Hypermiling a 3 cylinder turbo downsized engine?

[BobTheBuilder]

Dear all,

my old car will be gone soon, because the safety inspection revealed problems with too many parts to have it repaired in a way that makes economical sense. So the new car is a Kia Ceed with one of those downsized turbo engines, namely with 3 cylinders, turbo and 120 HP / 172NM and the typical plateau of max. torque going from 1500rpm to 4100rpm.

I read a lot of BS regarding real world efficiency of downsized engines, so I would like to ask the fact driven people here:

What are your best practices for hypermiling a small turbo engine? I assume it is not that different from hypermiling a naturally aspirated one? Anyone driving with this specific engine (Hyundai Kia Kappa III 1.0 T-GDI) ? SO and I commute together, 30km / 20miles and she drops me off at my workplace after 1/3 of the distance. We start in the city, and leave for a smaller city with some medium to high-speed driving up to 120kph in between.

I will provide OBD logs and mileage after filling the tank several times, and I hope to provide some interesting data points.

[rothwem]

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

[alsoknownasDean]

I can't imagine it'd be too much different to a car with an NA petrol engine. Not powering up hills and being easy on the throttle, driving smoothly and minimising braking to preserve momentum, ensuring the tyres have the correct air pressure, etc.

I rented a VW Polo with a 1.2L turbo a while ago, and was able to get about 5L/100km from it over about 2000km.

[APowers]

If you haven't yet, definitely check out www.ecomodder.com.

[Model96]

Use the 'thinnest' synthetic oil you can for that model, and use synthetic oils in the gearbox & diff too, it makes a big difference in fuel economy.

[Ecky]

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

My bets are on this being what will save the most fuel. As soon as it goes into boost, the fuel mixture goes rich and ignition timing is retarded, both of which hurt efficiency.

[BobTheBuilder]

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

No boost gauge, but that may pop up in the OBD2 readings. Basically drive with the highest gear possible right?

If you haven't yet, definitely check out www.ecomodder.com.

That looks like a good binge read, thanks!

I can't imagine it'd be too much different to a car with an NA petrol engine. Not powering up hills and being easy on the throttle, driving smoothly and minimising braking to preserve momentum, ensuring the tyres have the correct air pressure, etc.

I rented a VW Polo with a 1.2L turbo a while ago, and was able to get about 5L/100km from it over about 2000km.

Yes, you can't understate how important tyre pressure and size is. My 195mm winter tyres increased fuel consumption by approx. 10% over the 185mm summer tyres. Same pressure (2.3 bar)

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

My bets are on this being what will save the most fuel. As soon as it goes into boost, the fuel mixture goes rich and ignition timing is retarded, both of which hurt efficiency.

Will be interesting to see if I can monitor the ignition timing with an OBD2 adapter.

The oil recommended by KIA is 0W30, is guess that is as thin as it goes?

[rothwem]

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

No boost gauge, but that may pop up in the OBD2 readings. Basically drive with the highest gear possible right?

I do think boost pressure is reported on the obd2 on most cars since most new cars use electronic or electronically controlled pneumatic actuators, you’ve got to know how much boost you’re building in order to open the wastegate at the right times. 

As for driving style, I’m not exactly sure. You can build a decent amount of boost even in higher gears if the throttle is open far enough. 

Speaking of wastegates...you could probably just disconnect the linkage and then you wouldn’t have to worry about building any pesky boost. Less boost=less fuel=more mpgs!

I’m kidding about that. Don’t do that.

[Ecky]

Will be interesting to see if I can monitor the ignition timing with an OBD2 adapter.

The oil recommended by KIA is 0W30, is guess that is as thin as it goes?

I think you should be able to monitor ignition timing that way.

~

I have some opinions about oil. It's never a bad idea to follow what the manufacturer recommends.

THAT SAID, Honda (just as an example) only specs 0w20 for the US market Honda Fit. In Japan however, they left the factory with something resembling a 0w16 since ~2012. Honda hybrids also have a 0w20-only recommendation here, whereas in Japan they've use something like a 0w8 for more than a decade. Same engines, same bearings and piston rings and camshafts. I don't think there was an SAE rated oil thinner than a 0w20 until recently.

I was reading not long ago about the reason Honda spec'd 10w30 for the S2000 back in 1999, and it had to do with the quality of commonly available oils in the US, and not the actual weight of the oil. Modern 0w30s are better in basically every way, but in 1999, the resistance to shear of cheaper 0w30s was not there, because of the additive package and the base stock they used to achieve it. If I were filling an S2000 after an oil change today, it would be with 0w30.

I ordered a case of Honda's Green Oil a few years back and ran it in one of my cars, then sent a sample out to Blackstone. What was most interesting to me was that the oil didn't get as hot as with 0w20. The coolant didn't heat up as quickly either, and stabilized at a slightly lower temperature, though I wasn't able to control for exactly the same running environment. I think there are some conclusions that can be drawn, however.

[Model96]

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

No boost gauge, but that may pop up in the OBD2 readings. Basically drive with the highest gear possible right?

If you haven't yet, definitely check out www.ecomodder.com.

Your vehicle handbook should have an oil chart showing what oil grades are acceptable for your area's temperature ranges :)

That looks like a good binge read, thanks!

I can't imagine it'd be too much different to a car with an NA petrol engine. Not powering up hills and being easy on the throttle, driving smoothly and minimising braking to preserve momentum, ensuring the tyres have the correct air pressure, etc.

I rented a VW Polo with a 1.2L turbo a while ago, and was able to get about 5L/100km from it over about 2000km.

Yes, you can't understate how important tyre pressure and size is. My 195mm winter tyres increased fuel consumption by approx. 10% over the 185mm summer tyres. Same pressure (2.3 bar)

I would think goal would be to keep it out of boost. Is there a boost gauge on the car?

My bets are on this being what will save the most fuel. As soon as it goes into boost, the fuel mixture goes rich and ignition timing is retarded, both of which hurt efficiency.

Will be interesting to see if I can monitor the ignition timing with an OBD2 adapter.

The oil recommended by KIA is 0W30, is guess that is as thin as it goes?