Thanks for the video Gary. Florida = Flat. These techniques have merit obviously as you have demonstrated. I'm lucky if I can go 2 miles without hitting some form of hill though. This is why my commute to work typically generates about 10MPG better mileage than my commute home. I live on a plateau at the base of the 14,410 foot Mt. Rainier. I also drive a 2 lane highway where people will try to pass you in dangerous locations if you don't maintain your speed of at least 55. 60 is actually better as they won't typically get pissed off at you if you drive at least that fast. I can use the pulse technique around town for sure though. I've tried it in the past but find it frustrating to always have someone coming up behind me because I'm coasting to a stop slowly. I'll give it another shot after seeing your demonstration of the technique. It's good to hear the numbers as you talked through it.

 

Corey; Enumclaw?

(I'm Gig Harbor)

GaryG does lots of stuff that combined would make many/most people uneasy.

50PSI in his 44PSI MAX tires, and the Ford door sticker says 35PSI max.

Pulse and glide doesn't work in many traffic situations, and will get you literally shot at in some. Almost 40 years ago, when the State Trooper told us in drivers ed "the safest speed is the same speed as the vehicles around you", he was absolutely right. When you've got a 100,000 lb semi-truck going 40MPH up a steep hill on a highway other drivers fly past and honk in their compact cars the danger goes unnoticed, but when you climb up that hill in your Escape at 40MPH trying to keep your rev's below 3K, and a 63'-but unloaded-semi-truck flies past you and honks and cuts back tight in front of you, the danger is far more apparent.

I climb more than 30' before I even leave my neighborhood (literal, residential neighborhood). Thats about 20' just driving past the 2 houses next to me, and another 8-10' pulling away from the stop sign.

GaryG: in your youtube I hear you mutter "in EV" quite often. Do you "key cycle" that often, or brake double-tap, or what?

I coasted (in N) 12mi once near Ellensburg WA, and more than 8 miles many times heading west out of Snoqualmie Pass. I won't post my top speeds on those downhill coasts. I will tell you I've had my 2008FEH over 100MPH on a long, flat, straight strip about 200mi from where I live. (Over 90 once with a canoe on top!)

I still haven't bothered to get and install an SGII, but I don't have the same need for one that some folks seem to. I still keep my fuel reciepts and do the math. If I coast 10mi, then drive 2(@30MPG) I don't want any display or calculations to tell me I'm getting 180MPG.

 

"GaryG: in your youtube I hear you mutter "in EV" quite often. Do you "key cycle" that often, or brake double-tap, or what?"

I don't key-off FAS ever in my '09 FEH. The '09 and newer FEH go EV just by letting off the gas pedal. No need to do the double tap because it will go EV instantly before the first brake pedal tap.

I also P&G in all traffic without getting honked at or getting anyone mad. You just don't understand how, when and where it can be done safely. That could be dangerous and cause you or the other driver to get hurt. Also, not wise to go 100mph in a small SUV IMO.

GaryG

 

Yes, you guessed it - Enumclaw. I have to agree with the safety issues around pulse and glide. The terrain along with the crazy drivers make it pretty much impossible here. Coasting hills is something that I do often. I wish the HV battery would accept more voltage that it will. The energy storage that could be attained from some of the hills here would be a huge boost for mileage if the batteries could handle it without overheating. I just returned from Yakima over Chinook pass (5430 feet). Coming back down the hill, the system would not allow the battery to charge above 70% State Of Charge (SOC). The mileage was still respectable when I got home, but I had to wonder what it might have been if the system had allowed another 20% charge. Yeah, I know, the engineers didn't want to compromise the life of the batteries so they limit the SOC capacity.

 

so any prototype of the liftgate spoiler? anxious to see the results.

 

I gave-up on trying to design one myself, but it appears Ford is selling one now. Ford makes no mileage improvement claims, but I'm seeing some type of spoiler design on just about every vehicle they sell now. I'm going to look into what kind of discount I would get from my dealer parts dept as I have to go there for other things this week. Here is the link I found to get a picture and a price for my '09 FEH: http://www.autotrucktoys.com/escape/...-PRD24850.aspx

GaryG

 

Spoiler for the 2005-07 Vehicles. No claim for aero effects. Any claims would have to meet scientific methodolgy to be valid.