Hypermiling

So true!

 

Hello Gimli. Those numbers probably will not be achieved again. I did HV in the afternoon commute at 100° and 98° but the humidity was low and did not use A/C. When we get the NJ summer humidity, I will be using the A/C at 80° or below. I'll use the eco A/C and see how that affects the mpg's. I've been tracking every commute since Feb 1 and found a definite correlation between temp and mpg's and EV range.



The EV mile chart is the AM commute (35.9 miles) and the HV is the PM commute 34.8 miles).

 

Good. I drive the speed limit. The more that annoys people who are breaking the law, the better.

 

Maybe dry traction.

But for wet traction, higher pressure reduces susceptibility to hydroplaning. The hydroplaning onset speed rises as the square root of tire pressure. For those of us with (it seems like) 180 rainy days per year, this is quite important. If one prepares for wet conditions, then there are no traction surprises on dry roads.

 

I totally agree. Hypermiling is great, and when I'm driving, I'm always trying to get the best mileage I can on one level or another. But I would never, for instance, go 55 in the fast lane when others are going 80 there. There's an appropriate place to be for whatever speed you're going (just like you shouldn't pass to the right, I feel you shouldn't drag to the left). If I'm happy going 65 while others are going 85, I'm happy staying away from the left lanes.

As far as aircon, for the past 25 years (even before hybrids and hypermiling), I would never use the A/C while on the freeway or while moving. The only time I'll put it on is if I'm stopped at a light on a really hot day (ie, not moving, so no breeze/wind coming in). Unless it's raining (or Godzilla is attacking downtown) I generally prefer to drive with at least the back windows open instead of the A/C on, so that helps with the mileage as well. But I WILL put the A/C on if there's no breeze coming in (ie, stopped) on a really hot day. Then when I get moving, it goes off.

 

Generally at highway speeds opening the windows has a larger drag penalty than using air conditioning.

 

I use P&G while driving LEAF. It does extend the range and improve miles/kWh figures. However, as Mr. Wilson mentioned, P&G is not needed with Prime in hybrid mode. I first came to realize this when my wife who is not a hypermiler getting better eco scores and MPG figures than I in 100-150 mile travel range! I feel like Prime makes any driver an excellent hypermiler if you stick to slow start, consistent speed and slow stop as Lee Jay suggested in other thread.

I do not have a proof like Mr. Wilson, but it might extend the EV range if you do P&G while driving Prime within AER. Get up to speed and gliding with no power/regen on flat/descending. However, your eco score may suffer because Prime seems to give you low eco score unless you start applying break/regen much sooner than I am used to in hypermiling.

 

I have always heard, long before hybrids even existed, that placard pressures were designed to provide a soft ride, but that going a few pounds over the published pressures provided better mpg although with a slightly harsher ride. Your comment is the first I have ever heard that the placard represents the highest safe pressure. Not disputing, just saying I have never heard that before. I only remember hearing that it's not safe to inflate to the maximum listed on the sidewalls, although apparently some people do. I agree though that just because someone drives at a certain pressure for twenty years with no problem is not proof that it's safe.

 

It is because its illegal here pulsing, driving slow and coasting!

LG-H918 ?

 

This difference would be even stronger on modern Prii with the higher efficiency AC systems, i.e. those installed on 2010 and later model years.

 

If you haven't heard it before, then you simply haven't been spent too much time reading these types of discussions. Pretty much all possible combinations of good & bad have been expressed in the arguments I've seen.

Correctly separating truth from mythology from legal CYA from self-serving marketing can be quite difficult for those of us outside the industry. Maybe even impossible.

 

To quote @john1701a,

Just drive the car.​

Bob Wilson

 

We shouldn't have to rely on marketing or anecdotal experiences to get safety information. It seems like there should be some independent studies to determine the safest tire pressures, although it may not be practical to test every vehicle, at least to find out what the general trend is. Probably there have been studies, that's why I don't dispute it I intend to look into it, I am willing to sacrifice a few mpg for safety if there is data to support it.

 

I look through racing articles since these folks are running at the performance edge. There is a lot of useful track tire knowledge that applies to what we do.

Bob Wilson

 

I draft semi's with DRCC set to 1 bar. The car does a version of pulse and glide by itself. It will periodically run for an EV range mile while in HV mode. It appears to yield about 80mpg over flat terrain. This behavior does not appear to occur at faster highway speeds. Semi's tend to run at about 62/63 mph. I think the slower speed makes a bigger difference than the airflow behind the semi. The semi makes the slower speed safer since faster traffic will ignore you.

 

Low gas prices doesn't reduce the carbon footprint. In fact, it increases it so as prices drop, we should increase our fuel economy even more.