Short trips? Here's a trick!

[nooaah]

Alright, when I'm at work I sometimes have to go to the orthodontist or run errands. These trips take me 1-2 miles, or less than 5 minutes total drive time. Killer on mileage, right? Yeah, it was for me, too. That is, until I figured out a little trick!

If you have the time and patience, drive one block. Pull over and park. The ICE will shut itself off within 15 seconds. Sit there for a few minutes. After that, you should be ready to go. I can do a full pulse and glide with no problems. My mileage from these frequent short trips are completely unaffected.

I hope this works for the rest of you! I also don't know if this will work well in cold weather. It's in the 70's-80's in Philadelphia lately.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by nooaah

Alright, when I'm at work I sometimes have to go to the orthodontist or run errands. These trips take me 1-2 miles, or less than 5 minutes total drive time. Killer on mileage, right? Yeah, it was for me, too. That is, until I figured out a little trick!

If you have the time and patience, drive one block. Pull over and park. The ICE will shut itself off within 15 seconds. Sit there for a few minutes. After that, you should be ready to go. I can do a full pulse and glide with no problems. My mileage from these frequent short trips are completely unaffected.

I hope this works for the rest of you! I also don't know if this will work well in cold weather. It's in the 70's-80's in Philadelphia lately.

Yup, you've discovered how to get into S4...and once the ICE shuts off there's no need to wait...I typically just keep driving until I get to a stop light then I make sure to fire up the ICE and then let it shut off into S4.
It won't work as well in cold weather and the distance needed to drive will vary quite a lot. What you're looking for is an ICE temp over 154F (I've heard 157, but I seem to be able to get into S4. This is yet another reason something like a scangauge is invaluable. You drive until you see 154/157F or higher before you try to get into S4.

What I do on those very short trips with a cold ICE is I tend to use my EV button to simulate S4. The other day I did this for about a 2 mile drive and I actually never got the ICE temp up to 154 b/c I did short pulses and forced EV glides whenever possible on side streets.

[nooaah]

Unfortunately I don't have the EV button, so waiting out the warming time is my only option. This would work for longer trips, but it's not really worth the time, IMO.

This has definitely helped my mileage tremendously, though. I get about 52MPG right now in a very hilly area and with my tires at 32PSI all around (I know, I haven't had time to properly inflate them). Before, I'd get about a .3 or .4 mpg hit from a short trip and about 100-200 miles on the current tank (fairly significant, I'd say). With this, my mileage stays the same or even goes up a little, depending on which hill I take.

[efusco]

Again, it's worth the time, but not worth the time to take a stop just for the purpose of getting into S4 usually. Using my EBH I can usually stop at the stop sign for my little subdivision ~1/4 mile from my house. I make a complete stop, wait the 5-7 seconds (if my temp was up to >154), let her go into S4 then take off. It helps a lot on slower sections of my commute.

[nooaah]

Originally Posted by efusco

Again, it's worth the time, but not worth the time to take a stop just for the purpose of getting into S4 usually. Using my EBH I can usually stop at the stop sign for my little subdivision ~1/4 mile from my house. I make a complete stop, wait the 5-7 seconds (if my temp was up to >154), let her go into S4 then take off. It helps a lot on slower sections of my commute.

Unfortunately, I have no way of gauging the temperature so I just estimate when it's ready to go at full efficiency. I see people using their mobile/palm devices to interface with the computer and get this information. Can a program do this via bluetooth or is there a more complicated hack involved?

[efusco]

Originally Posted by nooaah

Unfortunately, I have no way of gauging the temperature so I just estimate when it's ready to go at full efficiency. I see people using their mobile/palm devices to interface with the computer and get this information. Can a program do this via bluetooth or is there a more complicated hack involved?

No hack really, you just need the cable/connector for the OBDII port and the proper software. But I strongly recommend the Scan Gauge...the amount of data and quality and convenience for the price is worth it...you'll have a hard time coming close with a PDA and the cost will probably being about the same.

[nooaah]

Originally Posted by efusco

No hack really, you just need the cable/connector for the OBDII port and the proper software. But I strongly recommend the Scan Gauge...the amount of data and quality and convenience for the price is worth it...you'll have a hard time coming close with a PDA and the cost will probably being about the same.

I've actually been tempted to buy one but I need more education as to what data it really provides me other than more accurate fuel usage...Which is an issue with my car. I get down to two pips with under 400 miles left. I refuel and can only put in 5-6 gallons before it clicks. I understand the whole "fuel bladder" concept but I think I'm a bit on the extreme end of things.

[ken1784]

Originally Posted by efusco

Yup, you've discovered how to get into S4.

I believe he was in S2 instead of S4.

Ken@Japan

[efusco]

Originally Posted by ken1784

I believe he was in S2 instead of S4.

Ken@Japan

Ken san, I hesitate to question you at all, but how could he do a full P&G unless in S4?

[ken1784]

Originally Posted by efusco

Ken san, I hesitate to question you at all, but how could he do a full P&G unless in S4?

Hi Dr. Evan,
The S2 behavior is exactly same as S4 including a full P&G.

Ken@Japan