandbags on the levy, while the water is rising. My sewer company raised my bill 60% last year and Peco Energy allready announced 25% increases for electricity once the rate caps end. Even if I manage to completely zero my energy use (I guess that's what we all dream about, few have managed to do so) I will still depend on the food and other supplies that are being trucked into the supermarkets. And my control over these is zero. Not to mention all the other services that are needed in modern life.

Here is what it sometimes feels like: All I am doing right now is putting myself into a position where I am getting less shafted then my neighbors. That's sad, but I'll keep fighting.

[vawtman]

Cool story Ed

 I deal with 2 leadfooted women.My wife and daughter.I say over and over again "do you realize there's a red light up ahead".Maybe this unit will help get the point across.Here's a link for others http://www.scangauge.com/

 I find myself coasting through stop signs more than before.If i get busted i'll just say i'm trying to save the planet

 Glad to see your still HAVIN FUN.

[phil b]

Ed, I purchased a scan guage II a while back too. I agree it's worth its money at the pump. I figure my payback for the unit will be about 11 months at $4.00/gal. I'm still trying to learn to use the thing to reprogram (lean out) the car. The programming instructions are vague. Any tips?

Tecker, Jaycar sells a fuel mixture display kit (KC5195) that uses a series of LEDs to keep track of MAF and MAP and other parts of the alphabet. http://www.jaycarelectronics.com  It could save you from overheating the engine. BTW, where are pins 88 and 56 located?

Phil

[windstuffnow]

I feel the same way, we still pay even if we don't use it personally.  There needs to be some drastic changes accross the board to get our personal needs met at lower costs.  The Truckers, farmers and shippers need ways to lower their costs of energy before we'll see any cost.

All the big wigs seen it comming, yet no-one really did anything about it.  There aren't any "soon to be seen" alternatives out there, it's going to take a while to alter our products to reflect a different generation of energies and how we use them.  

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[windstuffnow]

  It's a standard 2 wheel drive, 2.2 4 cyl 5 speed stick.  It's not that drastic of a change from 35 to 41 mpg.   Just learning how not to use the accellerator pedal to maintain cruise speed, where not to go - or how to get around it, learn how to use momentum etc.   I was extreemly surprised after I installed the scanguage at how high of mileage the truck would achieve.   On long flat level runs I can see instantanious readings above 60 mpg, downhill over 100.  

  I used to drive by a vacuum gauge back when as well.   They work great but only give you a bit of information.  If you have a pre 96 car then that would be a great addition to saving fuel.  

  There isn't any product on the market that will increase your fuel economy better than a "teacher" showing you how.  The scanguage being the teacher.  

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[windstuffnow]

Maybe an electric cattle prod at mid travel of the gas pedal.... they press to hard... ZAP !!!!  they won't press hard any more.  

.  

[windstuffnow]

The Scangauge is a display only device, it won't alter the instructions on the computer.   They do have some downloads for different gauges to display.

There are some circuits out there to change the O2 readings and fool the computer to lean out the engine.  Personally I don't want to worry about burning holes in the pistons... you can buy alot of gas for the cost of repairs.  

I would stick with simple changes to the vehicle.  Mostly, learn to drive economicaly, keep the engine tuned, low rolling resistance tires, tire pressure ( simple check and fill can add 2-3 mpg ), make sure your brakes are functioning well, any drag will cost you big ( a simple matter of jacking up the car and spinning the wheel - if it spins free your good to go, if not then re-adjust the brakes until they do ).  Check your parking brake cables as well, sometimes they'll be the cause of brake drag because their sticky and don't release the brake fully. ( check that before adjusting ).  You can only adjust drum brakes, if the discs are dragging you may need to replace the rubber slides or lubricate them.

Another is the grease or oil you use in the transmission, rearend and wheelbearings.   Heavy oil or grease takes a while to "thin out" or heat up robbing you of fuel economy.   Front end alignment ( or rear - on a full independant suspension ) is another good place to look for problems.   Worn parts can change toe in/out and other geometry causing tire drag/scuffing ( also wears out the tires ).  

Aerodynamics is another place to look although changes can be costly.   Some kits are probably not worth their price in fuel savings.... simply slowing down a bit will change the aerodynamic drag, doesn't cost anything.  

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[vawtman]

How about a defibrillator mounted on the seatbelt?When it says shock advised that would get the foot off the gas in a hurry.Kidding of course.

I think we need to rethink traffic control.Imagine how much fuel that could save.Sensors in the roads maybe.I just hate stopping at a stop sign in the boonies when you can clearly see no car that could interfere.Also,sitting at a red light when no ones around.

[DamonHD]

Plenty of people still don't 'get it' here in the UK at the equivalent of $8+/gal.

And some youf still feels the need to screech round the small roads of the estate, mobile phone possibly pressed illegally to their ear(s), all in the cause of showing off and/or aiming to win a Darwin Award.

As always, however, it'll be someone else they kill: a child instantly on the road or all of us slowly with CO2...

Rgds

Damon

[DamonHD]

This is one reason, in principle, why fuel sources should not be subsidised and should instead possibly/probably be (heavily) taxed: so that those who waste fuel feel the pain in their wallets and the rest don't subsidise them.

And if AGW is to be priced in then that should be internalised as a tax on fossil fuels to help bring home now the costs that food shortages, etc, will probably unavoidably bring to the rest of us later.

Rgds

Damon

[tecker]

EFI module I don't see the display?

[spinningmagnets]

This link has further links about a guy who took a light-weight Honda Civic hatchback, and further lightened it, then added plastic aero-drag-reducing attachments.

He drastically altered his driving style, and claims 90+ MPG's (engine off/coasting, among other techniques). I think he may be exaggerating, but there may still be some useful info here.

http://www.7gen.com/article-summary/fuel-efficiency/23675-basjoos-tells-all-about-his-quot95-mpgquot
-aerocivic

[tecker]

 

Adjusting the maf is an easy fix .With the maf or map diconnected and the hho on you can heat up the cylinder and catalitic converter .Adjusting is not a problem usually increase resistance until you get an extended lag in pickup as vacume decreases. O2 sensors need a voltage increase applied to each sensor in the milivolt range and at a pulse synced with the  efi module A little tricky .

[motoman465]

If you want to read some more tips and tricks go to www.gassavers.org  I have been on there for a while and learned quite a bit about fuel economy.  Right now, I am stuck driving a 4 wheel-drive Dakota with a 318 getting between 13 and 15 MPG.  Ed was right on when he mentioned alignments.  I changed some worn front steering components and did a four-wheel alignment on it.  I was amazed!  My cruising RPM dropped almost 500RPM on the way home from work that day.

I was eyeballing the Scangauge II, but was wondering how much more accurate is it than just dividing mileage by gallons at the pump.  Thanks!

Todd

[windstuffnow]

Hi Todd,

  By calculating the mileage from tank to tank only gives you your average mpg, nothing in between.  If your getting bad fuel economy you don't know it until you fill up again.  It's simply a tool to let you know how your doing along the way and it gives you a chance to change it.   You could probably pull and extra 5mpg or more from it by monitoring your driving.

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[motoman465]

Thanks, Ed!  I just have to save up some coin now.  Altering my driving habits in the Dakota resulted in about a 2-3MPG improvement.  I really miss my little 5-speed Sentra.  By altering my driving habits with that one, I saw a 7-8MPG improvement.  I am on the look-out for another small, efficient vehicle.

I am also contemplating a homebrew hybird vehicle.  I am thinking of building an electric vehicle with a small four-stroke generator to recharge on the fly.  Any insights on this will be so very welcome.  Thanks!

Todd

[tecker]

Here's a fair pictorial of several Maf sensors .

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h34.pdf

[tecker]

The most used adjustment is a 25 k pot at 10 k above ground I use 10 k 3 k above but my sensor is questionable on testing seems to go all on too fast .

[tecker]

The signal wire on the ford four wire unit is fourth (last wire) from B+ (B+ red ,grd BLK,sig return tan blu and sig blu rd ) crimp the resistor network to the  sig wire.

[spinningmagnets]

Hi Todd, here are two discussions about that. Focused on E-bicycles (+some links for cars), but working formula can be scaled up.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4753&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1
5

http://visforvoltage.org/forum-topic/hybrid-systems/731-series-hybrid-suitable-generator

The Chevy Volt was going to be an electric car powered by a reformed methanol fuel-cell, but they have recently made a committment to go into production as a plug-in electric with a small series-hybrid back-up generator when longer than normal trips are needed.

The Lithium batteries are expensive, but for customers with very short commutes, you can start with a smaller battery to keep the purchase price down.

New York City and Ann Arbor (Michigan) just bought some series-hybrid busses from Gillig (San Francisco) that are this configuration, so the idea definitely works.

Twice as expensive, but 30% improvement in fuel economy and lack of auto-transmission re-build at half-life means it will pay for itself in 2 years of normal use. Huge improvement in emmissions over when stock bus was struggling to accellerate from a dead stop.

[wdesilvey]

Could you perhaps clarify a bit? I have an '04 Ranger (4.0, 4WD,5 spd) that I need all the MPG I can get!!

[tecker]

I believe the mas air flow sensor is the same . Take it slow . The first thing you can do is add acetone to your fuel 3 oz per 10 gal of fuel .Adjusting the mass air flow needs some study to keep every thing staight  here's a you tube on the subject .Kinda hooky but a good start .

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bR7UuMmFHy4

 Get the chiltons on your truck to get a look at the sensor and the pin out . Run the checkout procedure to make sure it's working and post your signal voltage veryence. Email me at jwhitlow@tds.net and we'll work it out.