@bilal
(disclaimer: i have read the ENTIRE 4 pages and am not jumping to any conclusions)
first of all REGARDLESS of what mileage you have achieved, congrats on achieving what you set out to do...and that was to drive more economically. even IF (and that is a BIG if) your average mileage meter is faulty, then the amount of fuel you put in the car is far less than what other so called "normal" drivers are consuming (on trips between RWP and PSH). so hats off to you.
i think if someone can be applauded for doing silly doughnuts on a PUBLIC road and posing a REAL threat to pedestrians, other motorist and more so himself..then i think your efforts too can be appreciated to say the least.
secondly i congratulate you on being intelligent enough to realize that saving fuel DOES not in anyway determine that you not enjoying your experience in the car.
thirdly for realizing that fuel is a NEVER ENDING expense and not a one time expense like purchasing a car, so saving on fuel does not make you an idiot, a kanjoos or make you only illegible for owning a mehran, donkey cart or a CD70.
those who cant do, become ignorant and make fun as a defense mechanism. always remember that.
i hope all this praise makes up for all the undue (and also some due) criticism !
now to the real part of my post...hyper-milling !
i have owned 5 cars (mine and my parents) that i have driven extensively.
they have been on either diesel, petrol or mixture of petrol/CNG (yes i also use cng.. sorry).
i am not an EXTREME hyper-miller but my style of driving does give me better fuel economy. i still driver quicker than most of my friends who drive like maniacs on the road with bigger engined cars YET i save on fuel. im sorry but i just DONT see the harm.
i havnt read your specific thread on hyper-milling but ive been doing it since 99 (it was my first car and surprisingly i was driving a 98 MEHRAN...hahaha..i know). i was only 14 and i didnt have enough money to fill fuel every second day...but i still wanted to go EVERYWHERE. so my only solution was to change my newly learned driving habits.
i got easily hooked to the benefits of coasting to a signal instead of RACING to it (i race go karts NOT street cars).
shutting off the engine when idling for more than 45 secs (signals that i KNEW were red for a long time).
using AC only when needed.
driving at a constant speed and then driving behind another car so the car in front creates a hole in the air for your car, reducing drag and thus increasing fuel economy.
breaking as LITTLE as possible as slowly as possible. NO need to slam hard on te brakes then accelerate like a maniac when u can slow a little early on and accelerate little to gradually get back to speed (like u said LOOK AHEAD)
keep the engine rpms below 2000 rpm or 2500rpm if the engine is small or has low torque.
all these tiny changes in driving style helped quite a bit.
i became SO obsessed that i used to accelerate quickly (mehran) in the first 3 gears to move to 4th gear ASAP and then coast in neutral when i hit my desired speed or around 70km/h in karachi (almost all of it was city driving...as i was not allowed to drive outside defence when i was a teenager)
oh..btw to all the critics, YES engine braking helps a GREAT DEAL...no denying that. but please keep in mind a hyper-miller is already coasting in neutral at a leisurely speed of 70 or 80 and would gradually be losing speed due to the cars drag and rolling resistance. so very light braking is needed. of course when situations demand it (we are not idiots) like on a hill, etc...engine braking should be used.
then came the santro in 2000. this car had a knocking problem so i was advised by Hyundai dealership to run it on 25% hi-octane and 75% super.
the same economical driving techniques helped me save on fuel costs as well b/c i was spending Rs4/km with 50% AC and 100% city driving while other people i knew, driving santros at the time ALSO running on same hi-octane were spending Rs4.5 - Rs5/km.
even the dealership people were impressed with the millage (dont rem the km/ltr as its been almost 10years but i still rem the fuel cost as its price was relatively stable and people i knew calculated in Rs/km)
then came the KIA spectra in 2002 with factory CNG of BRC brand. its still with us today having done 80000km yesterday. it is my parents car but I've personally driven at least 35000 - 40000km in it.
only my mom and i drive that car and she has NO idea what hyper-milling is so the differences in driving styles were even MORE OBVIOUS than before. she would barely do 60 - 70km in 7.5kgs of gas. while i was touching 85km to 90km with same driving conditions (4ppl, AC and city driving)
then came the CHERY QQ in late 2005. this was my first car that i bought myself and of course i had to pay for the fuel and my traveling was about to increase ALOT as i would use this car for going to University each day for 3 yrs which was a 70km round trip. so i put it on CNG as it was costing me half the amount to fuel my car for the same distance.
im friends with the Managing Director at Chery Motors, and to THIS day...NO other CNG Cherry QQ driver has claimed to have gotten about 21-22km per KG of CNG on a regular basis (with AC and 40% highway driving). as the price of CNG increased my Rs/KM value changed so i mentioned the Km/KG value. all this was calculated by myself over many many runs. i still own this car after 75000km of driving and i still calculate multiple runs every month even today just to see if the car is getting worse or still running like it used to.
lastly, i bought a Civic Oriel manual in Sep 2009. i haven't converted it to CNG as i knew its running would be less than 500km/month plus i became more knowledgable about the drawback of CNG installation (not its use...JUST ITS INSTALLATION) and hw installing CNG without SIS would basically turn my car into a sort of carburetor car.
so far its done 3500km in about 10.5months and i have driven 95% of those KMs. i of course didn't change my style of driving even though i went from a mehran to a civic (a so called "luxury" car by many Pakwheelers).
after the initial "break in" period i started filling the car to max, driving it till the tank is almost empty, noting my mileage and the amount of fuel needed for a full fill up.
this car is driven 100% with AC (i clean the car and its original seats with expensive products so i dont want dust in the car) and its driven inside defence and clifton ONLY, which means almost 100% city driving (only thrice i took it to far away areas of Karachi tht might let me use signal free roads).
i have done 3 runs of over 500kms each with similar driving condition (4ppl, 100%AC and 100% city driving) and have so far achieved these figures 10.19km/ltr, 10.32km/ltr and 10.26km/ltr.
my 4th run was spoiled when people at honda dealership stole petrol from my car and i had to restart my calculations.
on my NEW 4th run, i have so far achieved 232km on 45% of the fuel (the new civic comes with a digital fuel gauge comprising 20 lights to indicate level...i have so far used 9 lights).
so by simple maths this means i can achieve 10.36km/ltr. i know this last calculation is very rough but i will get it filled up to the max once ive done more than 500kms and then calculate again more accurately.
of coursemy 1st 3 runs were calculate EXACTLY how many Pakwheelers in this thread suggested:
fill from the same pump,
drive till tank is almost empty
and fill again.
my formula was (like Vcheng suggested): driven distance/fuel filled = mileage
when i first mentioned my cars mileage ppl were finding it very hard to believe me.
INFACT quite a few Civic owners were very happy and VERY PROUD (i might add) to be achieving only 7 - 7.5kms in the city.
WHO in the world would be proud of consuming more than what is needed?? that is just beyond me..!!
i mean i didnt drive at 40km/h..i didnt roll down the windows and i never traveled alone since this car is taken out when the entire family is going out. i still accelerated out of corners in the correct gear at a high enough rpm that there was enough torque to not bog me down.
in fact when i drive i usually accelerate normally till 70 - 80km/h then coast till the next stop. i dont accelerate like a granny or take corners like one either. i usually corner at 30%higher cornering speeds since i prefer to corner through a better line instead of maintaining an incorrect corner entry line...braking hard to decelerate and then accelerate through the wrong corner exit line.
all in all. saving fuel while enjoying driving your car is in NO WAY demeaning and i really dont understand why its frowned upon by all the "intellectually gifted" people here on Pakwheels.
bilal has started an excellent thread...he should be praised for taking the initiative.
hell...even i didnt take the initiative even though i've been doing it for over a decade.
extremism of ANY form is unhealthy but do it in moderation and you'll be fine (enjoying the drive while saving on fuel).