gas saving driving styles

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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 01:10 PM
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gas saving driving styles

I've always wondered this.. Which driving style would save you more gas? 1-press and hold the pedal lightly and continuously keeping rpm's at around 1800-2200 OR 2-pressing the pedal a little bit more aggresively, reaching your speed limit, and letting go of the gas to let the car 'coast'??
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:05 PM
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-gradually increasing your speed to your desired limit

-shifting around 2500 or 3000rpm if sportshifting

-using cruise control whenever on the highway

i saw a HUGE difference in MPG when i followed these three rules compared to my normal driving style...instead of 20/21 MPG 80% city/20% highway, i got 24 MPG 80% city/20% highway...
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:13 PM
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What are you TL-S owners averaging? I'm getting 21-22mpg which isn't too appealing considering I drive it pretty lightly and for the most part and it's highway driving 55-60mph
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:21 PM
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1. get a cai.
2. use ss mode and stay below 3000 rpm (yes you will accelerate pretty slow)
3. dont do any wot driving.

i'm getting 21 mpg city in somewhat stop and go traffic. baller I think option 1 that you asked is the way to go. I tried your option 2 couple times and average 3-4 mpg less.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:43 PM
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I found the best way is to leave the TL parked and drive the company van whenever possible lol
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:46 PM
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19 mpg 100% city driving, lots of stop and go. WOT a few times per tank. CAI is installed and its a TL-S.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:51 PM
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I remember on top gear, Jeremy drove an A8 from one country to another(not sure exactly where and how long the drive was but it was LONG) and he did a test on gas saving and what not, and using cruise control actually used up more gas then manually applying pressure on the pedal.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:53 PM
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From: Dirty Jerzey(908)
Originally Posted by blazinginder
What are you TL-S owners averaging? I'm getting 21-22mpg which isn't too appealing considering I drive it pretty lightly and for the most part and it's highway driving 55-60mph
i was getting 24-26 until all this cold weather came into play
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by ballinfizzle89
I remember on top gear, Jeremy drove an A8 from one country to another(not sure exactly where and how long the drive was but it was LONG) and he did a test on gas saving and what not, and using cruise control actually used up more gas then manually applying pressure on the pedal.

Depends - on a flat, level surface cruise control will work best. On a hilly surface, not so much. Additionally, remember never ever to use cruise when its wet weather.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:00 PM
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Originally Posted by P.R.E.A.M.
i was getting 24-26 until all this cold weather came into play
Would this have anything to do if the car wasn't warm yet? Do you usually wait for your car to warm up and drop below 1000 rpms while stationery?
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:04 PM
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Originally Posted by aSPECtL06
Would this have anything to do if the car wasn't warm yet? Do you usually wait for your car to warm up and drop below 1000 rpms while stationery?
A colder car engine will be less efficient when it comes to mileage - the cold air has something to do with it as well, when it mixes with the gas in the engine... Cold air is denser. Denser air in the engine means the ECU must inject more fuel to maintain the correct mixture.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by MWalsh9152
I found the best way is to leave the TL parked and drive the company van whenever possible lol
That saves you so much more gas than any other methods possible! Hahahhh.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:10 PM
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there were some tips on saving gas in an old issue of Car And Driver.

1. drive slower
2. accelerate slower
3. turn off the A/C
4. keep windows closed
5. always cruise in the highest gear

that's all i can remember now
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:13 PM
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From: Dirty Jerzey(908)
Originally Posted by aSPECtL06
Would this have anything to do if the car wasn't warm yet? Do you usually wait for your car to warm up and drop below 1000 rpms while stationery?
i usually wait 10-15 min before driving it

but all this idling time is killing my MPG. my truck i had was even worse
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:17 PM
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From: Dirty Jerzey(908)
oh i forgot to say I do about 90% hwy driving too
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by ballinfizzle89
I remember on top gear, Jeremy drove an A8 from one country to another(not sure exactly where and how long the drive was but it was LONG) and he did a test on gas saving and what not, and using cruise control actually used up more gas then manually applying pressure on the pedal.
He drove from South UK to Northern most part.

Wasn't that Audi a diesel engine that was supposed to come out soon? Anyway you're right he mentioned that in that Audi the cruise control was messing up his gas mileage.

Some of the things I remember that he did were:

Removed excess weight such as the spare tire.
Drove with all the windows closed.
Did not use much of the other things that might consume electricity like radio and navigation.
He drove conservatively maintaining a certain cruising speed.
Less Braking

I can't remember the rest ...
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by blazinginder
What are you TL-S owners averaging? I'm getting 21-22mpg which isn't too appealing considering I drive it pretty lightly and for the most part and it's highway driving 55-60mph
i get 19-21 city driving (0-45 mph) and about 28-30 highway (50-70 mph)...i've just got a stock TLS so far
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 05:46 PM
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accelerating quickly --> gas mileage poop
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 06:12 PM
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Probably already considered, but don't forget that winter gas is different.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 06:41 PM
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Damn, I get like 16-18mpg in the city on average...I never really do any hwy driving and im in traffic like 90% of the time =(
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 07:01 PM
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1. Look ahead at upcoming intersections with a light, and coast if the light is already red
2. at long lights, turn off the engine (I haven't done this personally but I hear the Europeans do this)
3. Get up to the speed limit promptly- not necessary WOT but maybe 1/3 to half throttle. Once you're going at a steady speed of 34-45 you will be getting 40MPG based on the instant mileage calcuation with the navigation hack.

I routinely get around 20-22 MPG around town with little highway driving doing tips #1 &3 and my average MPH is often < 25MPH.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 08:02 PM
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Originally Posted by dr_brains510
i get 19-21 city driving (0-45 mph) and about 28-30 highway (50-70 mph)...i've just got a stock TLS so far

Man...you and PREAM are killing it ...maybe I'll have to start driving faster to get my mpg up...test some things out to see what I can do to get to an avg of 24...then id be happy
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 08:11 PM
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https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ghlight=saving

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ghlight=saving
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 10:56 PM
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I average 24-26 about 50/50 driving.
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Old Dec 9, 2007 | 11:49 PM
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Originally Posted by teomcdohl
Depends - on a flat, level surface cruise control will work best. On a hilly surface, not so much. Additionally, remember never ever to use cruise when its wet weather.
How does wet weather affect cruise control? I know about hills and flats, but wetness? How so?
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 12:06 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by ballinfizzle89
I remember on top gear, Jeremy drove an A8 from one country to another(not sure exactly where and how long the drive was but it was LONG) and he did a test on gas saving and what not, and using cruise control actually used up more gas then manually applying pressure on the pedal.

YES!!. Exactly what I was thinking of.

He drove from London to somewhere in Scotland an back. LONG trip for a single tank. Filled up at the start and made it there and back again (barely) by staying UNDER 2000 rpm the whole trip.

You do that in a TL/TL-S (stay UNDER 2000 rpm) and I bet you'd increase your range by 20%, if not more.
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 12:23 AM
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my TL-s get 24 MPG. considering how much traffic I have(25 mile per hr on average, 75 mile driving everyday, takes about 3 hrs) this is incredible.

actually saving gas is very easy, and it doesn't have to take away the fun of driving or the excitement of reving to Vtec. just remember---- DON'T BRAKE UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTE HAVE TO.

here is a simple math for you.

our TL/TL-s weight around 1587 kg. say you brake from 67 mph to a complete stop because some retardant brakes his/her car randomly, and then you have to come back to 67 mph to catch the traffic flow. how much gas did you burn?

do the math, 67 mph=30m/s. when you brake the car to a complete stop, you lose 1/2*30^2*1587=5.2 Mega Joules of power. and when you bring it back to 67 mph, you need another 5.2 Mega Joules of power.
so you lost a total of 10.4 Mega Joules of power in this stop and go situation.

how much is 10.4 Mega Joules?

the specific heat for water is 4181.3 J /kg K. so 10.4 Mega Jouies can boil 6 gallon of water assuming the water was icy cold.

so next time when you about to apply brake from 67 mph to 0. think how much gas you need to burn to boil 6 gallon of icy cold water, because that;s how much gas you will pay for that brake.
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 12:32 AM
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on the other hand, 0-60 in 4 second and 0-60 in 40 second will consume the same amount of energy (which is gas). there will be a tiny difference because of the mechanical resistance, and insufficient burning at high rev. but they are really negligible compare to energy lost due to braking.

that's why i accelerate the hell out of my TL-s when i get a open road and still mange to get 24 mpg.
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 01:58 AM
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avoid braking whenever possible, accelerate going down hill, coast going uphill "bleeding" off speed. coast behind a tractor trailer. always accelerate gradually.
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 03:35 AM
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From: New York City | Stuck in Traffic
well I live in NYC... manhattan... surrounded by yellow cabs, lincoln town cars and suv's with loud systems

I average 14 on a bad week 19 on a good week
bad = going wot on some stupid civics

for some reason the gas in NJ isn't as good as the gas in NYC, last week wednesday morning (same whether as this week) I was at half a tank, filled up ($30) 93 octane (sunoco)... by friday I was back to half... usually I can go till sunday before reaching half...
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 03:44 AM
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Originally Posted by dr_brains510
i get 19-21 city driving (0-45 mph) and about 28-30 highway (50-70 mph)...i've just got a stock TLS so far

are you kidding me?! I live in Westwood and I avg 14 mpg in the city... -__- On the highways I usually get around 25 though
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 05:18 AM
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coast behind a tractor trailer. [/QUOTE]



He was just kidding (at least I hope so)
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 11:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Ganplosive
are you kidding me?! I live in Westwood and I avg 14 mpg in the city... -__- On the highways I usually get around 25 though
well on my daily commute to UCLA, i get about 18-19 depending on the morning...then on the way back I just hop on the freeway at like noon where the traffic level is pretty low and I get to about 28 mpg going 65-70 mph...the best was going to Pasadena which got 31 going 65-70 the whole way....i don't like to go TOO fast on the freeway but when I do (maybe hitting 85-95) it gets down to like 24-25...I don't take the freeways a lot but when I do, its usually not during rush hour traffic...so i guess timing can be a factor LOL
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 11:33 AM
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-I have my tire pressure at 40 PSI.
-I keep my car's maintenance up and current.
-I accelerate very slowly.
-I turn off the engine when I know I'm going to be sitting in traffic, at a light, or at a stop sign for longer than 30 seconds.
-I have a CF hood, which saves a little bit of weight on the car.
-I'm looking to get a CF trunk, but we'll see.
-When I'm running errands, I only go out when necessary.
-I go to the farthest place first, and then as I'm heading home, go to the other places I need to go (warmer engine, more efficient).
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by gatrhumpy
-I have my tire pressure at 40 PSI.
-I keep my car's maintenance up and current.
-I accelerate very slowly.
-I turn off the engine when I know I'm going to be sitting in traffic, at a light, or at a stop sign for longer than 30 seconds.
-I have a CF hood, which saves a little bit of weight on the car.
-I'm looking to get a CF trunk, but we'll see.
-When I'm running errands, I only go out when necessary.
-I go to the farthest place first, and then as I'm heading home, go to the other places I need to go (warmer engine, more efficient).
I thought constantly turning the engine off/on is worse than just idling?
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 12:08 PM
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From: DC Metro
Originally Posted by S PAW 1



He was just kidding (at least I hope so)
Kidding about what? That it saves gas? It saves a lot of gas as it 'pulls' you along in it's wake.

There are negatives to this of course, but that wasnt the question asked.
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by leedogg
Kidding about what? That it saves gas? It saves a lot of gas as it 'pulls' you along in it's wake.

There are negatives to this of course, but that wasnt the question asked.
If you get close enough to be in the "wake", you're too close to stop in an emergency. It'll also get you a nice, fat ticket from the State Patrol here in Ohio.
Last, but not least, you definitely don't want to piss the truckers off on IR70.
You know that member who has the compressed Avatar? Well, just use your photoshop for your new body panels
Yeh, you'll save gas alright with your newest mod. MUCH shorter wheelbase
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 01:19 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by S PAW 1
If you get close enough to be in the "wake", you're too close to stop in an emergency. It'll also get you a nice, fat ticket from the State Patrol here in Ohio.
Last, but not least, you definitely don't want to piss the truckers off on IR70.
You know that member who has the compressed Avatar? Well, just use your photoshop for your new body panels
Yeh, you'll save gas alright with your newest mod. MUCH shorter wheelbase
All of the above is probable, but it doesnt change the fact. A more appropriate response would be to say "Although this does save gas, I dont recommend it for the following reasons...."
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 02:11 PM
  #39  
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I just purchased my 2005 (Black 6MT Navi) and have been ecstatic with the fuel mileage thus far. I owned a TSX for about a month previously (car was totalled!) and was worried that I would have to compromise a lot of gas mileage going to the TL. This was a big concern as my commute each way is 65 miles! I am currently doing an analysis between different driving styles/average speeds etc. Through some of the techniques mentioned here (shifting into 6th EARLY, braking only as a last resort, never accelerating uphill, coasting etc), I have seen my mpg's as high as 37 during my trip home last week. Granted, the city mileage may be worse, but this is the type of highway mileage I was getting in my TSX! I love this car!!!
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Old Dec 10, 2007 | 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by leedogg
All of the above is probable, but it doesnt change the fact. A more appropriate response would be to say "Although this does save gas, I dont recommend it for the following reasons...."
Well, after reading through all the other responses, I don't see anyone recommending unsafe driving practices. Not sure "appropriate" applies. I believe "irresponsible" is a better fit. Guess it depends upon your perspective. Let's just hope that nobody takes your advice and has an accident.
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