50+mpg trips

[SnitGTS]

Normally when I start my drive to work I can get out to the main road in EV mode before the engine kicks in as I'm accelerating up a little hill to 40 mph.  (probably like 250 feet of driving)  That acceleration does wonders for warming up the car, my mpg drops a few tenths of a mile but not a full mpg like yesterday when the ICE was on in the parking lot!   :drop:

 

I like the idea of EV+, but EV+ seems to start out a lot further for me than you guys, I looked it up on Google Maps and it is 0.7 miles!  I think what it is, the most fuel efficient way for me to get home is almost a V shape, EV+ kicks in at one end of the V and my apartment is at the other end.  There is a shorter way where I'm only going about 0.4 miles in EV+, but that is going up a long hill and even max EV+ isn't enough to accelerate at all.

 

Weird thing, I was at a light and I checked my trip odometer & miles to empty, 217 driven and 499 to go even after dropping to 51.1 mpg for the tank, no way in heck that's right!

 

I'm on regular by the way, the 51.1 mpg is for my C-Maxes 2nd tank of gas ever.  

 

Edit:  When I leave in the morning I drive the V as well, when I get to the other end of the V it is not uncommon for EV+ to come on and stay on until I'm a mile from home or more.

Edited June 11, 2013 by SnitGTS

[salsaguy]

I'm sure the GPS and EV+ is looking at your house location as the crow flys and not as an actual route with the V, hence why it kicks on when it does. most see it kick on at 1/8 to 1/4 miles from home.

pull up the map on Google Earth and use the tape measure feature to measure the distance from the two ends of the "V" and it will probably be as for others.

[Noah Harbinger]

I'm sure the GPS and EV+ is looking at your house location as the crow flys and not as an actual route with the V, hence why it kicks on when it does. most see it kick on at 1/8 to 1/4 miles from home.

pull up the map on Google Earth and use the tape measure feature to measure the distance from the two ends of the "V" and it will probably be as for others.

 

There's also a tape-measure add-on for Google Maps: At the bottom of the left information section of the page, you'll see a link that says "Maps Labs". It's got a couple neat tools. I think it's a leftover from back in the days when Google actually allowed innovations to see the light of day… before they had shareholders. 

 

And I'll confirm, it is as-the-crow flies - it turns on at a point that is 0.25 miles away, but with 0.4 miles of driving remaining, before I reach home. 

Edited June 12, 2013 by Noah Harbinger

[frbill]

Here is the results of my latest trip up north. I got 53+mpg on the way north and 49 on the trip back south with the average being then 50.1 mpg. I did this on regular gas (e10). I was pleased with the results.

 

 

Peace,

 

Fr. Bill

[fotomoto]

 with the average being then 50.1 mpg. I did this on regular gas (e10). I was pleased with the results.

 

Well you juuuuuuust made it into the 50+ club but that's highly impressive given the length of the trip and on e10 regular.  CONGRATS!  :rockon:

[Jus-A-CMax]

Thats awesome frbill :rockon:

Edited June 12, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[SnitGTS]

I know I have a long ways to go before I get my 600 mile tank, but it takes me 3-4 weeks to burn through a tank of gas.  Here is my trip gauge this morning, should easily be in the mid-600's for this tank.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

My best trip.  54.4MPG.  Less than 600 miles on the new C-MAX.

Edited June 13, 2013 by ScubaDadMiami

[SnitGTS]

I used a few techniques I saw on the Mythbuster's hypermiling episode last night (<45 mph & slow acceleration) and got my personal best FE driving to work!

 

 

Unfortunately on my way home it was raining and I only got 45 mpg...

 

Lifetime is almost to the 47 mpg the car is rated at! (I started with a 19.8 mpg lifetime average and have not reset it)

 

[Adair]

Still in the game, in spite of the SYNC/phone issues :yahoo:

And I STILL love my C-MAX!!! :wub2:

 

55 by JellyBean439, on Flickr

[Jus-A-CMax]

Still in the game, in spite of the SYNC/phone issues :yahoo:

And I STILL love my C-MAX!!! :wub2:

 

55 by JellyBean439, on Flickr

That's AWESOME Adair, keep that up for 20 hrs and you're in the club. :rockon:

[Jus-A-CMax]

Rolling along...

 

[Adair]

What fun!!!! WTG............again............Jus!!!

[METROMAN]

Don't know if we're going to make 600 miles on the first tank, even with these kind of numbers. Sitting on 1/8 tank & 538 miles with 65 miles to empty. Don't think my better half will want to chance it. Lifetime average not at 47 yet, but hey, it's only the first tank. Give me a break. Lol  Overall I'm very pleased with the mpg's. I really think CR magazine should take a second look at this car. Go for a longer drive with the warmer temps, etc. I bet they'd get some totally different numbers.

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by METROMAN

[SnitGTS]

Rolling along...

 

 

Jus, are you doing anything special to get 80% of your miles as EV miles?  Even on my best individual trip I only got 73.6%, with 12.5 miles driven 9.2 miles in EV.  My overall average is 63%...

Edited June 15, 2013 by SnitGTS

[KAL Cmax]

Thought I would post my recent two trips. I live near Boston and these trips are a mix of highway and city driving. Stop and go with getting up at 75 mph when I could. Just some normal driving, not really paying attention to get the best mpg.

 

No AC windows down.

Oil change at 1,000 miles with synthetic.

Mobil premium 93 octane.

Tank reported avg 48.3 mpg at a 1/2 tank.

Carrying about 150 lbs of equipment.

[fotomoto]

Thought I would post my recent two trips.

 

NICE!   Get those brake scores up to 100% (not the easiest thing to do in traffic) and you'd be flirting with the 60's.  :rockon:

[METROMAN]

Well, just, filled the tank for the first time. Didn't stretch it out to 600 miles, maybe next tank. Got 46.5 mpg figured at the pump. Lifetime avg at 44.7. I can live with that.

[Adair]

Well, just, filled the tank for the first time. Didn't stretch it out to 600 miles, maybe next tank. Got 46.5 mpg figured at the pump. Lifetime avg at 44.7. I can live with that.

Sa-weeeeeeT!!!!

[Jus-A-CMax]

Jus, are you doing anything special to get 80% of your miles as EV miles?  Even on my best individual trip I only got 73.6%, with 12.5 miles driven 9.2 miles in EV.  My overall average is 63%...

I am actually...I fess up....I have my wife pedalling to pull the CMax...oh I am so dead.... :hysterical:

 

No, nothing at all. I have always said (if you look at my review), knowing your terrain and maximizing it will give you more than any technique. Before the CMax, I had NO CLUES as to what was flat and what was not and it all looked the same to me. Since I've had Maxine, oh boy, does she tell me in her lil ways if the road is truly flat or not so make use of this knowledge. Add in some nice P&G, feathering the pedal and controlling how power ou really need for the cruise and watching the roads - you complete the MPG cake.

 

Jus go easy on it, as you can OD on it and become and addict like Matt and I :hi5:

Edited June 15, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[KAL Cmax]

NICE!   Get those brake scores up to 100% (not the easiest thing to do in traffic) and you'd be flirting with the 60's.  :rockon:

Almost 60! I'll just blame the braking on being a Masshole driving, I should know. I use to be one until the mileage bug kind of bit me.

[SnitGTS]

I am actually...I fess up....I have my wife pedalling to pull the CMax...oh I am so dead.... :hysterical:

 

No, nothing at all. I have always said (if you look at my review), knowing your terrain and maximizing it will give you more than any technique. Before the CMax, I had NO CLUES as to what was flat and what was not and it all looked the same to me. Since I've had Maxine, oh boy, does she tell me in her lil ways if the road is truly flat or not so make use of this knowledge. Add in some nice P&G, feathering the pedal and controlling how power ou really need for the cruise and watching the roads - you complete the MPG cake.

 

Jus go easy on it, as you can OD on it and become and addict like Matt and I :hi5:

 

I totally agree with you, before I got my C-Max I had no idea just how hilly this place is!  Now almost everything is a hill, even what is relatively flat I can tell one direction always takes a little more power.  I think more than anything my second tank of gas is 2-3 mpg better because I have started to learn some tricks about how best to handle my route to and from work.  I'm definitely starting to catch the bug...

[mtb9153]

I try to feather the pedal on inclines but to keep the ICE off on most of the hilly sections I travel it would mean dropping my speed down to just more than a crawl to keep the blue line intact.  With others on the road behind me, that isn't going to happen, I'll be getting more than just dirty looks.  I'm struggling with knowing how to manage my driving on non flat sections of the road and remain fuelly.  Honestly I don't know how in the world you guys are achieving such high Average MPG? ;)  I know my braking scores probably are playing a major part of my lack of success.  But no matter how hard I try I can't keep my braking from falling to or below 50%   There are just too many buttheads on the roads around here and my reaction time is touchy, I'm quick to jam on the brakes when I see cars braking ahead of me.  I have been in too many rear end accidents and have become very reactionary.

[SnitGTS]

 try to feather the pedal on inclines but to keep the ICE off on most of the hilly sections I travel it would mean dropping my speed down to just more than a crawl to keep the blue line intact.  With others on the road behind me, that isn't going to happen, I'll be getting more than just dirty looks.  I'm struggling with knowing how to manage my driving on non flat sections of the road and remain fuelly.  Honestly I don't know how in the world you guys are achieving such high Average MPG? ;)  I know my braking scores probably are playing a major part of my lack of success.  But no matter how hard I try I can't keep my braking from falling to or below 50%   There are just too many buttheads on the roads around here and my reaction time is touchy, I'm quick to jam on the brakes when I see cars braking ahead of me.  I have been in too many rear end accidents and have become very reactionary.

 

I hear you on the buttheads on the road, but it is possible to get good braking scores even with them.  My strategy is to keep a few extra car lengths between me and the car in front of me and to try my hardest to anticipate in advance of when I am going to have to brake.  I've personally always been that way, I watch all the cars around me and try to figure out what they are going to do, even when I was a more aggressive driver I was watching out for the buttheads.

 

If I even have an inkling we might be stopping I immediately take my foot off the gas and coast, even if we end up not stopping it's not like I'm losing a lot of speed to coasting.  As soon as I see I will need to brake I brake a little hard at first and then brake just hard enough to end up stopping right behind the guy in front of me.  Sometimes you get bad scores, but more often than not by anticipating what is going to happen I can pretty consistently get 100's.

[Jus-A-CMax]

My advice for up hills....use ICE, not enuf power in EV (MTB forgetaboutit). If you can, keep it at 2 bars so u can charge and just before you peak, back off the pedal so u can allow EV to kick in and push u over the top..remember, little things make a big difference. Remember u can't fight physics going up hill so use ICE.

 

Downhills depends on a few things, steepness of grade, traffic on your a$$, next light or jammed traffic ahead... so that will influence whether u decide to use EV to power down, ICE to give u a burst say 5 mph above speed limit, or if steep enuf jus coast and gain regen... u have to make the call but remember, ICE uses gas which u can't get back if you're doing a 600+ tank run.