From what I understand, if it's tuned right and you can keep your foot out of it, a turbo can actually improve your MPG. I'm assuming you slapped a turbo on the 1.6 to gain 65 hp.

 

Oh no.. mines on a Switch. i dont have money for a turbo yet.. plust i dont plan on putting a turbo on till i have the spare motor built.

 

I happened to be in the area today, so I tested my route for the final leg of this trip at a "hypermiling" pace as a reality check of "the plan". Here's what I found:

The standard Google route is 73.3 miles and Google says 1:32 to drive it.

My chosen route was 69.8 miles, but allowed (and required in some places) lower speeds for better mpg. The only question was whether I would make it within the alloted time.

The "official time" for the leg would be the Google route mileage at a speed of 45 mph. (which I absolutely would not recommend, because a good portion of that route is on I-4) So, 73.3/45 = 1:38 which is surprisingly not much more than the Google prediction.

How did I do? Well, the Scangauge read 51.9 mpg at the end, having peaked at 52.6 before getting into Tampa. (that would correct out to somewhere around 50 mpg due to the slight inaccuracy of the Scangauge and my tire size) Not bad considering the A/C was on the whole time and I could have milked it a little more than I did. But, as it turned out, we reached the finish 7 minutes late!

What does this mean? Well, we made two minor wrong turns (poor directions from Google, go figure) that might have cost us 3-4 minutes. The rest could have been made up by just driving the speed limit. Anywhere the speed limit was 55 or 60, I was driving about 5 under. And I didn't even know what my target time was while I was driving, I wanted to know what my "natural" hypermiling time would be.

So, a target of 45 mpg average will work, but it's going to keep you on your toes to maintain that fine balance between "adequate speed to beat the deadline" and "maximum fuel efficiency". It will be a challenge, indeed.

I'd love to see more people signed up for this... but now I've firmly got my challenge on with myself! 55 mpg, here I come!

 

i just smashed the billy b jesus out of my exhaust, and my economy dropped about 8-10mpg as a result, i have some stuff going on in orlando, but if i'm in town i'll be out...i guess i need a co-driver

 

So far I have three confirmed and two maybes.

Confirmed:
Me
Andrew
Bruce (from YarisWorld)

 

Attached are the route instructions. If you're participating in this run, it is highly recommended that you review these instructions and PLAN YOUR ROUTE. The route provided is the default Google Maps "quickest" route, and will not deliver the best fuel economy. There are many routes you can choose that would be shorter, a bit slower, and a lot more scenic. Pick one!

 

PS: I need a navigator. Primary job: keep me on time!

 

damn, sucks for me. i'd do it, but my car is rated 36 HWY, and on a 300 mile trip doing 65-70 and drafting i only managed 32. but i also get like 29 in the city, so who knows...fuckin CVT

 

Bring it, dude! I think you'd surprise yourself. We won't be (well, I should say that "with the explicit intent of the trip being maximum MPG, we *shouldn't be*) cruising 65-70. Depending on the route you choose, you'll probably cruise 50-55 most of the time and a little slower in some places due to lower speed limits. Knocking 10-15 mph off of your average speed will have a HUGE effect on your MPG.

Example: The Yaris gets about 38 mpg at a constant 80, and gains about 2 mpg for every 5 mph slower. That's just constant cruising, no pulse & glide or anything. So, roughly 10% better fuel economy for every 10 mph.

Apply that same logic to your car... if you saw 32 at 65, you'd pretty easily see 35-36 at 55. Apply some hypermiling techniques and a max speed of 50-55, you'll probably see at least 38.

What are you driving with a CVT, anyway?

 

1988 Subaru Justy AWD.. 3 cylinders of fury, strapped to a 1980's CVT and AWD... talk amongst yourselves.