So I'm watching the news on my local Fox channel in Philly and they do this story about a local guy who is wringing 50 mpg out of his small Honda, not a hybrid, just some regular gas powered Honda that is in no way EPA rated to get 50mpg. He did various techniques including the "pulse and glide." I found an article on the MyFoxPhilly web site and learned about another burgeoning fad called "hypermilling."

Long story short, I changed by driving techniques this week to see how many MPGs I could squeeze out of my '03 6MT G35 Sedan and I went from 14.5 city to 21 city!

Let me give you some context (short story long). I live in the heart of center city Philadelphia. Like most big, Eastern cities, there are many narrow, one-way roads with stop signs or stop lights at every corner and most of them do not permit turns on red. It's just about the worst possible scenario from a fuel mileage standpoint. My 20 mile round-trip to my job in the suburbs is mostly city driving with about 30% of the trip on a stretch of road called West River Drive, adjacent to the notorious, always crowded Schuyllkill expressway. The River Drive has only 2 stop lights and the speed limit is 35, though the typical speed of traffic is 50-70 mph! Yeah, I do it too. So on most of my tanks I average 16 mpg with this mostly bad city, partial almost highway driving.

During this test phase I have encountered 3 bumper to bumper traffic jams when speeds ranged from 3mph to dead stop. I also had one 6 mile highway trip at a steady 55mph.

In the past, during pure highway driving my 6MT has regularly gotten 30.1 mpg. I set my cruise control at 69. I treat entrance ramps and toll booth exits like a drag strip, and make quick passes on drivers slower than me, but the rest of the time I cruise at 69 and get nice mileage.

Well, the story on TV inspired me to attempt to adjust my habits. I accelerated slowly, short shifted, coasted to stops when possible, obeyed the speed limit, used 6th gear a lot more, did 40 in 6th with cruise control on the River Drive, shut the engine off when it was clear that I would not be moving for at least 1 minute, "bump started" the car by rolling down the slope of our parking lot and popping the clutch instead of cranking the starter, watched the little "leaf" gauge that shows instantaneous fuel consumption on the fuel page of my Nav. screen to remind me to lighten my right foot, kept the AC off and the windows down in the city and rolled them up and turned on the cooling to minimize drag on the highway and tried to keep the revs to 2000 rpm or less as much as possible. I'm not positive that all of these methods are effective but I'm trying to find out.

I must also add that I haven't completely abandoned the soul of a G35 driver. When people are driving like crap, I'll put the hammer down to get around them. Also, I haven't turned into a road hog. Other than obeying laws and traffic control devices, I believe that a driver should never do anything that causes other drivers to slow down or make evasive maneuvers. I'm staying to the right, keeping out of the way and picking up my pace when I have to.

So I have increased my fuel mileage by roughly 40% I think (did the math in my head and I'm not good at math) just by driving like a retired, 80 year old, school teacher in a Gremlin. I don't know if I can keep doing this because it feels unnatural and requires more self discipline than I am used to exercising, but the results are motivating. My other gas saving measure is to ride my wife's 200cc Vespa Grandtourismo. It'll do 80 (if I lean over to cut drag) and gets 60-70mpg (though not at that speed). The weather generally dictates my mode of transportation each day.

By now I bet most of you think I should sell my G to someone worthy and buy a Prius, but it ain't happening I want a car that CAN go fast, even if I only do it occasionally. So, now that I have bragged and rambled and provided excruciating details about my driving life and habits, does anybody else have any mileage figures they want to brag about, or cry about? I, for one, would also like to know what your normal city/highway figures are and what model you drive. How do the Xs, 2wd ATs, 6MTs coupes and sedans compare? One more thing, anybody have and more fuel conserving tips or mods to share?

 

I'm with you. Save gas (and resources) when you can, but giggle like a kid knowing you can "punch it" if and when you want. Sometimes it's better to accelerate out of a tricky mess rather than try and stop.

 

The problem with this “new driving habit” is it causes major congestion and near misses… I’m referring to So Cal fwys… I’ve seen countless of tards going 50-55 in a 65 mph zone with no one in front of them… this is not safe. It creates a huge amount of traffic jam, which results in erratic driving behavior from motorists trying to get to the speed limit.

If you want to save gas by taking ¼ mile accelerate or cruise at a speed that is determined a perfect mpg savings – please do it off peak hours or at least out of the flow of traffic. I’m not a speed demon during normal commute – I drive an F-150 at normal speeds = normal is speed limit in a reasonable distance to get to speed.

The damn news channels would have people drinking their own urine if they said it makes you grow taller…

Sorry if I’m offending people but I’m getting pissed at the traffic hazards that are trying to save fuel.

 

I'm all for saving gas and $ in my pocket, but will never go to that extreme in driving habits as mentioned by OP. If you lug it in too high of a gear at low speeds and still safely get up to speed with flowing traffic, that can waste more gas than driving/shifting normal. Not getting up to speed in a timely manner is a safety issue to others on the road, especially on the fwys imo.

Without even changing my normal to spirited driving habits I get ~16-18city/~22-24hwy. 2006 6mt coupe.
More fuel saving tips...get a motorcycle.

 

There's a big difference between inconsiderate asshats that impede traffic flow to wring every last mile out of a gallon, and drivers like lush1 who maximize mileage where appropriate but have the decency to speed up or move out of the way for faster drivers. I've adopted several of the mileage increasing techniques myself, but would never slow traffic down just to save a few cents. Plus, it's not necessary to drive particulary slow to save gas. You just need to accelerate smoothly to speed and then hit the cruise control (at least in Florida where it's basically flat) and stay at that speed.

 

Dear OCG35,

I agree with you 100%. I drive the speed limit, or faster if required so as NOT to impede the flow of traffic. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I tried to make it very clear in my original post that I practice all of these techniques when I can, but my credo is "a driver should never do anything that causes other drivers to slow down or make evasive maneuvers." Also, I'm staying to the right, keeping out of the way and picking up my pace when I have to.

I could probably get even better mileage by doing what you have witnessed, people driving too slow, leaving big gaps in traffic and causing gas wasting traffic jams, not to mention exercising very selfish, anti-social behavior. I hate people that drive like that and I want to join you in discouraging people from driving like idiots and clogging up traffic to save themselves 10 cents. However, I think that trying to save gas, when appropriate, is a laudable goal. Our country is dependent on a vanishing resource, supplied by foreign countries, many of which don't like us. That's very bad, but have you noticed in the news the past few days that the price of oil and gas are actually going down again because people have changed their driving habits and the supply is greater than the demand?

I don't think there are many people here who would drive so slow they would cause traffic jams. However, you are right about the influence a TV station can have on masses of asses. My hope is that this group of passionate drivers might have some good ideas on ways to responsibly save gas without driving like jerks.

 

Driving a little slower and conservatively is cool but I seriously hate people who think they can just go from 30-5 mph by coasting simply becaues there's a red light 1/2 a mile up the street. Turning off your ignition can be dangerous and may not pay off in the end.

 

One way I could improve my overall gas mileage would be to go ahead, sell my F150, and buy a high fuel economy car. Whether Prius, Smart, or Fit. And just drive THAT car around town, leaving my G for the highway.

There is no ideal car for all occasions. I wouldn't like driving a real small car again on the highway for long distances. Been there, done that.

 

lush1 - sorry bro, I didn’t mean to sound like I was directing it at you... that’s why I mentioned So Cal fwys... I'm not sure where the people out here get the idea they have but it’s frustrating and dangerous the way some of these people drive... It’s becoming very common now - it totally out of line when they go 50 in the fast lane with no one in front of them for 1/4 mile...

I think some feel that the traffic will slow eventually anyway so they go 15 mph under speed limit - what they don’t realize is it only takes a half dozen a-holes doing that to cause 100's of cars to back up.

Its just a pet peeve of mine (always has been) - so I'm sorry if it seemed directed at you

 

I had the opportunity (or misfortune) to drive from my home just south of BWI airport in Baltimore to Philadelphia and back, twice last weekend. There is nothing more frustrating than cruising @ 80-85MPH and come up on a Prius in the left lane on I-95 (on several occasions) barely doing 65MPH and having to change lanes to pass him. This clown was impeding traffic and even though the speed limit is 65, anyone traveling I-95 knows if you drive the speed limit you have to get to the right lanes. I got 24 miles per gallon doing 80. That's the best I have ever gotten no matter how conservatively I have driven. I believe the econoboxes belong on city streets and not on the interstates. If they have to be on the interstate and can't keep up, stay out of the way.

 

Those people who impede traffic think everyone else is evil. They think they're doing their part to save the planet. What they don't realize is that when they cause traffic to bunch up, everyone else's gas mileage goes down negating any positive impact they're making.

 

Good idea. Already have 1 and a half motorcycles! My '95 Honda A.C.E gets about 35 mpg, which is pretty poor for a motorcycle that doesn't have a lot of grunt, but it's not a bad cruiser.

The "half" is my wife's Vespa. I can easily get 70 mpg out of that, it is wicked fast (for a scooter) and has lots of storage space which is great for running errands. I scoffed at it when she bought it, but I find myself using it more and more, and not just in town. I often commute on it and it's plenty fast enough for the highway. Scooters are a hot item in town. You can always find free parking on sidewalks and they don't ticket you, as long as you tuck it in out of the way of foot traffic and don't put it someplace stupid. I see more of them every day and it's a sellers market, and a target for thieves. Got to lock 'em up real good. Some friends of mine lost theirs to thieves who sawed through a wrought iron fence to get it.

But I digress. Rain, snow, extreme heat, extreme cold or carrying passengers or cargo still requires a car, so I'm trying to see how much I can get out of it in the city where driving like a bat out of hell is dangerous, frustrating and wastes fuel. Without impeding traffic I have gone from 14 mpg to 22 mpg on my daily commute mostly by reigning in my right foot and adjusting my shifting technique, while remaining mindful about not holding up traffic. I expect to still get around 30 mpg cruising on the highway at 69 mph. I'm not ready to totally give up the rush of pushing my G on a twisty road, but racing up to stop signs has lost it's thrill.

I don't know how many of you remember the Arab oil embargo of the '70s, but I do and if we ever go down the road of gas rationing, spiking prices, long lines at gas stations and other restrictions, it will be good to know what I can expect from my G. In the meantime I'm sure I can find something to do with the money I'm saving. Maybe I'll buy a turbo-charger ;-)

My original purpose for this thread was to find out what mileage the various G's get and looking for more fuel saving tips and mods. It didn't really go that way, but that's o.k., these replies have been interesting. Still, if anybody wants to share their mileage or post some other tips, please do.

 

The G Coupe is hardly fuel efficient. We all have to live with it. 90% of my driving is recreational talk about a waste of cash! I can burn 20-25 bucks on the average day.

 

No offense taken man. It's often hard to clearly state one's intention in written words, especially when being long-winded, which I am very guilty of. I'm glad that you pointed out that my words could be construed to encourage people to drive like slugs. It gave me the opportunity to clarify and emphasize that I don't condone holding up traffic. We can all feel your pain. Saving money is great, but not at other peoples' expense. That ain't right.

 

ok im all for saving gas mileage but i mean you bought a G for a reason to drive and have fun doin it. ok all Gs gas mileage varies from car to car im one of the lucky ones thats gets 20-24 mpg no matter how i drive but i mean not directing it any1 but i can stand goin down the highway at 65-70 and come up on a prius doin 50-55 thats just rediculous and come on you already drive a freakin pruis how is really worth almost cuasing accidents to get 52 mpg instead of 50. well just my 2 cents. but atleast the OP was doin the right way and stayin outa everyones way in the right lane and such. well happy motoring