ICE Fuel Economy

[Metallover]

Well, I keep a log book. My dad has always kept one and he passed it down to me. I've got a 5.2 RWD Auto Dakota and it's rated for 14mpg combined. I've been "Hypermiling" Last tank was ALL city driving and I got 14mpg. The next two partial tanks had about (300mi total) 50 miles of interstate driving and I got almost 16mpg. The more highway/interstate driving, the better I can do.

I've found a website called ecomodder.com and I joined a couple months ago. They let you have a vehicle profile and keep track of your crap, and they have a forum that is all about getting better mpgs. I feel left out because they all get at least 40mpg, but I still like the site.

I'm currently working on motorizing a bike, probably elecrically. I figured I need a 16:1 reduction on my 20" bike and a 20:1 reduction on my 26" bike. The 26" has disc brakes and suspension and it all works. The 20" bike needs a complete rear wheel/chain, the crank's off, and it's called the General Lee. I could do the reductions with a 4:1 + 4:1 reduction or 5:1 + 4:1 reduction. I just need to find the right belt & cogs & chain & sprockets to use....

Ecomodder also has 65+ Efficiency Mods and 100+ Hypermiling Tips

Some of them I will never do, like this-

107) Listen to slower music
Leave the speed metal at home. Fast paced music can make a driver more impatient, more agressive and likely to speed. At the same time, slower paced music is more relaxing and tends to promote a more sensible driving style while also reducing stress.

But I really like this one-

105) Drive like you ride a bike
For you cyclists looking for a way to wrap your head around the subject of efficient motoring: drive like you bike.

Meaning, if you think about spending energy as wisely in your car as you do when you ride, you should automatically become aware of several of the major tips on this list, such as:

a) Ensuring your tires are properly inflated & vehicle is in good mechanical condition, for reduced rolling & mechanical resistance.

b) Smart braking: you'll spend more distance coasting up to stops (you don't pedal madly towards stop signs and then jam on the binders, do you?)

c) You'll "drive with load" on hills (you don't usually power up hills trying to maintain your previous cruising speed, do you?)

d) You'll reduce speed (because cyclists are highly attuned to the relationship between aerodynamic drag and the energy consumed to travel at high speed).