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1003 mile tank

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1003 mile tank
10K views 60 replies 28 participants last post by  Scott M. 
#1 ·
I am working at a different location for four weeks. It's just over 82 miles one way, and all but about 3 miles of it is expressway driving. I knew I had an excellent chance to break my previous best of 917. The pump stopped at $75.00 and 17.05 gallons. I had to move to a different pump and add an additional 0.50 gallons for a total of 17.55 gallons total fuel used. Actual calculated mileage was 57.1 Here are the pics. Sorry the pics are turned sideways.

There was one day where it was pretty cold and very windy and had snowed overnight. The wind actually changed directions that day and I wound up driving into a headwind both days. In addition, the snow resulted in some traffic backups on the way to work that day. There was an accident on a another day that caused a traffic jam on the way home that hurt my average for that trip. There were a total of four trips where the car didn't average at least 60 mpg for the drive...both trips on the day it was cold/windy/snowy, the day there was an accident, and a fourth day when the car did a DPF regen cycle during the drive home. The regen cycle was obviously unavoidable, but had the other trips not worked out the way they did I think it's entirely possible the car may have averaged over 60 mpg for the entire tank. The adverse events that had a negative effect on fuel economy all occurred before 500 miles into this 1003 mile tank, and when I filled up today the 500 mile recent average was saying 60.5. This was probably actually closer to 61.5 actual since indicated fuel economy for the trip was 1 less than actual by hand calculation.

Driving speed was 55-60 mph typically. There were 4-5 trips where fuel economy was exceptionally high and exceeded 70 mpg for the drive. I set new 25 and 50 mile economy records during this tank which were 77 and 73 mpg, respectively. It was necessary to use very light acceleration and driving with load techniques to reach these numbers. I was not drafting trucks or other vehicles. Tire inflation is at maximum sidewall pressure. I am at just over 17,000 miles on my car, and it appears that the engine is producing better numbers now that it has a few miles on it. I believe it may continue to improve slightly with more miles. Under the right conditions the car could make 1100 miles on a tank. I don't think I'll be the one to do it, but I think someone will probably manage it if they haven't yet.
 

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#2 ·
That's Nice a new record for the books . I drive all city so it would not make much difference for me to own a Diesel . I do try to Hypernile to be efficient and average 29.3 MPG . Although we are experiencing an influx of road construction lately .
 
#28 · (Edited)
You can get that number up a few points if you add some time in "N" into your driving style. Not really hypermiling but just shifting into N whenever you are coasting or coming to a stop at lower speeds in traffic to reduce engine strain from the transmission. A lot of fuel is used in stopped and rolling traffic from just staying in D when power is not required to keep rolling or when just staying in D causes more brake to be required. There are many places over rolling terrain where gravity can be used as fuel in N to save fuel. In other parts of the world automatics are programmed to do this automatically to save fuel.



the green line is coasting in N, the red line in staying in D......

The TDIclub has several strings that explain how fuel can be saved by just shifting into N when conditions allow it to save brake or reduce required throttle input to cover the same distance. The Newbies & Vets thread is a good place to start.....The Hypermiling video thread is another really good thread worth a read!
 
#14 ·
Yeah a couple of other diesel owners were talking about their cars being pessimistic in that thread with the poll regarding the accuracy of the DIC. After closely observing my car for coming up on a year now, I've noticed that the amount of pessimism is not consistent. It becomes increasingly pessimistic as outside temp decreases, which I think might actually be caused by a temperature dependent change in the density of the fuel in the car's tank rather than the colder air temperature being directly responsible.

I have time for 1 or possibly two more attempts at beating 1003 miles before I'm done working at this location. My very good buddy has a 2013 Cruze Eco MT. We are going to trade cars for the last week that I'm working at this location, and I will drive his car exactly the same as I just drove mine for the 1003 mile attempt in order to see what I can manage with his car. I'm predicting that I will see about 50-51 mpg driving his car. His commute is a little over 50 miles. He drives 75-85 mph, and I think he usually gets about 38-39 mpg for a tank with his car overall. He will probably average 45 mpg for a tank in my car is my guess. Should be interesting.

Very impressive, especially considering the traffic and wind situation. I woudl imagine that if you hit a period where you coudl go a solid tank with none of this interference, you could make 1100 miles without too much trouble.
Yeah, if not for those three trips that hurt me a little bit 1100 miles may have been within reach during this attempt. I actually just now remembered two more things that happened in the 1003 miles that were also areas for improvement. The first two trips this tank were actually to and from the airport, which is located right near where I work. On the way home from the airport I was tired from my trip and dr0ve 75 mpg all the way home for around 65 miles and probably only averaged roughly 50 mpg for that trip. I had forgotten about that one, but that probably had a bigger negative effect than any of the other less than ideal trips. I also drove the car to the grocery store once.


Awesome! The more I drive my CTD, the more I learn how to drive it efficiently. I just wish my commute wasn't as hilly.


-Brad
Agreed on the hills having a significant effect. To get 70 mpg there really can't be any hills or wind or the car just won't do it. Expressways that have just a few gentle random hills typically limit me to no more than low 60s and often less.
 
#9 ·
Very impressive, especially considering the traffic and wind situation. I woudl imagine that if you hit a period where you coudl go a solid tank with none of this interference, you could make 1100 miles without too much trouble.
 
#18 ·
I would imagine that you'll be able to do 900 without much trouble. There are only two people on Fuelly with a diesel powered Cruze that I can't beat their lifetime average, and you're one of the two. You've got a solid 2+ mpg on me.
 
#19 ·
Great job, that is awesome.. This summer is going to be very interesting, as to who can get the best mpg and who can drive the farthest.. A+ Diesel guys!!
 
#20 ·
Awesome accomplishment! That rates a super hypermiler status.
 
#21 ·
Congratulations. That's going to be hard to top.
 
#22 ·
My wife is already blaming you for my upcoming running out of gas on the way to Lordstown. I know where there is a gas station at 901 and 1004 miles from my house. I'll just have to hope for a good tailwind across Nebraska. :)
 
#27 ·
Haha. :)

I'm hoping to see some big numbers from my fellow hypercruzers this summer. Has anyone ever earned a hypercruzer badge with two different Cruzes before? I'm going to try it in a couple of weeks when my buddy trade up for a few days. In the next month or two I'm going to take a trip for a job interview. It's 500 miles one way, and the speed limit is only 55 for more than half of it. I'll definitely be looking for my first 60 mpg tank on that trip provided that I don't run into any headwinds and it's not warm enough that I need to run AC. I'm hardcore, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to sweat for 20+ hours of driving 55 mph. :)
 
#24 ·
I-80. In the rural areas I'll be slower. Through the cities I'll have to speed up to avoid being a traffic hazard.
 
#25 ·
I am setting mine at 63 for the entire trip..
 
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