To get better gas mileage
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,670
From: East Bay / Pomona
Car Info: '02 PSM WRX
To get better gas mileage
R&T said to WOT and shortshift until I get to the speed I want to be at. Do you think this really works? If so, that's a nice excuse to have a little fun with my car 
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,670
From: East Bay / Pomona
Car Info: '02 PSM WRX
Originally Posted by Road&Track
WOT/short-shifting can save as much as 20 percent in city driving, worst to best case. In actual practice, rarely does atraffic allow full WOT, but it's certainly fun - and efficient as well - to accelerate briskly through the lower gears to whatever the ambient speed happens to be.
Originally Posted by Road&Track
That is, not only do revs cost money, but so does prolonged motoring in lower gears, when throttling and pumping losses are their greatest
Originally Posted by STi-owns-evo
Does this hold any water? Since it kinda makes sense that you're acceleration time is considerably less and your cruising time is elongated, but at the same time you're taking that much more fuel to get to that cruising speed.
and what exactly do you mean by short shifting?
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,670
From: East Bay / Pomona
Car Info: '02 PSM WRX
shortshifting means WOTing but then shifting at like 3-4k RPM, a lot shorter in the RPM band than if you were trying to get max acceleration.
Ever play Need for Speed?
Ever play Need for Speed?
iClub Silver Vendor
iTrader: (12)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 8,228
From: 631 Railroad Ave. Fairfield, CA
Car Info: A Laptop
The theory is that you're using the engine as efficiently as possible to accelerate. Since the throttle is 100% open its not restricting airflow and increases efficiency. Also, while you are using more fuel during this acceleration, you would be accelerating for a significantly shorter period of time. So you're using more fuel per unit of time, but decreasing the amount of time spent accelerating enough to actually use less total gas than accelerating normally for a longer period of time. That's the theory anyway... I can't say I've tried it enough to have any actualy data on it though.
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,670
From: East Bay / Pomona
Car Info: '02 PSM WRX
Originally Posted by maddhatteroo7
/maddhatteroo7 slaps STi-owns-evo around a bit with a large trout
ucbsti willing to try it for a tank of gas and see what the results are? I don't drive my car enough now for me to. Even if I did, it would be mostly highway so I wouldn't see much of a change.
VIP Member
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,041
From: http://freshlove.grandmighty.com
Car Info: looking for a gc
i always wondered why i get better gas mileage than a lot of my friends.. this is how i drive almost all the time, but i dont speed much anymore haha, WOT to speed limit :banana:
my main theory is that when you hit the gas in a higher gear at lower rpm, the fuel to air isnt being used effeciently
my main theory is that when you hit the gas in a higher gear at lower rpm, the fuel to air isnt being used effeciently
