Thursday, July 24, 2008

Start of Hypermiling Week of Driving

First of all, let me start by saying I weighed my car today. The reading on the scale was 2860 pounds - only 80 pounds less than previously. However, I also weighed it with a full tank of gas, whereas it had only about 3/4 tank last time (about 4-5 gallons different). Assuming a tank of gas weighs 6.1 pounds, that equates to an additional 24.6-30.5 pounds. So my total weight loss was about 105 to 110 pounds. Not a whole lot considering the interior is pretty well emptied of large parts. I do like that the weight difference is about the same as what is frequently reported in news articles. For example: "Every 120-pound reduction can yield a 1% gain in gas mileage, says Bill Grabowski, director of body core engineering for Chrysler."
I guess that'll make a small improvement in my gas mileage, but probably not enough to keep it that way. One side benefit is that I can't carry passengers, so that reduces my weight a bit and forces other people to drive and use their gas if I car pool anywhere (like a meeting for work).

Next, I filled up my tank and kicked off my hypermiling week today. For the record, I'm at 157,851 miles now (as seen in the picture below). I didn't want to sit in the parking lot baking in the heat with the car off for too long, so the needle isn't quite up to full, but it was headed there. I've started parking at the top of my driveway to avoid backing out and I'm shutting off the car and coasting whenever I can. I'm also following at a pretty good distance so I can avoid hitting the brakes too much. I had a hectic day at work so I didn't get a chance to wash the car and inflate the tires, but I will do that ASAP.

P.S. If you got here looking for posts on Volvo A/C or other repairs, feel free to leave a comment and let me know and I'll try and reply with my thoughts on your problem. If it is specifically Volvo A/C related, I'd suggest checking out www.volvoforums.com.

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