What's your winter 2007 experience?

[Hot Georgia]

This is directed specifically to those in the great white North. To those who still hypermile on the frozen tundra of the Northern U.S., Candada etc.

It was back in Jan 1982 that I parked my car in my Minnesota garage for the last time. I was moving to Georgia and wanted an early start, and snow had already piled about in the drive.
I awoke at about 4AM to find the snow drifted about 3 feet deep across the drive, and wasn't able to get the car to the plowed road until about 6AM.

That was the last I saw of real snow.

I wasn't a hypermiler then and was wondering what it is like to hypermile in those conditions.
I am hoping for descriptive posts...something more than "difficult" or "Challenging"

Do you get up earlier to prepare your car? Attach radiator block? Remove the wheel-cicles? What do you do differently than summer? More details you can provide will make more interesting read.

I do a few things differently down here in GA but would like to hear a few of your experiences first.

Thanks!
-Steve

[rh77]

$1700 worth of damage from flying ice, a locked-up brake caliper, and about a 10-15% drop in FE.

..and it keeps coming. Today we had 5 more inches of snow with a freezing rain layer on the bottom. Very abnormal Winter. Lots of EBH use...

RH77

[Matt Timion]

Winter = blah.

I can't find motivation to do much of anything in the winter on my car. The most I can do is make plans for the Spring.

BTW, we're getting a preview of the spring this week in SLC. Temperatures are in the 60s and I'm able to walk around without a jacket on.

I'm sure it will snow next week.

[kickflipjr]

Today we had 5 more inches of snow with a freezing rain layer on the bottom.

That is almost exactly what happened to me today. I back off on driving techniques during snowy weather.

Scraping off the car before the car is started in the morning took me a while to get used to doing.

[MetroMPG]

Have you seen this thread? Screw Hypermiling Techniques: I'm just plain happy my car works in this weather!

I don't commute regularly, but this month I've been watching a house for friends who are away in FLA. (Smart them - Feb has been truly winterish.) I've been making a round trip nearly every day...

- The hardest part of hypermiling in -10 to -20 C weather is the car doesn't really warm up (for the length of drive I'm doing). Even using a block heater, the temp gauge is JUST approaching normal after about 6 km (4 mi) of driving. So I've had to add another step to the procedure: when killing the ICE to coast, also kill the heater fan, or you'll end up bleeding all the heat from the core and slowing down the warm up period even more.

- I've started pre-warming the car's interior with a 750watt 120v space heater

- It can be difficult to clutch-start the car in very slick conditions (wheels just slide, as they would if you stepped on the brakes with too much pressure)

- high speed cornering to maintain momentum may not be an option (see above)

- Getting out of people's way is more difficult. E.g. I'll typically signal and coast onto the shoulder to encourage a (faster) following car to pass me, but that's not as much of an option when the shoulder is a snow bank.

- I never idle to warm up, but in really cold weather in the past 2 days I have idled at the end of trips to ensure the battery is topped up for the next one (sort of what clencher mentioned). Hypermiling is hard on batteries, and this is more evident in the cold when their performance is already compromised.

- it's much easier to get the car efficiently pointed, ***-end, into a parking spot in the winter though: handbrake!

[lovemysan]

I've given up mostly. The car must be kept warm for the baby. Its doesn't like to warm up on short cross town trips. It doesn't seem to have a very aggresive heater either.

I have to drive quite slow on the snow/slush/ice combinations we've been hit with this winter so coasting is not posible. So I've let it slide and sent the
SG2 to my brother to use for his turn.

[landspeed]

I still hypermile in winter - but, the winter here isn't as extreme as your winter . I park my car in gear with handbrake off to avoid overnight frozen calipers. Looking at it, heavy winter conditions are going to kill MPG (even the relatively mild Scottish winter is reducing mine), but, if you use some techniques, such as not speeding around everywhere, still coasting to a stop at lights / junctions / roundabouts, and accelerating using 30-50% load and then coasting with the engine ON, you will get better MPG than you would have.

[zpiloto]

Bush pilots in the GWN(Great white north) drain the oil and warm it on the stove when they are ready to go again. When we had our winter down here (the week of freezing temps, sorry guys) I played with this on the maxima. Block heater on: drain the oil and stick it on the stove, while I ate breakfast, when it reached 200 degrees I poured it back in. After a couple of time you can tell by the smell when it's the right temp.

The whole procedure took about 30 minutes. 10 minutes to drain and refill and 20 minutes to heat. I had a drop down door in the belly pan for quick access. My car is also in the garage with make it's nice not being in the weather.

No SG on that car but it was warm out the door instead of 3-5 miles down the road with just the radiator hose block heater.

[Sludgy]

I recently attached a canvas grill block with Velcro made by a small company in Minnesota. (I forget the name, damned Early Onset Alzheimers!) It was reall easy to install, and it looks good. It's too early to tell whether this helped, but I was down to 15 mpg city in the F350 diesel before I added it.

My tires are OEM Goodrich 265/75 16s, and they have about 50K miles. The tread is deep enough to pass inspection, but the truck did NOT like the slush at our local Dead Man's Curve this morning. I'm thinking of Michelin 235/85 16 snow tires soon. The narrower, lighter tire might help my mileage.

[BluEyes]

Originally Posted by zpiloto

Bush pilots in the GWN(Great white north) drain the oil and warm it on the stove when they are ready to go again.

Hmmm, wouldn't an oil pan warmer be easier and less messy? www.summitracing.com has them last time I looked. Would also avoid releasing blowby gasses from the oil into your house which would probably smell better and be healthier.

I really should get an oil warmer, and a block heater. ID gets pretty cold and I'll be moving to MI this year so it would be beneficial.

I don't hypermile though, just drive smoothly. So that really doesn't change in winter and actually makes it easier on slick roads. Guess I do take the corners slower, so there is a bit more speed up/slow down than usual.

[jwxr7]

Surprisingly I've been able to get my ave FE to inch up thru this winter . Winter was mild at first, but is full force now (highs in the single digits F with high winds and snow) so my mpg dropped 2 or 3 mpg from the last tank. Mostly better driving for FE. I just recently did a grill block, I use a block heater at home and at work (don't tell my boss). Mostly I've been trying to go no faster than 55mph and no idling. I try EOC whenever possible, which isn't much (lucky to do a mile in a 23 mile commute). Slowing down made the biggest difference for me. I can't wait to see how I do in warm weather .

[Silveredwings]

I find this cold weather is sub-optimized for FE.

[Lug_Nut]

I've been bump starting the engine to reduce the need for alternator power. The pre-start glow plug operation delay is done by the time I'm 3/4 down my driveway at about 10 mph, perfect for a 3rd gear bump. Any clearing of the exterior is done before I put the key in.

It's not about perception...it's about the precipitation!

[Silveredwings]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

It's not about perception...it's about the precipitation!

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Hypermiling is hard on batteries, and this is more evident in the cold when their performance is already compromised.

As if to prove this point, I actually did kill the battery last evening.

(Good thing I have lots of experience clutch starting ... and a light car.)

I should add, I weakened this battery with all the deep discharges it went through without the alternator last summer/fall, so to be honest I wasn't surprised to see it wasn't exactly pumping the electrons like it should be in this cold weather.

[Hockey4mnhs]

i give up when there is snow on the ground being the young driver i am (17) i'm just tryin to stay on the road.

[BluEyes]

Originally Posted by Hockey4mnhs

i give up when there is snow on the ground being the young driver i am (17) i'm just tryin to stay on the road.

Good plan. I know I had enough trouble doing that during my first winter too!

[jwxr7]

I forgot to mention that I disconnected the snorkle from the factory CAI. It seems like most of my efforts are to just counter the negative effects of the cold air. There is not much you can do when the roads are snow covered, it's a real drag .

[brick]

I still try but there's only so much you can do. Cold weather keeps the ICE running when I wish it wouldn't, the car doesn't glide right when frozen and with snow tires on, idling and defrosting come into play on particularly bad mornings, and all FE techniques go out the window on a day like yesterday when I just want to make it there and back without winding up off the road or in contact with another car. In short, winter sucks. The fact that I'm maintaining 40mpg+ in the worst of conditions is impressive but at the same time very disappointing when I know the car is good for 60mpg+.

[Sludgy]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

I recently attached a canvas grill block with Velcro made by a small company in Minnesota. (I forget the name, damned Early Onset Alzheimers!) It was reall easy to install, and it looks good. It's too early to tell whether this helped, but I was down to 15 mpg city in the F350 diesel before I added it.

My tires are OEM Goodrich 265/75 16s, and they have about 50K miles. The tread is deep enough to pass inspection, but the truck did NOT like the slush at our local Dead Man's Curve this morning. I'm thinking of Michelin 235/85 16 snow tires soon. The narrower, lighter tire might help my mileage.

Here's the link to the grill block that I bought for my truck.

http://www.dahlcanvas.com/

We had a big snow/slush storm yesterday, and I almost creamed a car today because my tires, while still having enough legal tread, allowed me to skid into a traffic circle. I was only doing 20 mph or so. It's a good thing he yielded the right of way, because my wheels were locked up. Time for the new tires.

[James]

Most crazy thing I've done this winter: took a large pot of coals from the woodstove and put under oil pan about 2hrs before starting. I didnt collect any data, but it seemed easier to start. I don't EOC when it is below 10 F, so there is just coasting in neutral. I also am more careful to keep speeds down. I like 47MPH in 5th gear, as opposed to 55mph in the summertime. I back into parking spaces, trying to face into the sun. Yeah, also what everyone else said about clearing everything off before starting. I keep the temperature dial at cold and the fan low or off for the first 5 minutes of driving, with the window cracked, if it will open. sometimes the door freezes and you have to climb in the passenger door. Pretty much winter is a pain in the a** so stay home if you can, and if you have the luxury, plan your trips around the weather.

[James]

somehow, I think because i have combined trips to the max and kept speeds low, i have kept the winter average above 40MPG.