Edmonton, 10:30 PM

Just a quick note from Edmonton on my return back from Saskatchewan.

Saturday, I put on about 750 km, going between Wadena SK, and Roblin, MB with various loops in and around places in between. Managed a 2.7 L/100 km overall, which includes the return trip from MB in a strong headwind. More to the point, the car showed itself to be capable of 2.1 L/100 km. Again, the only modification to the car is the narrower tires/wheels.

Once I’m back in Abbotsford, I’ll do a proper recap of some of the trips with specific mileage reports. I am expecting to stop at smartieparts in Westbank to get a cruise control installed… which I am pretty sure would have helped me yield a 2.0 L/100 km on some trips.

10:00 am, Maple Creek, SK

I’m grabbing some breakfast and as you can tell, some free wireless too. I arrived in SK last night and camped again just past the AB-SK border.

I have aired up the tires to 45 PSI cold, and filled up. From Maple Creek, I am heading south to the Red Coat Trail (Hwy 13) and then east to Weyburn. From there, it’ll be north to Wadena, and that’s when I’ll likely be in full hypermiling mode.

I’ve managed decent mileage thus far, even though I have been sticking to the speed limit mostly, which means 110 kmh at times. Managed a 3.0 L/100 km (better than 90 mpg imperial) from outside of Calgary to Maple Creek despite this, so I’m thinking it’ll be a good day…

I’ve been using the boost gauge as one of the four that the Scangauge displays in real-time. The latest version of the Scanguage programming (v4.05) includes the ‘BST’ gauge standard in the preprgrammed set, and you can also adjust for the relative air pressure of where you are. The boost gauge alone could help you get better mileage out of your diesel. The lower the value, the better your fuel economy. I use the boost gauge to determine if shifting down a gear for a hill is better than staying in the higher gear and trying to hold my speed… ‘You cannot manage what you do not measure’.

Until the next post….

7:50 AM, Vernon BC

I’m in my 2006 smart cdi, now heading for Saskatchewan. Spent last night in my tent. Having departed Abbotsford quite late, I only made it past Kelowna at 1:30 am.

Between Friday and Monday, I will be making an attempt to top my previous best mileage, which was 2.23 L/100 km, 126 mpg (imperial) 105 mpg (US). I’ll be calling this the 100 MPG Challenge 2.011.

The cdi I currently have is one of only four like it in Canada. It’s a limited production special edition called the ‘canada1′. Mine is a red convertible. My friend Mike in Ladysmith also has one, except his is white. My friend Roy has a red coupe, and the fourth car is in Ontario, a red convertible.

I’ll be updating with photos and trip reports through the weekend.

My car is equipped with 135/70/15 tires on 3.5″ wheels on the front, and 155/60/15 tires on 4.5″ wheels on the rear. I also use wheel spacers on the rear to keep the stock track. I’m anticipating about 0.2 L/100 km advantage from this narrower wheel set-up. Other than that, the car is stock - I’ve not yet installed cruise control. I am of course using a Scangauge II fuel economy computer for that much needed real-time feedback on my performance in the car.

You can reach me by e-mail, or call me at 604-636-2180

Cheers,

Keith