That's right folks, you heard it here: it's possible to spend hours and hours looking for ways to administer tender loving care to your HCH (and it's fuel efficiency) and NOT see a change in your MPGs. Take my example:
I was driving home from work today - I work right smack downtown, mind you - out to my apartment which just so happens to be one of the highest-volume routes in what was just rated America's "5th-Worst Traffic City" - Jacksonville isn't quite to Atlanta yet but we are closing in, I assure you, and out of nowhere, a violent squall of torrential downpours, 30 MPH headwinds off the river and ocean both, lightning, thunder, pandemonium. The six lanes all stopped simultaneously. What is a healthy 20 minute commute turned into an 80 minute bleary-eyed stop-and-go gale-force weather rat race at a torrid 15-20 MPH, bumper to bumper for miles and miles and miles. This is the day that 2 months ago, would and did easily take my MPG down from, say, 50 to 45 a full 4/5 of the way through a tank. It happens to us all; that 15 minute stretch where you can spend a gallon and get 5 miles, the nightmare even a hybrid wasn't built for.
But the nightmare a hybrid can be driven for. Oh I balled that jack into neutral on the slightest of hills and kicked it back to drive for my stops. At each break in the movement I waited and waited patiently for a gap long enough to get my autostop back, and when worse came to worse (only twice!), I rebooted. Yessir I sat and sat and sat and jumped and stopped and sat and sat and sat in 95 degree heat and roads that were 4 inches full of water after the first 10 minutes and never let up. After a grueling stint that talllied nearly an hour and a half in the worst of conditions for literally everything - tires, autostop, AC, the works - I pulled into my driveway at the same 48.4 MPG I left work with. Thank you, Green Hybrid.

 

Michael,

I can certainly sympathize with you, but is it really right to blame the site? I'd say your conditions are simply unfavorable. What would you have us do?

 

You are very welcome - that took a LOT of HyperMiling to keep it at 48.4 !! Great Job !!

 

I'm a bit confused by your first and last sentence. Were you commenting on trying all the techniques and seeing no change, or were you commenting on how things bad were and the techniques allowed you to at least maintain your MPG? I'd say from those conditions, you did great to not have your MPG in the toilet.

 

Methinks this is dry humor, at it's driest. And the "Thank you Green Hybrid" at the end is in reference to the fact that, in spite of those horrible conditions that in previous cases had ruined his MPG, yet by employing those GreenHybrid tips, he was able to perform a Herculean effort and maintain his MPG at 48.4.

Or, maybe I'm just stupid and that's not it at all. But I'm sticking with the dry humor explanation.

 

Heh, sorry for the confusion. Totally dry humor. There is NO way my mileage even stays close to par on a day like today were it not for the expertise and all the enthusiastic help I've received here since I purchased my HCH. Sometimes just maintaining FE is the greatest gem of the drive, and I couldn't have done it without you all. Thanks!

 

Aha! Guess I got confused, then Glad you're happy with your progress.

 

I thought it was pretty funny actually, but then again I have a very quirky sense of humor to begin with. I too have been stunned by my ability to keep up my average fuel efficiency even in heavy traffic thanks to what I've learned here. The freeways in Phoenix are known for being quite slow during bad traffic times but I've still had days where I averaged maybe 20mph for 3-4 miles and was still able to maintain 45mpg or so according to my ScanGauge, mainly by basically doing pulse & glide whenever possible within my small amount of space in the traffic jam. It's amazing how long you can coast when you're only doing 10-15mph to begin with!

 

explain pulse and glide please

 

Hi Helterskelter683:

___A true testament for us all! Secondly, thank you for sharing it with us.

___As you were describing your horrific drive, I almost felt as if I was in the seat next to you trying to squeeze every last bit of energy out of every ounce of fuel while in the worst of circumstances. About all I can add is excellent job and I hope all your future commutes are far less strenuous ...

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net