This is a response to https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/eco-...save-fuel.html Instead of arguing with that thread poster, I put it to the test myself.

Not only does it work, but it's the most effective technique I've ever used. This might sound like an exaggerating, considering how much the poster in that link attacked me so harshly and how much I would want to prove him wrong, but it's not exaggeration.

I owned my fit since April 2006, 3 days after it arrived in US soil. My miles per tank usually range from 290-310. I'm referring to ALL the numbers I can remember (and recorded) throughout this car's lifetime. Only ONCE I surpassed 310, getting 320, and that was due to the tank having been added higher than usual.

THe past 3 tanks I used pulse and glide, and the numbers were 320, 320, 340. I did not drive anywhere special the past 3 tanks. 3 consecutive tanks breaking my normal range is NOT a fluke. Especially the 340. That was just incredible. When I got that, that's when I knew I had enough data to post this thread to defend P&G.

Methods I've tried which yielded disappointing results.
- driving at 65 mph instead of 80 mph. Surprisingly, my mileage did not improve enough that I can't call it a fluke. This is odd because the fit is not aerodynamic, and you'd think it benefits more from slowing down.
- half gallon technique- basicaly you drive with less than a full tank, to reduce weight. The benefit from this was neglible
- driving like grandma- did nothing as well.

As a matter of fact, the beauty of P&G is that it's an aggressive form of driving, so it's actually more fun! This is the best part of it. You save more gas, and enjoy the mightly i-VTEC torque.

 

ok. i want in. wtf is pulse and glide? any write up? or link to the breakdown of it? btw, we have vtec-e.

 

Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This only works in city driving, and hopefully you a manual transmission.

After a stop sign, or a red light, sprint the car with first or second gear (pulse), get to the speed you need, and go to neutral (glide). Use enough acceleration so you have enough momentum to reach the next stop sign,red light, or distance. Don't time it too accurately that by the time your car stops, it is exactly where you want. You can overshoot.

This method can be a little dangerous when you're around many cars. You might find yourself tailgating the car in front of you right after the pulse. safety first. Only you know how fast you can react and brake.

Another tip is when you glide, you can feel your car decelerate. Sometimes, this feeling gives you the impression your car is going slow, and you might be tempted to get back into gear, and step on the gas. Learn to fight this urge, and trust your odometer to determine your speed.

On the highway, when you go downhill, just set your car on neutral. You can't pulse on the highway, but you can still take advantage of gliding.

I discourage you doing this on an automatic, because the way the transmission works, it's not good to get the car moving while on neutral. Neutral on an AT is not a true neutral.

 

Pulse n glide is killing the engine, going down say 10-20mph under your initial speed. Then accelerate again till you get to your original speed....repeating of course...? Or am I on somethin else?

 

ok, i never knew there was a name for this. i do the pulse to a FAS. all the time. if i felt unsafe, i wouldn't. ive FAS'd into turns, offramps, high speed turns, stopped cars, etc. FAS FTW!!

oh, and of course i have a MT, im not homo :P

 

The way you describe it is for long distance cruising (like highway driving). Right now, I've only done it in the city, so I only do one "cycle" at a time. I don't want to do it on highway because I have the impression it'll age your clutch. It might get tiring if your commute is 1 hour like mine (my knee is currently injured from falling off bike. Now that it's healed, Ima get a new bike, I'm going to do bike + train. No more wasting gas commute woot)

I might try that technique for one tank, for the purposes of data and curiosity. I don't think it's feasible to do regularly. I'm a double clutcher when I rev match, So P&G on the highway will be like 2 hours of left leg work

 

First off he wanted prove and you still have not provide any proof.
Second, he admitted after receiving proof that P&G does work.
Third, driving at 65mph vs. 80mpg does save gas(what planet do you live on?)
Fourth, Driving like grandma is relative. Accelerating moderately slow and driving under the speed limit SAVES gas.

Your proof of a varying miles per tank with that variance being 20-30miles is relative as well, seeing how temperature, weather and traffic play a big roll.

 

yea, PnG works...just ppl aren't really safe in the car or others on the road...well they are but they aren't. With shutting off and turning your engine on again...you wear out the starter, cause I forgot how you start a man. without the key :/

 

Seems you are a bit misinformed about the whole situation. Turning the engine off is not a requirement for pulse and glide.

 

As the below poster stated, turning off ignition is a separate technique (auto stop) that can be combined with P&G, but it's not necessary. The safety issue is the biggest reason sicne the steering wheel will lock.

 

uh ya, steering wheel wont lock provided you keep the ignition switch in that one mode just past where off is. i think its called "AUX" , named so for when you want to listen to the stereo, but not have the vehicle running.

 

yea, it won't lock..but I guesss I am misinformed to PnG..? Get up to speed...go to neutral and glide down then?

 

That's correct, although you want to go slightly FASTER than the intended speed before you slow down, so the average throughout the P&G "cycle" is the same as if you cruised.

You should also pulse at a low gear. Low gears are geared for acceleration, and high gears are geared for distance.

I just bought my bike today. I might P&G in biking too haha.

 

No, you should always pulse in the highest gear possible without lugging the engine. Unless you are hill climbing 30-35 MPH means shift into 5th gear. Using low gears will negate any benefit.

 

But what if you're getting from stop sign to stop sign? if you use a high gear, the acceleration is so slow, by the time you're up to the preferred speed, you don't have much gliding distance. and all in all, you basically cruised between the stop sign, which is only a slight difference from normal driving.

Who knows. I might be wrong since I did first hear of P&G last week. But I kinda confident I'm right given the logic behind why P&G works....but if you're VERY sure, I'm probably gonna take your word.

 

I know turning off the car in automatic is BAD, b/c automatics need some lubricant constantly lubricating the transmission. But this won't happen when the engine is off.

I *think* the same logic is for neutral in automatics. When you hit the gas in an automatic, it lubricates the transmission. So if the car moves in neutral, it doesn't get the lubrication it needs.

I'm more confident in the correctness of the first paragraph than the 2nd paragraph. But I apologize ahead of time if one or both of what I'd just said are wrong.

That thread did piss me off. I almost closed it, but I hate drama and didn't wanna risk pissing off the thread starter so I didn't close it. Instead I let out the anger in the form of pulsing my fit haha. The gliding is when I breathe out slowly and think of happy thoughts

 

From what I know...going into neutral with an AT while in motion is about as bad as clutchless shifting is I guess for MT's. You can do it...but it's not recommended. In AT's it's all hydraulic pressure helping you shift and I was told by one of the employees at a tranny shops here, I guess after long it can/does put unwanted pressure on the seals n yea, you'll be getting a tranny replaced/rebuilt for no reason really. Iono how true that is all together but yea I'll take the 1-2mpg hit from not going into N in my lesabre. MT's on the other hand..well yea, go N all you want lol.
Iono about the tranny not being lubed when in N though if it does/as much as it would in a drive gear.
Not saying I know a lot about trannies...cause the only completely true thing I can say is I hate working on them/doing much of anything at all with them except shifting

 

I see what you're getting at with stop sign to stop sign city driving. Pulse and glide applies more when the car is in constant motion. For stop to stop driving, I think you'd be better off with the DWB technique (driving without brakes) where you just drive as if your brakes were faded. You'd wind up accelerating for maybe 1/4 of the distance then utilize Decel Fuel cutoff on the slowing down portion.

 

Many RVing sites have a guide as to which vehicles can be flat-towed behind a motorhome. On some vehicles there is no issue while on others it is not recommended. If a particular vehicle is cleared to be flat towed then you can neutral coast all you want.

 

Apparently it says in the owner's manual that the AT Fit can be flat-towed if you follow a certain procedure with the gears. I don't have my manual handy or I'd quote from it.