Excellent point John! How much wind drag is there at an average of 24mph? That maybe my average speed when you consider all the times you,re at a stop, accelerating to speed, slowing down to a stop or gliding down in a P&G. I admit, my speed average maybe slower than most people but this should make people here really see how the difference between a dirty FEH and a waxed FEH effect wind resistance even at slower speeds.

Recently, my tanks are starting to average in the 60mpg range. It must be that I have discovered some things that work to improve MPG in the '09 FEH. It is not just one thing I discovered, it's how to use every one of them together. There are some things that my driving skills can't change and those are fixed. When I discover how fixed things improve my driving skills, I make a change for the better. Example, increasing my tire pressure to 50psi increased my MPG average all around. Increasing my tire pressure any higher has very little of an effect and is not worth the risk or ride. I consider my tire pressure now fixed and don't need any changes. I seen a instant drastic change for the worst for my driving skills and MPG when I waxed my FEH. I seen my MPG slowly improve as my FEH got dirtier to this date. My mileage average is still improving but I haven't improved or found any new techniques that would explain the increase other than my FEH continues to get dirtier. At some point like my tire pressure, I'll reach a point my average MPG will quit climbing and may even start falling.

All anyone including you has to do is look at my mileage log graphs to see a steady climb in MPG from my new purchase in July of '08: http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&vie wcar=2612

I've had a few setbacks like overfilling my oil, tire leaks, and bad weather, but I know what caused the setbacks and corrected them if I could. The wax job was just another temporary setback I corrected. Now, tell us how logging the barometric pressure each tank would show any effects to a graph that has a steady rise over 30 months and 28,000 miles? If barometric pressure had any noticeable change in my mileage, it was no where near the effects of waxing. I see the effects of high winds, heavy rain and cold weather, but barometric pressure in flat Florida? Okay, maybe during a hurricane.

GaryG

 

"how the difference between a dirty FEH and a waxed FEH effect wind resistance even at slower speeds"

This statement--or shall we say conclusion--is based upon a drive (outside your normal local mapped out maximized MPG routes) to Miami and back (after you had waxed your vehicle) when your MPG dropped. You then returned to your mapped local routes that maximize mileage (MPG) following this drive to Miami and noted an uptick in MPG as the vehicle got dirtier. Therefore you concluded a dirty vehicle is the reason for the uptick in MPG. At no time did you repeat the trip to Miami with the now dirty vehicle and report on MPG.

This conclusion does not cut "muster". You are a master hypermiler and have provided helpful information to many of us thru the years. However...

 

Now how do you know that one 160 mile trip effected two separate tanks? For your information, I go to Miami and other places outside my normal routes every day. It's true, my route down to the WPB Courthouse is my normal commute to pick-up work, but it's not always the same depending on the stops I need to make to drop-off work a long the way. We do most of our work with private attorneys located anywhere in five Counties (Martin, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Broward and Dade). The longer trips helps my average tank MPG no matter if I know the area or choice of roads. My '09 FEH is mainly a side business vehicle that I put about 12,000 miles yearly. Attorney's order transcripts of trials which my wife types part time and I pick-up the CD's in WPB, collect the fees and drop off the Transcripts to the Attorneys in the five Counties as a service.

You assume to much Billy. Not only is hypermiling my hobby, but we make a good profit over the other Typist (contractors) driving or hiring someone else that have a much bigger gas bill to pay each Month. In fact, my mileage is calculated by the IRS as a bigger tax deduction than our cost because of normal drivers like yourself. Thanks!

GaryG