Mountain roadtrip with Phenomenal mileage.
I went on a hella Sunday drive today...left at ~5 am. I behaved like a pig Saturday. Sunday, @ 4 am, woke up with angry wife. She demanded I make myself scarce for the day, with assurance she would keep it up until I left. Knowing this woman meant business, I decided the best action was to bolt.
I left without plan. did not take phone, map, or GPS. Since I was in no hurry with main goal to be gone for the day, I drove slow with cruise set at speed limit. First leg, Raleigh-->Pilot Mt. (NC) to watch the sunrise. Stopped to fill up 50 miles in (13 gal + ~ 1 cup PowerStroke silver), and a second time for 6:30 am breakfast. Drove to Fancy Gap VA and got on the blue-ridge parkway (headed south). Display1 (whole trip) was showing ~48 mpg at Fancy Gap. Drove down the parkway (45 mph limit - impossible to maintain this speed) all the way to Ashville. I stopped at about 10 overlooks, hiked to crabtree falls (3 mi), and went to the summit of Mt. Mitchell. When I got off the parkway in Ashville, display was showing ~52 mpg with average speed of ~40. BTW...it was very cool day...AC was off and windows were opened ~1 inch for most of the trip. Heat was on for much of the Blue ridge leg.
In Ashville, I got on I-40 to head home...and set cruise @ limit (55, 60, 65, 70).
Got home at 6:30 pm...with display reading 54.9 mpg and a bit over 600 miles, average speed, 52 mph. For the part of the trip that was after the fill-up @ 50 miles, the display showed 55.6 mpg.
Driving style:
I did not "hypermile". but...I used extensive engine breaking on downhill segments. I kept car in gear closest to 2000 rpm for all powered driving...selecting gear leading to higher RPM rather than lower. On the parkway I used only 3rd and 4th gears for power (but used neutral and 2nd-5th for engine-breaking/coasting). When on cruise and going down hills (interstate) steep enough to cause the instant MPG display to show "200", I would coast in neutral (clutch press) to turn off cruise, and disengage the engine to avoid "resist the hill" engine breaking. I would "reinstate cruise/gear" on the upslope once car speed reached limit.
I was surprised that the mileage increased on the I-40 interstate run back to Raleigh...I expected that my high 50+ would drop on the "high speed return"...but it did not...rather it kept climbing.
My lifetime average for this car is ~42.5 mpg. The majority of the miles are an 11 miles commute through 9 stoplights in 20 minutes twice each day (8 hrs spaced) M-F. So...this is my first 600+ mile day for the car. But the numbers I got today were unexpected and amazing. I will, of course, hand calculate and add to fuelly, but, I have enough experience with my car to know that the display numbers will be close.
BTW...my car is bone stock 6MT JSW with 16 inch alloy "bioline" wheels fitted with OEM Hankooks inflated to 42 psi. Spare wheel swapped for an alloy match to the other wheels so I can have a 5 tire rotation...
