HCH Delema--what should I do?
#11
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
LOL!
I drove about 5 miles of mostly glide after running out of bars and this morning another 15 miles on the way home. That puts me about 20 miles into "E" as of tonight.
Another 20 miles tomorrow and 18 miles Thursday would bring me to the nearest gas station to the house--where I would want to fill up before the trip. That's 58 miles total and I should have at least a gallon of reserve after losing the last bar. My tank so far is 60.1mpg so that should be doable.
I'm going to go for it, but I may bring a bike on Thursday just in case.
I drove about 5 miles of mostly glide after running out of bars and this morning another 15 miles on the way home. That puts me about 20 miles into "E" as of tonight.
Another 20 miles tomorrow and 18 miles Thursday would bring me to the nearest gas station to the house--where I would want to fill up before the trip. That's 58 miles total and I should have at least a gallon of reserve after losing the last bar. My tank so far is 60.1mpg so that should be doable.
I'm going to go for it, but I may bring a bike on Thursday just in case.
#12
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
Tank distance is not fuel efficiency. Fill it as often as you like; The aggregate will still be the same. If you want to attach significance to individual tanks, good luck to you and I hope you don't drive yourself up the wall trying to hit your goals. What is it worth any ways, besides producing some meaningless anecdotes to impress people who don't know any better? I don't attach any significance to individual tanks any more than I would consider the thirteenth day of a month landing on a Friday as bad luck.
It's not for a lack of trying: I used to do different things, like ensure I filled at the exact same pump, stopping in the same location so that the car's incline was consistent. But I wouldn't go so far as shaking the car or jacking it up on one side to let out air pockets from the tank. Hang the sense of it, there will always be variables outside of your control and you can never be guaranteed that you will have filled to the exact same high level each time. And there goes your efficiency record down the drain, a whole tank wasted on an experiment that didn't end the way you hoped, all because you under-filled the previous tank and didn't know it.
Don't get me wrong. Science is good, but we're not in a controlled environment.
It's not for a lack of trying: I used to do different things, like ensure I filled at the exact same pump, stopping in the same location so that the car's incline was consistent. But I wouldn't go so far as shaking the car or jacking it up on one side to let out air pockets from the tank. Hang the sense of it, there will always be variables outside of your control and you can never be guaranteed that you will have filled to the exact same high level each time. And there goes your efficiency record down the drain, a whole tank wasted on an experiment that didn't end the way you hoped, all because you under-filled the previous tank and didn't know it.
Don't get me wrong. Science is good, but we're not in a controlled environment.
#13
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
Not a chance. That's why I always defer to my lifetime average. That being said, 675 miles at 60mpg will have a greater impact on my lifetime than 600 miles would--every little bit helps!
#15
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
I was following Spinner's logic stating that when you fill your tank is not relevant to your lifetime mpg. He stated each fill-up is just an "aggregrate". Given this, could you explain your comment above as to how "675 miles at 60mpg will have a greater impact on my lifetime than 600 miles would"? If you were to fill your tank at the 600 mile point, why would your driving habits change just because you filled your tank? If your habits don't change, then why wouldn't 600 miles at 60mpg, followed by a fill-up, then 75 miles at 60 mpg be the same as 675 miles (on one tank) at 60mpg?
#16
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
It would be identical--after the second tank with the 75 miles was added. In the short term though (before adding that next tank), my lifetime mileage would round to 50.7mpg instead of 50.6mpg. We all know how important that extra tenth is right???
#19
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
Just for giggles: Let's add a rarely acknowledged angle:
Current EPA rating for the HCH2:
42 MPG = ~134 Grams of CO2/km
Your target baseline:
60 MPG = ~94 Grams of CO2/km
Now, that is a difference of roughly 40 grams of CO2 per km... and for some that definitely lends a brighter shade of green to GreenHybrid.
Good luck
MSantos
#20
Re: HCH Delema--what should I do?
I heard the fuel pump is in the gas tank and is designed to be cooled by the gas.
If you run dry a lot it will not have as long of a life because it spends more time hot.
I'm not positive that this is true for our cars but I don't run super low any more.
After my best tank of 741 miles I gave up.
If you run dry a lot it will not have as long of a life because it spends more time hot.
I'm not positive that this is true for our cars but I don't run super low any more.
After my best tank of 741 miles I gave up.