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darin AT metrompg D-O-T com, or here |
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What is MetroMPG.com?
Drop me a line. darin AT metrompg D.O.T com, or use this form.
Posted Wednesday, May 13/09 in Mods & Tests
Posted Tuesday, February 10/09 in General
Well, you've probably heard of the term "unintended consequences" ... and if Mike hadn't before, he definitely knows it now! The writing on the car resulted in enough additional rubbernecking to cause traffic problems, making lane changes difficult for Mike, and causing cars in the passing lane to bunch up behind the gawkers/readers. If ever there was a reason to stick a web address on a vehicle, this was it. So I offered to make Mike a web site so he could replace the stats on the side of the car with "Aerocivic.com". Now motorists who see the car have the opportunity to learn the details from the safety of their computer chairs, rather than while barrelling down the highway beside it. Posted Tuesday, January 20/09 in Mods & Tests
Of course anyone with a shred of interest in efficiency already knows that tire pressure is one of the basic first steps. But it's one thing to read stats, and another to see the relationship demonstrated in real life. So last summer I set out to do a snapshot test of how far (or not) my car rolls down the same course at varying tire pressure levels. Posted Monday, October 6/08 in Mods & Tests
Apparently people are hungry for quality information - real ways to save fuel that don't involve dubious gadgets pitched in infomercials, additives promoted with no scientific basis, or hare-brained schemes that occasionally gain traction on the Internet. With that in mind, the members over at EcoModder have recently compiled a comprehensive list of 65+ gas saving modifications that are well understood & documented with examples. Posted Sunday, August 24/08 in Suzukiclone info
The big Cat is long gone, and I've come full circle back to Pontiac via the Firefly. But the badge on the hood is about the only thing the Flea has in common with the monster Catalina. Its little 3 cylinder engine doesn't have even 1/6th the displacement of the 389 V8! Apparently I'm not the only one who has downsized into a thrifty car lately. With $4 gasoline in the US this summer, people were abandoning their guzzlers... and apparently their common sense by paying startlingly high prices for some 1 litre action. Posted Sunday, May 18/08 in Driving efficiently
At the end of 2006 I posted a retrospective that showed this. I compared the impact of all the mods I'd done to the car against changes in driving style. The mods were collectively worth about a 28% improvement in MPG. And the driving techniques? How about a whopping 38% boost. The benefit of a modded vehicle is that it will get better efficiency regardless of the driver. The benefits of developing efficient driving techniques is they're free and portable - you can bring them to any vehicle you drive. To help spread the knowledge, several EcoModder members (including your humble nenpi maniac) recently collaborated on a big list of 100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips & techniques. Posted Thursday, April 17/08 in Mods & Tests
Plus, who says block heaters are only for sub-zero use? I use mine three seasons of the year. (And the only reason I don't use it regularly in the summer is because I'm lazy.) Toyota's hybrids (like the Prius) employ their thermos-like tanks to preserve coolant heat for efficiency gains whether January or July. The question this post addresses is: how long should you plug in a block heater? In other words, what's the shortest time needed for the maximum temperature rise? Posted Wednesday, March 12/08 in General
But the magazine did a lot more than just talk about efficiency. They grabbed the bull by the horns (okay, a Ford Pinto by the bumper) and actually did something about it. Their story, Project Car: Crisis-Fighter Pinto, outlined six simple, mostly aerodynamic modifications which actually saved gas. After the jump: the six modifications, in detail. Posted Thursday, January 3/08 in Suzukiclone info
Almost a year later, a quick look at his gas log shows it's climbed to 60.5 mpg. Nice work! Unfortunately, the secret to his success may lie partly in Mother Nature's aggressive vehicle weight reduction program - the XFi has been rusting out from under him! But there's a silver lining: Rick just picked up a lightly roasted 1991 Metro convertible for $150 and has launched the ambitious Convertible XFi Project. It's shaping up to be much more than just a powertrain swap. Posted Tuesday, December 11/07 in General
When I originally set up this site, I made a decision not to include visitor comments with the articles, thinking it would create too much work. Instead, I invited e-mail and responses submitted through the feedback page. Well, let me tell you something: MetroMPG.com visitors are a chatty bunch! Since day one, I've received & answered literally hundreds of messages ... and lately the rate has been increasing. (So much for saving work.) So with that in mind, I recently conceded defeat. But in a good way - with the launch of Ecomodder.com, a brand spanking new discussion forum about efficiency modifications, eco-driving techniques and fuel economy in general. Show more posts: page 1
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darin AT metrompg D-O-T com, or here
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