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.