newbie mpg

[SuperGeek]

Originally Posted by jwight

Playing with an SG the last few weeks, had it set to display mpg and throttle position (TPS). Anything above 14 or 15 TPS and you can really see the mpg drop. Also, notice the mpg increase as you coast up to a stop. The longer the coasting period, the higher mpg which helps raise the average. Check some of the hypermiling threads here; the SG will show the "pulse and glide" technique really does help. Good luck!

Yep, I noticed the same thing... watch the GPH or MPG readouts change considerably with just a little bit of foot pressure... it's the same thing for other cars, but in the Smart it's more noticeable because the MPG numbers start out higher.

Yesterday I used the "pulse and glide" from school to work, and third time's the charm... 46.1MPG on a 6 mile city trip - a new record for a single trip on a common route. OK, I should call it "punch it and glide" -- Get up to 50MPH pretty quick, go uphill in 5th gear, then downhill coasting in 5th gear. I don't shift into neutral, because that actually uses as much fuel as idling (~0.2 GPH) where I believe coasting in gear uses zero fuel.

The ScanGauge is critical for getting the most MPGs... I started at 27MPG city and now average 35MPG if I avoid peak traffic. In peak traffic like today I only got 24MPG - but I was also in a downpour of rain, dodging idiots and idling at lights a lot. And I had the defroster (AC compressor) on.

Bruce, it will get better if your driving habits change. If you drive it like you're compensating for something, you'll get the same mileage other cars do. You can double your MPGs while still going as fast as you normally do by going light on the throttle after getting up to cruising speed - think of flying a jet... pilots are all about saving fuel.

[Woody14619]

I have been tracking my mpg and find I get about 39 city and 40 highway. I also noted that the first 1500 miles I got CRAP for milage, closer to the EPA rating for the car. The smart has a clear break-in period, and during that period the mpg is lower than normal, period.

Keep tracking it... it will get better.

[jmonty]

I'm only on my third tank, but my ScanGauge-assisted MPG has stayed at around 41. That is both highway and "city" driving (suburbia). By the way, I like to have my ScanGauge set up to the following gauges:

-Current MPG
-Current Average MPG for this trip (I call this CAM)
-Overall Average MPG for this tank (I call this TAM)
-Distance Till Empty (DTE)

The last three were fairly easy to set up as xgauges. I find that with these gauges showing all of the time that I can really gauge (ha!) how my current driving is affecting my overall mileage. I really try to drive in such a way as to ensure that my current trip mileage is better or the same as the overall tank mileage. It's not always possible, but it gives me a goal on each trip.

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

Yep, I noticed the same thing... watch the GPH or MPG readouts change considerably with just a little bit of foot pressure... it's the same thing for other cars, but in the Smart it's more noticeable because the MPG numbers start out higher.

Yesterday I used the "pulse and glide" from school to work, and third time's the charm... 46.1MPG on a 6 mile city trip - a new record for a single trip on a common route. OK, I should call it "punch it and glide" -- Get up to 50MPH pretty quick, go uphill in 5th gear, then downhill coasting in 5th gear. I don't shift into neutral, because that actually uses as much fuel as idling (~0.2 GPH) where I believe coasting in gear uses zero fuel.

The ScanGauge is critical for getting the most MPGs... I started at 27MPG city and now average 35MPG if I avoid peak traffic. In peak traffic like today I only got 24MPG - but I was also in a downpour of rain, dodging idiots and idling at lights a lot. And I had the defroster (AC compressor) on.

Bruce, it will get better if your driving habits change. If you drive it like you're compensating for something, you'll get the same mileage other cars do. You can double your MPGs while still going as fast as you normally do by going light on the throttle after getting up to cruising speed - think of flying a jet... pilots are all about saving fuel.

Hey SuperGeek - You're one of the few people who seem to think the same way as I do. Get up to speed quick/briskly and then glide along at the speed limit. It has always worked for me and been one of my mileage secrets that no one believes, that is why I normally keep it to myself.

[Karl Roth]

This is the fuel usage graphed out for the first 10,000 miles for lil Booger.
The lowest points are Hwy miles. In the name of science I got a 50cc scooter Aka weedwhacker rated at 110+ mpg and only get 70's on the requested premium fuel. Less crash protection but there are no issues with the HVAC system.
Note that the blue line is the EPA projection. Off of www.Fueleconomy.gov
karl

[Westfield 11]

I had the exact same experience as the OP, mileage was always under 30mpg. It eventually got up to 35 to 36, but only after it cooled enough to turn off the a/c. The biggest improvement came from using a higher quality brand fuel. Once I switched to using Shell or Chevron instead of looking for the lowest price the mileage improved by 5 mpg. I also think that some of these cars need to get a few miles on them before they begin to show their better side. Now that I have over 5k on one of our cabrios it drives a LOT better than the one with 3k, better economy and much smoother shifting. I would not have believed it if I haden't experienced it myself!

[eqwalker]

Same here. Mine is now giving me (depending on how I drive it) between 44 and 49 mpg. I still cannot bust the 50 mpg mark yet. I now have over 20k miles on mine and I do believe I'm about as good as I'm going to get.

[paroyboy]

Heres a sort of related question....Does the smart have DFCO? In my Yaris, it has DFCO which stands for deceleration fuel cut-off. When you are coasting with your foot off the gas or brake, the car shuts all fuel delivery off. Not sure it helps mpg figures that much but every little bit helps

[Dunerunner]

This is pure speculation but wouldn't the ECU reduce fuel flow to idle settings when coasting or during deceleration?

[Periokid]

Modern cars since around 1990 cut off fuel completely when coasting. It is recommended that you coast in gear to get best mileage for this reason.