Anyone notice increased MPG's from non c vehicles?

With newer cars having electronic ignition and fuel injection anything more than 10 seconds is often enough to justify turning the engine off and starter motor wear isn't a concern.

In some vehicles simply being in N at a stop will help cut idle mileage a bit..

Of course if you're in a drive-through line it's very likely better to park and go inside. Just make sure you don't park where you can be trapped by the line.

(My improved mileage in our Civic came from hypermiling).

 

It's always a judgement call. Depends on the people behind me and if I can get a feel for how fast or slow the line is moving.

I suppose it doesn't bode well for usual customer service and speed, but usually I think I'm better off turning my engine off.

It is a judgement call, and sometimes I turn the engine off and the line starts moving....but usually I think I'm ending up on the "benefit" side of the equation far more often than the "this is tough on my starter" side of the equation.

I would say overall the greatest benefit to my gas savings that has come as a result of the "hybrid" awareness and hyperdriving skills knowledge- is simply awareness.

I find that simply caring about MPG's and being aware of how I am driving, makes a big difference in of itself. Turning my engine off at drive-thru's? May be more of a psychological benefit to myself more than anything else, but I'd rather sit for 1-5 minutes without my engine running, than sit the same period of time with it running.

 

Driving a Non-Hybrid, non HSD vehicle, I do NOT turn of my engine in any "normal" driving application. I think it's just too dangerous.

I do have to try to make an on the spot judgement call. It's almost like being in a massive traffic jam. If I'm in a drive thru line...that has completely stopped, and it appears their is going to be a wait of a minute or longer, I'll turn my engine off.

I would say I don't improve my MPG's at all by turning off the engine. What I do? Is NOT burn gasoline for whatever period of time I'm sitting in one spot. If it turns out to be a minute? Not much was saved. If something has gone wrong, or the vehicle at the head of the line is ordering for an entire Baseball team? Then I've saved some gas.

In anycase, I think my admission that I do this in drive thru line now as a result of a heightened hybrid awareness, is being blown out of proportion. What it really boils down to is deciding to turn my engine off, when I'm not going anywhere. In a drive thru, I feel I can get away with this decision. In any other application? Well I would recommend any "standard" vehicle keep their engine running.

 

Well, been getting 43 MPG the last couple tanks on my 03 toyota matrix which is nearly 8-10 MPG better than before I incorporated my hybrid driving. I have been normally driving 58 MPH max in the city with lots of stop lights and /country highway road in florida. I think the biggest gains for me is coasting to a light/breaking early to continue rolling momentium possibly thru the light and also driving slower, easier on the throttle.

 

This weekend I'm going to be driving a friend's decade-old Volvo XC70 which inexplicably has fuel consumption displays. I'm not sure if I'll be able to implement any of my good driving habits or if I'll be too busy laughing at its absurdly offensive consumption figures.

 

Good point, but the speed limit is 65MPH between the cities I commute in and is probably an 8-9 mile stretch, then slows to 55MPH and slower. I am driving the speed limit or less on my commute.

 

I always had a light foot when driving. During the mid 90's I had a 1994Honda
Civic VX 5-speed manual. This is the quite rare Civic that was EPA rated at I believe
56 MPH Highway on the old standard.

During the summer with dry roads my dad and I took a round trip fishing day and I drove conservatively to get maximum MPG's. I filled up to the brim and returned after about 150 miles to the same station and again filled up. The results were 66 MPG calculated. Speed ranged around 55 mph to 45 mph.

My normal mpg's during the summer was about 52 mpg....

 

Yes, that VX was a great car and in 2002 when I purchased my new VW Jetta TDI Wagon I gave the car to my
dad, it had over 200,000 miles on it then. The car eventually went to my niece and nephew and then
to my brother and the last I heard of it there was over 300,000 miles on it when he gave it to one
of his friends.

I could not agree more with you. If Honda kept on that path hybrids would probably not be needed and
they would be leader of the pack on MPG's.....

 

I've actually been saying this same thing to everyone now that I have the Prius... just "witnessing" in real-time how your driving behavior affects mileage really makes a difference in deciding to "gun it" for no reason or just keep it slow when you see that you'll be coming to a full stop down the road anyway.

That sort of efficient driving would affect anyone's gas mileage hybrid or not, and I think many drivers interested in economy (at least some of the time) would take notice and change their behavior.