Any fairly decent scanner will show Loop Status.

If fuel cut has been around that long, how they are doing now must be alot better or they wouldn't be playing it up so big.

I worked on a 1990 Buick that was going into Open Loop in colder weather because the thermostat was bad. Every stop light it would go Closed Loop until you took off and the coolant temperature dropped a bit. Never even about fuel cut till just lately!

 

Back in the bad old days of the fuel crisis, the national 55 mph speed limit, and carbureted engines, I used to try shutting off the engine when I went down long hills to save gas.

After awhile I learned that the engine produced less braking when off than when on and at minimum throttle. Haven't really tried it in these fuel injected days but suspect it similar if you think about the thermodynamics of the Otto Cycle.

I have to admit skepticism with hyper-miling. My feeling is that if you can't show fuel mileage across multiple tanks and thousands of miles then it is really just fooling the engine.

More importantly as I read these "techniques" I get concerned that people are spending more time fooling the software than paying attention to driving. I'm frankly waiting to read about an accident or major damage to the engine or transaxle from some of these experiments.

When I was learning to fly, my first flight instructor said: "always fly the airplane, keep it blue side up (attitude indicator), then do other stuff." Some of these accidents while people are texting on a cell phone are simply a failure to manage the tasks of driving.

If you think saying drive the car first is restating the obvious think again, there's a reason so many jurisdictions are imposing no cell phone rules on drivers.

Don't take me as too critical: I challenge myself to go on the battery for longer & longer distances and things like that and have gotten fairly good at feathering the accelerator pedal.

But all those "D" cells only pack so much energy.

 

Amen to that. ( for the most part )
If I were in a "just for show" situation, like HybridFest, I could do a lot of things and "show off". But then again, I could probably double the EPA rating of any car, hybrid or not... in special cases... for short distances.

The past two years, I've had to drive +/- 40,000 miles per year for work.
( spread accross two cars, my FEH in winter, my Insight in fair weather )

I've had to "just get in and drive" most of the time. And the FEH ( well both cars ) are just amazing. Really, owning both, the Insight is optimized for highway driving, and the FEH is optimized for slow and go or stop & go conditions. Both cars perform well "just driving 'em". Both cars get, or get very close to EPA rating... "just driving 'em".

I've never been disappointed.

 

I think fuel-cut was very limited in Fords up until now. Ford is now using the term "Aggressive Fuel-Cut" in both hybrids and gas versions. The term first showed up by a Ford Engineer about the '09 FEH and the '10 FFH and now the gas versions with the new 6 speed transmission. It's all about the transmission holding the idle while fuel is cut completely. The new exhaust system with the new Lambda oxygen sensors must have completed the system for complete Fuel-cut.

So far, since my last fill-up and change to the SGII fuel-cut setting from 6 to 16 & 17, I'm not seeing a change in Tank MPG compared to the the Nav Tank MPG. I'm going to have to go to a higher FC setting for highway speed idles. I'm confident now I'm getting down to all the right SGII Settings for the '09 FEH. Now I think I know why Ron Delong set the FC default setting at 24 on the SGII.

GaryG

 

Gary:

A PR I found dated 8/08 used the same terms and stated first used in the '09 Flex. Seems to depend on which Ford division is doing the talking as to who's first!

During fuel cut is open loop, input from O2s is ignored. In general, O2 input is only used at steady constant speed. At idle, you can disconnect a O2 and it won't set a DTC.

 

Here is where I started getting interested in the '09 FEH and DFSO became an issue:

"Idle-stop and start events are much quicker, and enable greater efficiency with as many as two times the starts and stops in a given driving cycle as the previous system. The quicker engine shut-downs and pre-positioning (for the next start) also reduces O2 build-up in the engine’s catalyst. Decel Fuel Shut-Off (DFSO) mode and electric-only mode have also been expanded."
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008...reviews-n.html

This was 2/14/08 6 months earlier and I confirmed my '09 had DFSO in July of '08. Your right though, some '09 gas versions like your '09 3.0L got DFSO beginning the '08 year and '09 model.

GaryG

 

gpsman1,

RE: Hybridfest or on a track where you aren't fending off traffic....
Have a ball & go for it. Do your best.

There's a race, or used to be, where people were given a gallon of gas and the prize went to the guy whose car went the farthest. Anything goes...

But when one is in traffic, even very light, the other guys have a way of creeping up on you and... well you get the idea.

And if you're just trying to wring the most out of a gallon to go the farthest... but for the rest of the world that has to buy gas & commute & tow trailers & cover real estate, we need data that applies for the long haul.

...And you know, those people that posted all the info on installing the block heaters really helped me. It was a 15 minute job and I probably miked it... I think the block heater will make real difference next winter.

All the info posted on towing has really helped me zero in on the important stuff for when I tow.

Good to hear from you.

 

I too put in a block heater ( well... I was probably part of the posts you read so you already knew that... ) and I use it for it's intended purpose. I use it in sub-freezing weather only.

There are a few people who use them year round... but I'm sure if the math is done, it's a negative return scenario above 40-45 degrees.

P.S. Towing my big white = 17 MPG at about 63 MPH.
At 55 MPH, much better... low 20's.
At 45 MPH, I hardly know it is there, and in stop & go, the extra mass = extra regen and extended EV times... so, 30's for MPG is possible when you are driving 30's for speeds while towing.

 

Neither of you have done the MPG Challenge and most likely never will. Yet you are experts on the subjects as engineers. What a crock! I have the record to be broken and talk is just that! Go for it if you think you know it all!

GaryG

 

On second thought.... I'm not going to try and take away the one joy in your life... the one thing you are proud of in your life.... you're absolutely right.... you were the best out of 3 FEH drivers at HybridFest 2007.

Congratulations. Enjoy.

( deleted information that was too personal )