...and 14.804 gallons to fill it, for 42.31 mpg. The DIC said only 40.7 mpg.

Now before anyone calls BS, keep in mind these things:
1) I have a 5 speed.
2) I live at high altitude (7000 ft) which cuts down on wind resistance and also effectively reduces the "size" of the engine by 21%.
3) Rural NM tends to have better quality gasoline than most other places.
4) I have a VERY favorable commute route...all rural highway with speed limit of 50-55 mph.
5) I air up my tires to 40 psi.
6) I'm an experienced hypermiler who uses a pulse-and-glide technique (floor the pedal in 5th gear till you get up to 60-63 mph, then put in neutral and coast down to 50 mph) whenever I can.

Regardless of all that, though, I gotta say I love this car!...and the 2.4L Ecotec.

 

Pretty impressive, sounds like you're really into the "hyper mileage" stuff. I've had a few tanks go over 525 miles on some long interstate hauls, but no special tricks or techniques, just set the cruise for 75-80mph and let the miles unwind.

 

Impressive. However having experienced the frustration of the dreaded Prius drivers on I5 north of Seattle, puttering at 55 in a 70 zone, I would think that your constant speed changes would not be appreciated by the other drivers, unless you modify your techniques so as not to impede traffic.

Impressive tho'.

 

Yeah I'm afraid the "pulse and glide" technique would turn into the "get rear ended by a big 'ol truck going 90mph and ending up in the ditch" technique here in the Charlotte area.

When traffic is flowing smoothly on I-85 an average speed of 80-85 mph is not unknown of on my commute to the city, the far left lane will roll at 90-95mph at times. But when things go wrong, its an absolute mess.

 

Thanks. Yes, I'm very aware of other drivers and only do the P&G thing when there's not a car behind me which is often the case (another advantage of my semi-rural commute). Believe it or not, my problem is more the opposite one...someone is in front of me so I can't do the "pulse" portion of the driving.

If I never used P&G, I'm guessing my mpg would still be 38-40 range which is still impressive for such a cool looking car.

 

so once u coast down to 50 do u use the cruise or what???

my problem is all my roads to work are 65 or 75 speed limits

 

Not sure what the law is in NM, but here in MD it's against the law to "free-wheel" with your car in neutral like you described.

Never was explained to me how you could tell someone was in neutral as you were following them. Usually wasn't hard to tell when conducting a crash investigation, though.

 

By oldlar at 2011-10-01

Although I've not gone 600+ miles on a tank of gas, one fill-up I saw this on my DIC for fuel range. I have a 2.4L auto and was getting 34-35 mpg mostly I-95 from SC to Virginia using cruise and keeping to the speed limits.

 

That is pretty impressive for an HHR. I go for the smiles per gallon myself. I average between 10.5-13mpg combined for both of my Lightnings. The 94 really kills that average. Gotta love the 351W, E4OD, and 4.10's on the freeway. At 65mph in overdrive, I'm running 2600rpm.


Dave

 

What octane of fuel did you use? (91 as recommended for the 2.4L?)