I Discovered A Little Fuel Savings Trick Today

[Revo1]

Originally Posted by Lil'BlueCoupe

Well I noticed when I had my Avalanche automatic that when I aproached a hill it would kick down to 5th or 4th (depending on the grade of the hill) and I had no control over it but to just ease off the throttle and just end up going slower. But with the paddle shifters in the Camaro this totally gives you all the control you need. If I had paddle shifters in the Avalanche I bet I could have gone up those same hills in 6th gear and still have maintained the same speed I started up the hill with.

The paddles really don't get enough credit- they're pretty damned functional.

My driving process always begins: turn key, shift to "M", tap "+"

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by Revo1

The paddles really don't get enough credit- they're pretty damned functional.

My driving process always begins: turn key, shift to "M", tap "+"

Yep! Works For Me!

[CooG]

What are hills?

[=Stephens=]

Are you in Sport mode when you do this?

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by =Stephens=

Are you in Sport mode when you do this?

I was in drive mode and after about 20 seconds of tapping the paddle shifter it will automatically go back to Drive, I am going to try it in sport mode next time

[Bornluckee13]

I figure the faster I go, the quicker I get there. That means my car is running for a shorter time, thus burning less fuel!

[THE EVIL TW1N]

Originally Posted by Lil'BlueCoupe

Folks this might sound a bit silly but I feel I have figured out a little trick to help save a bit of gas on the road.
This trick is for automatics.
What I do is I learned how to read the hills in the roadway. By looking ahead (and knowing the layout of the road ahead of you) I can tell if the car is going to kick down to a lower gear while it is in cruise control by looking at the upcoming incline of a hill. Normally on a road that I am not familiar with I can tell if the upcoming hill is too steep for the car to stay in 6th gear, I know ahead of time that it is going to kick down to 5th gear. When it kicks down into a lower gear the RPMs go up and thus lower gas mileage. Right when I know/think the car is going to shift down I just tap the right (+) paddle shifter, thus locking the transmission in 6th gear, the V6 in these cars is plenty strong enough to keep and maintain the current speed in 6th gear, but it is not reving up and sucking gas.
Today I proved this theory in a road I take about twice a week and normally get 27~28 MPGs on a steady basis.
I filled up before I embarked on this 102 mile round trip that has lots of curvy and hilly miles. I practiced the "paddle shifter" trick on every hill where I knew it was going to shift down, and it maintained the speed on every single hill. When I came back to the same gas station and exact same pump I topped the tank back off, When I calculated the amount of gas I put in into the amount of miles I drove I got 29.5 MPG!!!!!!!! Not bad for back country roads!
All I am saying is this theory works for me, results may vary for others. It is just something I felt I needed to pass on to my fellow Camaro brothers and sisters in here.
Try it and let me know if it works for you. I knew it would pay off having these paddle shifters while in cruise control, they are convenient and you dont even need to have the shifter in sport mode, it works just fine in regular drive mode.

It's all fine and dandy, just be aware that lugging an engine around creates a higher load, causing more wear and tear. Also, it's more likely to ping which you may not be aware of because it may be inaudible. just FYI.

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by THE EVIL TW1N

It's all fine and dandy, just be aware that lugging an engine around creates a higher load, causing more wear and tear. Also, it's more likely to ping which you may not be aware of because it may be inaudible. just FYI.

hmmmmm thats something to think about, I don't think I am really luggin on the engine that bad, minimum at wors t. the only thing I hear and feel is the engine at a lower RPM. I have lugged on many a chevy engine and they have never let me down, in fact I have abused many a chevy engine and never had any issues. Excellent advice though and I appreciate it.

[hightower]

Cool point. Easier way to do it, get an LS3.

[blackknight]

Originally Posted by Lil'BlueCoupe

True.........for some
Camaro or not, there are folks trying to save fuel.
I drive lots of miles on a weekly basis, I DO want to save fuel on the long runs, although I once in a while have a lead foot......I mean- Who Doesn't? lol

Oh dont get me wrong, look at what I drive in my avatar to see what I resorted to for fuel savings. its a terrible thing, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

[Aqwk68]

I have and LS3 and live in the hills. I take full advantage of the bigger hills and put the car in neutral and coast down them to help with the fuel mileage when I'm driving back and forth to work.

[nyrfan]

Originally Posted by Lil'BlueCoupe

I was in drive mode and after about 20 seconds of tapping the paddle shifter it will automatically go back to Drive, I am going to try it in sport mode next time

Huh. I am confused the paddle shifters do not work in drive (D).

[Baba]

Originally Posted by Lil'BlueCoupe

Heh Heh,

Drive on! Put the Hammer down! lol

After all-It's your wallet,

This thread is basically meant for those who are bitching about how bad their V6s are burning gas and are looking for a few tips and tricks on how to save fuel.
Like I said before I average over 500 miles a week, you have a tendency to start thinking up new ways to save $$$ when you gotta fill that tank. I usually am not in no hurry, have nothing to prove (powerwise) and just basically enjoy driving this sweet looking machine.
I love seeing the SSs drivers out there enjoying their rides as well, more power to them

In other words, you ARE in a hurry...

For those that still have some faith in our Federal Government, the EPA website http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml provides plenty of tips on "Fuel Savings". The most important tip - just short of recommending using public transportation is "choose a more efficient vehicle". Where there's a will, there's a way and there are plenty of websites focused on providing helpful hints about how to improve "fuel ecomomy".

Here are the "Top 10 EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers for 2012":
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/topten.jsp

Good tip from the OP, though.

[Wizard1183]

And if you REALLY want to save gas, DONT DRIVE! )