How do I maximize MPG? from miles per hour
I've been so very lucky to have this incredible teaching opportunity come my way...I'll be teaching the children who travel with the Carson and Barnes circus...shortly, I'll be leaving Texas for Wyomi...
Forum Discussion
Not necessarily. My view is similar to Tatest. The best fuel economy will be in the highest gear at the lowest RPM. Extending to way slower than you want to go.
So if you can get it in top gear at 1600 RPM, go for it. Of course the automatic will downshift if it has to. But the closest the automatic will allow to lugging the engine the better for fuel economy. Anytime you downshift and raise RPM, the reason shouldn't be fuel economy.
I have a new Camry w/ 6 speed automatic and four cylinder. It is operating the engine in areas I used to consider lugging. It will do acceleration in the 1300-2000 RPM range under light to medium throttle. This increases cylinder pressures for more efficient operation.
The other big lesson of the Scangauge is to back off when you see a stop ahead and let it roll down as long as practical. The instantaneous fuel mileage under this circumstance can be over 40 MPG. On some cars it is close to 100 MPG.
So essentially trust the transmission programming. Accelerate in a way that it upshifts as soon as possible. Only manually downshift for reasons other than fuel economy. Like Tatest said, the mileage comes best at lowest practical speeds.
So if you can get it in top gear at 1600 RPM, go for it. Of course the automatic will downshift if it has to. But the closest the automatic will allow to lugging the engine the better for fuel economy. Anytime you downshift and raise RPM, the reason shouldn't be fuel economy.
I have a new Camry w/ 6 speed automatic and four cylinder. It is operating the engine in areas I used to consider lugging. It will do acceleration in the 1300-2000 RPM range under light to medium throttle. This increases cylinder pressures for more efficient operation.
The other big lesson of the Scangauge is to back off when you see a stop ahead and let it roll down as long as practical. The instantaneous fuel mileage under this circumstance can be over 40 MPG. On some cars it is close to 100 MPG.
So essentially trust the transmission programming. Accelerate in a way that it upshifts as soon as possible. Only manually downshift for reasons other than fuel economy. Like Tatest said, the mileage comes best at lowest practical speeds.
