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Thread: Florida Fuel Economy Run

  1. #1
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Florida Fuel Economy Run

    Hey!

    I've put on a couple fuel economy runs in the past. Usually with my sports car buddies, who mostly don't "get it", so attendance is low. But, we always have a ball doing it!

    How many folks on this forum are in FL? Specifically either near the Tampa area, or willing to drive to the Tampa area for a fuel economy challenge "TSD Rally" kind of event?

    Doing this in traffic is an insane challenge, and potentially dangerous. (with the hardcore hypermilers coasting down to 20 mph under the speed limit on their glides when traffic is trying to drive 10-20 mph over the limit) So, normally, I like to do these late at night. In fact, the last two have been called "Midnight Run", and run from about midnight to 6am on mostly rural and small-town roads.

    Anyhow. Gauging interest. I thought about doing one this spring, It's probably been 2 years since the last one. But, it's hard to get motivated when you know you're probably only going to get 3-4 teams.

    Oh, and the way I do it to encourage even people with non-economy cars to participate is to base your results on your percentage improvement over your EPA highway MPG. EPA says 22 hwy and you did 33? That's a 50% improvement... and could put you in the hunt for a win! Mods are unrestricted. Whatever you want to do. The car started out capable of X, and your modifications and/or driving skill got you to Y. That's what it's all about!

    I usually let you choose your own route, as well... and make it tempting to take the default GPS-recommended "highway route"... but, give you the freedom to get from point A to point B using whatever route you prefer. So, you can take some back roads and enjoy some scenery and curves... while driving a little slower. But, there IS a time limit, so you can't drive too slow.

    Enough teasing. Who's interested???


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  3. #2
    If you had to do it during the daytime you could make it so you lose points if someone gives you the finger, shoots at you or receive any other types or road rage.
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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Haha! Yeah.

    The last one I did was kinda fun. I was driving a 1.6 Miata that I'd installed an extra battery in (in parallel so that I could run the lights with the engine off without worrying about running the battery down), and had a kill switch. So, my MO was to stay in 4th as much as possible. 3/4-throttle blast up to 60 or even 65, and neutral EOC down to 30-35, bump-start in 4th and repeat. If there were curves (and I chose my own route, so I made sure there were curves!), I timed my acceleration so that my coast-down would put me at an "entertaining" speed for the curves without having to brake. It was a little monotonous after 4 hours, but very challenging and fun!

    That was where I netted just over 50 mpg with a Miata.

    But, I guess nobody here is interested in doing an economy run. I'm surprised.
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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    But, I guess nobody here is interested in doing an economy run. I'm surprised.
    I'm interested in participating but not interested in driving down to Florida.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  6. #5
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    It's not so bad once you get out of Ohio. Especially if you skip Georgia.
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    Senior Member fc321's Avatar
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    I like the idea but from Miami its like a 6 hour drive each way. I think you could indeed do it during the day however and have all the participants turn on their hazards or like the funeral processions do.

    It would be fun to set it up as an adventure race where teams need to go to "Go to Autozone and buy a filter" and then drive to the park and take a picture in front of a duck and then drive to the other side of town and stick a sticker on a bus's tail-light and then Go to starbucks and steal 100 wooden stir sticks and so forth, you get the idea.

    I like the idea mostly as a concept for a Southern Mirage meet-up if we can get a bunch of Mirages to participate from Florida, Georgia and the other states nearby
    2015 Mirage DE 5 speed Manual - 30k miles

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 44.9 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


  8. #7
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fc321 View Post
    I like the idea but from Miami its like a 6 hour drive each way. I think you could indeed do it during the day however and have all the participants turn on their hazards or like the funeral processions do.
    Um. No. That's not legal, and I'm not going to suggest that anyone do it.

    It would be fun to set it up as an adventure race where teams need to go to "Go to Autozone and buy a filter" and then drive to the park and take a picture in front of a duck and then drive to the other side of town and stick a sticker on a bus's tail-light and then Go to starbucks and steal 100 wooden stir sticks and so forth, you get the idea.
    I've done scavenger hunt rallies before. Like this. and this. (usually requiring photos to include either the car or at least one member of the team) They're fun. But, they're not an economy run. They're a lot more work to setup, and actually a bit of a pain in the ass to score. (You do 15-20 items... with 10-20 teams... that's up to 400 photos you have to look at to score the event! And if they're having trouble uploading photos... or you're having trouble downloading photos... ugh.)

    I like the idea mostly as a concept for a Southern Mirage meet-up if we can get a bunch of Mirages to participate from Florida, Georgia and the other states nearby.
    That's quite a different thing. See, I wouldn't show up for just a "Mirage meet". I need to DO something. An autocross. A rally. Something.

    But, yeah, it's hard to get folks from all over the SE to attend anything down in South or Central Florida. If you want to do something that "big", it needs to be more centrally located so that it can easily pull from multiple big city population centers.

    Throwing that to the side... just trying to do an event like this IN Florida with Floridians, it's hard. The biggest reason I don't do rally events very much any more is that attendance is so low. Why? Because it's Florida, and there's a million other things to do.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    It's not so bad once you get out of Ohio. Especially if you skip Georgia.
    Ha that's a good point.

    However I think there's a misunderstanding. I see a contradiction in burning fuel to prove I can save fuel.

    I suppose my Fuel Economy Log will have to suffice.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  10. #9
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    I like to get good fuel economy, not waste fuel, save the planet, all that kind of stuff. I do. But, for me, motorsports and various other forms of "playing with cars" is a hobby. So, I see a road trip (whether it has a rigid "purpose" or not) as an entertaining thing to do. And I see an "economy run" as an interesting challenge.

    I can't imagine that there are very many people in the US who don't burn some fuel or expend some other resources in the pursuit of frivolous hobbies. That's all we're talking about here. It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be fun!
    Simplify and add lightness.

  11. #10
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Oh I agree - especially the getting together and doing something. I think its a great idea. I wish I lived closer, it sounds like fun.

    Give it some time hopefully you'll get a better response.


    Last edited by Eggman; 08-20-2018 at 04:46 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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