The MPG Fuel Economy Challenge
May 5th, 2008 by Ana
Last month I posted several driving tips that get me excellent gas mileage and also posted about why you probably don’t get your EPA rated fuel economy on your vehicle. At the very end of the EPA fuel economy post, I issued a challenge for people to try the tips and report the results. George has responded, and his results deserve a post of their own!
I drive a 1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6, which is a mid-sized SUV. It currently has 246,600 on the odometer. Like most big-city drivers, I had a lead-foot and tended to drive aggressively. I don’t know what my fuel economy was, but it wasn’t great. I was filling up the 18.5 gallon tank every 6 or 7 days before having to fill-up again.
I read your article and began researching hypermiling. I then started my own experiment by filling up the car to the tip-top. Then I changed my air filter and began driving 55mph on the highway and using cruise control wherever possible. I also avoided braking, stop light, stop signs, idling, etc. whenever feasible.
Guess what happened? I went 12 DAYS before I had to fill-up, doing the exact same commute everyday. I got 429.3 miles out of my last fill-up and calculated that I was averaging 23 miles per gallon on my mileage. I’m quite pleased with this as that is 2 mpg ABOVE the EPA’s highway rating for this vehicle.
Way to go, George! That is very close to DOUBLING your miles per gallon, and if you keep it up, it could cut your gas expenses almost in half!
George rose to the challenge, and sounds rather pleased with his results. Further in his comment he says: “What amazes me is that so few people seem to be trying this. It’s almost as if everyone is screaming about the price of gas, but are not willing to change their behavior to save money.” That’s an interesting observation, especially with gasoline prices still climbing for summer and crude oil prices going back up near their record highs … which means gasoline prices aren’t coming down any time soon.
How many others have tried this MPG challenge?
I wanna hear from you! Even if your results aren’t as dramatic as George’s, it still saves you money over the long haul … so what do you have to lose? If you haven’t tried these tips yet, or just haven’t kept track of the results, grab a notepad and pen and let’s hear the success stories! Also, I’m curious if anyone can beat George’s results…?
Posted in vehicles |
May 5th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
“everyone is screaming about the price of gas, but are not willing to change their behavior to save money.” I think that’s really well said. It applies to saving money on gas (which is great, BTW), but it applies to a financial mindset that goes beyond gas (and deserves the same attention). Well written George!
May 5th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I constantly have to remind myself about slowing down and watching the way that I drive. When I first got my Toyota Matrix, I was getting 30 mpg. Then I dropped to 20. I calculate my mileage every single time I fill up. I corrected my driving habits again and am back up to 28-29. With summer coming, I know it will just keep getting better. She is very cranky about driving in the cold, so it needs to run in the morning for 5-10 minutes if it is less than freezing out. (Otherwise I can’t get it in first gear. Yes, I’ve had it looked at.)
I do have a question for you though. I know you drive a stick like me. My question is: Which do you find to be better gas mileage wise- coasting or downshifting when coming to a stop? I tend to downshift because that’s what my dad taught me to do. But I have never heard either way which is better. I’m not touching the gas, so it is only using what is in there anyway, right? Do you know? Thanks!
May 5th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Becca: I honestly don’t know. It sounds like it wouldn’t make a difference if you don’t have your foot on the gas pedal either way, but I am wondering if higher RPMs affects that.
Any car experts have the answer?
May 5th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I drive under 60 all the time… I also try to avoid driving, which means that I spend $75 a month on fuel, often less. Though with current gas prices, we’ll see how that lasts. But keeping it under 60 really helps in my experience!
May 5th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I live in a very busy area, takes me average of 45 minutes to drive 8 miles to work each way everyday. Obviously, I noticed great results one week when I was determined to get to leave early (~6:30)and beat traffic (dropping my commute to ~25 minutes). But I also had to stay late to miss traffic (~6:00pm). My mpg went from 18 to 28 that week (which adds up with my 93oct fuel!). Needless to say the lower commuting time and saved gas $ did not outweigh the extra hours at work or my sleepiness in the morning. This routine just didn’t catch on. Others should take it for a try though!
Also, your earlier post stated that some cars operate “better” on lower octane fuel. In a sense that isn’t correct, it doesn’t operate any better just the same. High octanes are only needed when specified. Although higher octane blends may have different additives than the regular gas blend, depending on the company you fill up at. In this way, it may be worth the money occasionally to fill up with a higher octane to keep everything clean.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Wow, I’m glad NCN linked to you today… I’ve actually been working on an article of gas saving tips that I’ve used to take me from around 28 up to 40MPG in a 14 year old car. Not surprisingly my tips are mostly the same ones you gave in your post a month ago.
I’ve got two tips that you didn’t mention though. Katrina W touched on one of them a bit, and that’s avoid rush hour if it’s possible. My schedule is 10-6 which fortunately in my area means I don’t hit much heavy traffic. Sometimes I get some slowdowns, but usually not too bad.
My other tip is to watch how much time you spend idling. I am surprised to see now when I pay attention just how many people I see sitting in their cars with the engine running doing all the things that could be done before you start the car. My engine doesn’t get started until I am ready to pull out of my spot, including having the car in gear and the parking break off.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Rob, being a pizza delivery driver I don’t have the option of avoiding rush hour LOL so I sort of forgot that one. I do try to route around the worst of the traffic.
My coworker lets his car idle while inside the store, which may be why he only gets 28 mpg from a Honda Civic. I’ve been meaning to ask him why he does this!
May 5th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Coasting is better than downshifting, if only for one reason other than than saving gas - it reduces wear and tear on your clutch, which can save you money on maintenance. Brake pads are cheaper than clutches!
May 5th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I have loved these posts that you’ve done on improving your car’s MPG
After your post where I asked you about where the RPMs should be, I’ve been keeping them around 1800-2200, as opposed to 2200 to 2600 (where I was usually driving before). It works!
I’d already been hypermiling prior to reading your post, which had raised my trucks mileage to 240 miles/tank (before it was 215!). NOW I get about 250-270/tank! I’m very pleased
May 6th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Thanks for answering that one, David.
Shanti, I had beem wondering, glad to hear of the improvement!
May 6th, 2008 at 6:47 am
My daily driver is a 2008 Ford Fiesta with 1L engine, 72HP running on gas and 77HP on ethanol.
Gas
City - 15 (kilometers / l) = 35.2821875 miles per gallon
Road - 17 (kilometers / l) = 39.9864792 miles per gallon
Ethanol
City - 11 (kilometers / l) = 25.8736042 miles per gallon
Road - 13 (kilometers / l) = 30.5778958 miles per gallon
May 6th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Leonardo, those are good numbers for here in the States, how do they compare to averages over there?
May 6th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Here in Brazil mostly people have small cars with 1L engines, so its the average.
We have even smaller cars like the (GM) Chevrolet Celta, Ford Ka, Fiat Uno and Volkswagen Gol. These cars can get even better mileage, around 49mpg!
May 6th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I started hypermiling in January to see how far I could push a tank of gas. I drive ~30 miles one way to work each day, and I would normally get around 26-28mpg average per tank in my 2005 Honda Accord (4cyl). I slowed down to the speed limit (b/w 55-65 during my 95% highway commute), eased up on the brakes, and was just overall very conscious of my RPM’s and how hard the engine was working. Also - this might be a little hardcore but I turned the engine off anytime I had to sit at a light for more than 1 minute. All of these things have added up - I’m now averaging 34-35mpg per tank, and I get around 500 miles per tank instead of the 350 I was getting before January.
The slowdown was hard at first, but I make a little game with myself to see how fuel efficient I can drive.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Oh my god! People in the US are actually pleased about getting 30mpg?
In the UK and Europe new cars now are expected to average at 40-50mpg, anything less than that and its considered uneconomical.
No wonder the US balked at the Kyoto treaty, it would bankrupt you overnight.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Stu, the average MPG for an SUV is about 17-18. Hubby’s truck (aka the “Stupid Tax on Wheels”) gets at best 23 mpg. Your average 40-50 mpg would be considered HIGHLY fuel efficient over here.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Stu - Thanks for the insight. Could you give me a couple makes/models of these fuel efficient cars that get 50mpg in the UK? I’m just curious…
The best we can do in the U.S. right now seems to be the Honda Insight (70mpg city/61mpg highway - 2 seater car), or the Toyota Prius (48 city/45 highway - 4/5 passenger car).
May 6th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
It kills me when I see so many people driving with a lead foot and jumping off the line at stop lights. It’s so stupid.
I definitely increase my gas mileage by using the cruise control and driving carefully. I am able to get at least 28 mpg and sometimes more. I’m thrilled to get 30+ once in awhile. Unfortunately we also have a truck that only gets 15 but we don’t drive it very often either.
Stu…examples please. Don’t just flame post and run.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’ve definitely done this! I commute 84 miles a day (round-trip), which is insane to begin with. I’m lucky in that my car, a 2003 Mazda Protege, has good fuel efficiency to begin with. I was average 26 mpg (~380miles/tank) before gas prices shot way up, and I was definitely a more aggressive driver. I read about hypermiling, started applying the principles, and now I’m getting 33 mpg (~435miles/tank), which is also higher than the EPA rated mpg. (Although those ratings are based on standard courses.)
It definitely pays to drive slower!
May 6th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
SCORE! Filled up at the end of my shift tonight and figured my MPG for the last tank: 36.06 mpg!!! A new record for pizza delivery for me!
May 12th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
[…] Debt Free Revolution challenges you to cut down your gasoline consumption. […]
May 13th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I saw a bumper sticker on a big fat pickup truck that made me groan with despair for the future of our country: “Suckin’ gas and haulin’ ass!”
Like it’s a *good* thing to be stupid.