Combined Results - Hypermiling Challenge Closure

I've been delaying posting this mainly because we've been traveling but I'm also very disappointed with the results, but here they are:

Winner: BW
Control week: 161.7 miles on 6.640 gallons for 24.35 MPG
Hypermiling week: 151.8 miles on 4.683 gallons for 32.42 MPG
Improvement: 33.1%

Second Place: ME (as in "the Doc" not "me")
Control week: 271 miles on 10.2 gallons for 26.6MPG
Hypermiling week: 255.9 miles on 8.5 gallons for 30.1 MPG
Improvement: 13.3%

Third Place: AB (who didn't provide the details)

Control Week: 24.8 MPG

Hypermiling Week: 27.7 MPG

Improvement: 11.7%

Last Place: Me
Control Week: 31.1 MPG
Hypermiling Week: 24.8 MPG
Improvement: -20.2%

I'll be happy now to put this behind us and move on to more useful posts for people searching how to fix their a/c compressors.

P.S. Go here (my wife's blog) and scroll down a bit to see a picture of the four of us with our cars/truck.

Hypermiling Challenge Complete

I've completed my portion of the hypermiling challenge, but I think there was an error. I can't convince my fellow contestants but I think it filled to a higher amount at the end of the hypermiling week (thus adding more gas and reducing the calculated mpg) than I did at the beginning. I'm going to try and post pictures some day, but it'll be awhile.

Anyway, I dropped from 31.1 mpg down to 24.8!!! That is just not possible, although I did get stuck in some traffic jams.

Anyway, Alex and Ben both did very well... Congrats guys, we'll see who the winner is when Matt finishes up.

Hypermiling Week - End of Day Five

There are only two days left! I'm not feeling very confident about my results so far, so I might push it a bit longer and see how well I can do over the course of a full tank of gas. As you can see in the picture below, I've used about 1/4 of a tank and I'm at 122.9 miles. I think this is actually better than my normal week of driving since at the end of the week I had only gone 147.6 miles on about 3/8 of a tank. I'm pretty sure I can get more than 24.7 miles out of the next 1/8th of a tank (based on the first 1/4, I should get another 60 miles or so). Anyway, we'll find out soon enough.

For your amusement, here are some hypermiling quotes from our contestants:

"Screaming passengers are a verification of healthy hypermiling techniques." - AB quoting something seen elsewhere (I apologize for not having the actual source here.)

"I felt so great that I got about a mile with zero gas usage." - Me (concerning a coast with the car turned off while taking a highway exit and approaching a red light)

"I am rocking this challenge like a 10.0 on the Richter. You're gonna owe me all kinds of rewards, and I might even sign a deal on teaching a hypermiling class at our local community college. It's in the works." - Mr Cocky (aka BH)

"When the road was wet at lunch, the truck wants to fish tail badly in a turn. I told her to calm down and not to waste any energy. It seems that everyone is getting frustrated." - AB, my favorite quote of the competition.

"Just be sure to call one of us to come pick you up when she rams into a median barrier. No shame, no judgments, just a tow or ride when needed." - BH, in response to AB

"It was the most brutal drive home yesterday that I've ever experienced... and traffic wasn't the problem." - BH

"I got passed by 3 dump trucks this morning on the way to work." - AB

Here's my current status (sorry for the bad glare - it's sunny at the top of the driveway):

Hypermiling Day Two Complete

For some reason, I forgot to take my picture today. But this morning, Alex let me borrow his air compressor and add some air to my tires. I was surprised to find out that one was down to 20psi and the other three were at 24-25. They really did look fully inflated. Anyway, I brought them all up to 35psi, still well below the limit of 44psi, so I think I'll be safe from exploding tires (which would be really annoying since I don't have a spare).

That's about all for now.

Hypermiling Day One Complete

After one day of hypermiling, I used just a little bit of gas and drove 33.5 miles. I don't feel like I'm getting very good gas mileage though. I got stuck in stop and go traffic at the end of the day. It was moving too fast to shut the car off, but frequently stopping still. The whole time I was thinking about how much gas I was wasting. I'd be disappointed to get worse gas mileage during my hypermiling week.

Anyway, I thought I'd introduce Alex, my neighbor. He is also in the competition and made a post on his blog about it. He took some extreme duct-taping methods today. This idea was recommended to me, but I couldn't bring myself to do it (plus he has much bigger gaps on his truck). You have to check out the picture he posted. It's pretty amusing.

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.

Eclipse Weight Loss

I'm really excited about this and I hope you enjoy it. I was able to take some time and remove a bunch of "excess" weight from my car. I'm sure some of you are thinking (and I know it because I've already had some comments in person) that a passenger seat doesn't really qualify as "excess" weight, but I usually don't carry passengers around. Also, it only would take four bolts to get it back on, so if I had to I could easily put it back.

Below is the evidence of the main things I've done - I might still remove some more molding and trim before taking it to get weighed, but nothing significant. You might notice I put the center console back in at the end - my wife was a little nervous about having the air bag sensor exposed after I mentioned all the warnings about having it disabled while working around it. It would look pretty foolish to get into a wreck for trying to save 10 pounds.

So, submit your guesses in the comments for the new weight of the car - remember it started at 2940 pounds and I've pretty well documented the heaviest pieces I've removed.

Control Week is Over

My control week of normal driving is over. I filled up the tank today and was surprised at how well my normal gas mileage was. I went 147.6 miles and it only took 4.715 gallons to fill it up. That is an amazing 31.3 miles per gallon - I was expecting around 28, so it's going to be tough to beat that (or I'm going to get really good mileage during the hypermiling week). So, I now have a week to make some changes to the car in preparation for my week of hypermiling.

By the way, there are five other people in my area doing this in some form or another so I'll add some of their results as they come in.

Anyway, here's the proof of my normal mileage:
First, the instrument cluster before filling-up (showing 147.6 miles):





















Then, the pump (showing 4.715 gallons):





















And now the instrument cluster again (showing the tank refilled - the needle is actually still rising because I sick of waiting and needed to get back to work):

Control Week - End of Day Six

There's only one day left of my control week. Tomorrow at lunch, I'm going to fill up the tank and figure out what my gas mileage was for this week of "normal" driving.

Also, today, I made it to a scrap metal recycling place and they let me weigh my car (seemed like it might be somewhat common). So, it is currently sitting at 2940 pounds (with me in it - about 175 pounds). According to Edmunds, the curb weight is/was 2855 pounds, so I guess I must have unintentionally reduced the weight by some of my repairs over the years. I'd love to be able to pull out 940 pounds and bring it down to an even ton, but I doubt I'll be able to get that much out. Sometime over the next week, I'll get that done and be sure to post the results.

Anyway, here's the next to last picture of my control week. I'm up to 126.5 miles and I've used about 1/4 of the tank (which is supposed 15.9 gallons - so that'd put me close to 30 mpg, but we'll see for sure tomorrow).

Control Week - End of Day Five

Two days left in the control week and I still haven't traveled very far, but that's kind of the point - it's been a pretty normal week for me. In related news, I've found somewhere nearby where I can weigh my car! I'm trying to decide when to do it. It's near my office, but I want to be able to weigh it, empty it out and then weigh it again before using up too much gas so that I'll have a pretty good idea of how much junk I was able to remove.

Anyway, here's the picture from today - I'm up to 90.1 miles and almost down to 3/4 of a tank of gas left. (P.S. In the future, I'll have mostly clearer pictures on this blog, but for this challenge, I'm mostly using my cell phone camera - which is obviously pretty low quality.)

Control Week - End of Day Four

As predicted, I haven't driven anywhere today, so there's no need for a new picture. I'll return tomorrow.

Control Week - End of Day Three

I'm up to 82.2 miles and the tank is between 3/4 and 7/8 full. I'm not expecting to drive it between today and tomorrow so, this might qualify as the "End of Day Four" picture too.

Control Week - End of Day One

After a day of normal driving, here is where my mileage and gas gauge sit: 36 miles and virtually no movement on the gas needle.

"Control" week - initial fill-up

OK, I filled up today to start my week of normal driving. This will give me documented evidence of the gas mileage I'm getting now. The picture is from my cell phone, so it's a bit hard to see, the mileage, but you should be able to see that I reset the trip meter to zero and the gas tank is completely full. And in case you can't make it out, the odometer says 157,520.
I filled up and took the picture on my lunch break, so I'm going to take a picture of the instrument cluster every day at the same point in my day (at lunch if I leave for lunch or at my work parking lot if I bring leftovers). I'm also recording how long it takes me to get to and from work every day separately. Today was a bit of a fluke because I dropped off and picked up my dry cleaning during my commute and it was raining on the way home and I've found a lot of people (in CT, MD and AL) just stop completely in the rain. So it took me 27.5 minutes to get home (remember it's a 7 mile trip and the dry cleaners is only slightly out of the way).

Anyway, here's the picture:





















P.S. In case I didn't mention it before - I'm using the '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse for the challenge (you can get introduced to it here).

Future Posts on Completed DIY Projects

I thought I'd make a list of projects that I've completed in the past so that you will know what to expect. Some of these may seem easy, but I have been asked or seen questions about all of them. Also, it's helpful for some people (including me) to see pictures of what someone else has done before jumping into a project.

Volvo V70 Repairs and Maintenance
1) Replacement of A/C compressor (including receiver/dryer and orifice tube)
2) Addition of tow hitch
3) Random little belts, hoses and ductwork
4) Replacement of latch for rear hatch
5) Blower motor and blower motor resistor replacement
6) Coolant level sensor and thermostat replacement
7) Shift light replacement
8) Air filter replacement
9) Oil change

Mitsubishi Eclipse Repairs and Maintenance
1) Timing belt replacement (including water pump, serpentine belts and camshaft seals)
2) Valve cover gasket and spark plug seals replacement (to fix oil leak)
3) Radiator replacement (including draining and refilling coolant)
4) PCV valve and hose replacement
5) Spark plug and wires replacement
6) Fuel filter replacement
7) Clutch master cylinder replacement and slave cylinder cleaning and replacement attempt
8) Air filter replacement
9) Oil change

Planned Yamaha XJ650 Repairs and Maintenance
1) Air filter
2) Oil change
3) Bleed brakes
4) Replace battery
5) Turn signal replacement
6) Replace spark plugs
7) Clean carburetors

So if you somehow find this blog and are interested in seeing any of those descriptions, let me know and I'll be sure to bump it to the top. Or, if you drive one of these cars, leave a comment and I'll focus on that car's repairs first.

Pictures of the other Vehicles

I made the banner for this blog because I think that picture is amusing - I can't believe how much stuff we crammed in and around the Volvo. Our gas mileage on the trip was definitely the worst I've ever had. Unfortunately, it's my least favorite car, so I thought I'd add some pictures of my Eclipse and the motorcycle. The picture of the Eclipse is from a long time ago when it was almost new, but I haven't really had any reason to do any photo shoots of it since then (sorry for the quality, cameras have come a long ways in the last 9-10 years). The motorcycle photo is more recent, but from when it was still in CT.

Introduction

First of all, here is what is in my garage with a little history:
1) 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS: These cars are sometimes referred to as 2gnt, as in 2nd generation non-turbo. It's not actually in my garage because it used to leak oil and now that I've fixed I've just gotten used to parking it out there. I bought this car brand-new from Girard Mitsubishi in New London, CT and it still has there bumper sticker on it. I live in Alabama now so nobody's heard of Girard and now my Eclipse is sometimes simply called, "Girard." It's approaching 160,000 miles and was pretty well mistreated for many years but has been enjoying better treatment in its later years. It has a 4-cylinder engine that is still stock with a 5-speed manual transmission. It has no extras except A/C (power nothing). The closest thing to a modification I've done is add XM radio, but I sold the unit for after moving to where I have a 7 minute commute instead of the 1 1/2 hour commute in DC. I use this car for any driving I do by myself, mainly commuting to and from work.
2) 1999 Volvo V70: This is the station wagon pictured on my banner. When we moved to Alabama, I bought a VW Jetta for my wife to drive, but after having our son, we wanted something a bit more roomier. We could barely fit anything but the stroller in the trunk. It has about 165,000 miles on it and this is our family car. It has a 5-cylinder engine with a turbo. It has a lot more options including a sunroof, power windows, power locks, ABS, etc. I've gotten pretty sick of this car after driving it for a little more than a year. A lot of the interior parts are falling apart and the surfaces are heavily worn. We also have a lot more problems with it than with my Eclipse. Someday we'll probably sell it and get a minivan (to the dismay of some friends).
3) 1983 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim (motorcycle): In the banner picture, this bike is hiding under the blue tarp. It was my dad's until he passed away in 2003. I inherited it since we worked on it together and I drove it as much as he did (although I still don't have a license - don't worry though, I'm not driving it now and before I do I will get a license). It took me until last year to get it down to Alabama, so it spent 3 years sitting in a covered area outside in Connecticut (going from 0-deg to 90-deg over each year). It needs some restoration work, which I started last fall, but never had time to finish. My wife is not too excited about me riding a motorcycle, but I want to get it running at least for nostalgic purposes.
4) Riding lawn mower - this occasionally comes up needing work done, so I thought I'd include it. Also, it was riding on that trailer in the banner too. My brother was in between houses and didn't want to pay to store it (thinking that he'd be using a lawn service in his next house) so he let me have it if I could move it. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy to load that thing up and I was definitely pushing the limits of the Volvo and the trailer that I'd borrowed from a friend's father-in-law.

So that's what's in my garage. I plan to start by posting some projects that I completed on them and then leave it open for future projects.