Le Mans 2011

If you love the 24 Hours of Le Mans like I do, then this weekend is a big one for you. Friends know not to call during the (somewhat spotty) broadcasts on SPEED channel, my wife knows I won't be mowing the lawn until the race is unceremoniously pre-empted by NASCAR practice laps, and I'll be shopping for enough snacks and carbohydrates to keep me fueled for at least 20 of LeMans' 24 hours.

As the saying goes, "You can't tell the horses without a program," so every year, I like to give a little bit of a background on the race - who to watch, what to look for, and some personal opinions and observations thrown in for color.

So what should you look for? Check out the class listings below. We'll even do a race recap on Monday, so stay tuned.

LMP1 (LeMans Prototype 1 - the big, fast cars)
Once again, it's the classic AUDI/Peugeot matchup for the overall win. Both teams are running diesel engines which have proven to be fast and easy on fuel consumption. Of special note is the introduction of the new AUDI R18, which is a closed-cockpit car (which is a switch from many previous years of open-cockpit AUDIs). This means the tires are narrower, but the new roof (and ungainly trailing dorsal fin) should mean higher speeds and stability along the two long straights at LeMans. As always, we'll be cheering for Tom Kristensen, the most winningest driver in LeMans history. Currently, AUDI holds the #1 and #2 spots, with Kristensen's car in fifth, with Peugeot 908s all around.

Diesel should be an interesting race this year, since the top seven cars are all within 1/2 second of each other.

Henri Pescarolo has come close to an overall win a few times in the past, and his team is always hungry for a win, even after some real heart-breaking finishes. Unfortunately, they've switched to a gasoline-powered engine this year, and will start the race in 9th, nearly eight seconds per lap slower than the pole-sitting AUDI. The Toyota-powered Lolas of the Rebellion Racing team should have an interesting battle all their own with the Pescarolo team, and are on the grid in 8th and 10th place. Unfortunately for the factory Aston Martins, they only managed to qualify in 22nd and 25th positions (20+ seconds per lap slower than the pole-sitting AUDI), so they will not pose a serious threat this year.


LMP2 (smaller, lighter, but less powerful versions of LMP1)
LMP2 typically plays second fiddle (usually third or fourth fiddle) to the rest of the race. The teams keep making them faster, but due to the class rules, the cars end up being tremendously handicapped. In smaller races, LMP2 cars have been known to score an outright win over the faster LMP1 class, but not at LeMans. This, incidentally, is why Roger Penske's Porsche RS Spyders (that dominated the ALMS series) never participated at LeMans. The team was invited, but he declined out of protest since the P2 class was hobbled so much that an overall win wouldn't be possible.

Nevertheless, if the French TV feed decides to show some LMP2 action, enjoy it like you would a rare delicacy. All the cars seem to be within a second of each other, respectively, so it could come down to tire and fuel management to decide the class winner.


LM GTE
This year marks the first year of the LM GTE classes, which are retain 95% of the rules for the class previously known as GT2 (there is no longer a GT1 class). The vehicles are based on road-going cars and must have gasoline engines only. The minimum production number is 100 copies for major manufacturers (25 for small ones), and use an engine of which a minumum of 300 have been made. Cars with carbon chassis are allowed as long as there are a minimum of 300 produced. Engines have to remain in their same location, and supercharged engines have air restrictors.

The end result should be a great "run what you brung" series, with the likes of such enthusiast favorites as the Corvette ZR-1, BMW M3, and Porsche 911 RSR battling with newcomers like the Ferrari 458, Lotus Evora and even an Aston Martin Vantage and a Ford GT.

One of the intriguing things that has been added is the split of the LM GTE class into "PRO" and "AM" classes. The PRO class allows for three professional drivers to pilot each car, while "AM" only allows for one professional driver per car, with the other two being amateurs. Between the driving and the factory money in the PRO class, it should quickly become a game of the "haves" versus the "have nots".

Nevertheless, the ones to watch should be the duels between the Corvette Racing ZR-1s against the BMW Motorsports M3s. The Bimmers set the class lead, with the lead car being nearly 2 seconds per lap faster than both Corvettes. Also keep an eye on the silver/red Porsche 911 RSR of the Flying Lizard team, a particularly talented and fast crew, that is currently 12th in class.

The real X-factors in the LM GTE class are the new Ferrari 458s. Although a PRO team has one sitting 2nd in class at the moment with a blistering speed not far off the lead BMWs, fuel management and reliability could either put the cars out front, or bench them one by one. To no one's surprise, the Lotus Evoras are in dead last, and third from dead last.

Enjoy the show - I know I will!

AUDI R18 (LMP1 class pole position)

Photo from lemans.org

Signatech Nissan Oreca (LMP2 pole position)

Photo from ototweet.com

BMW Motosport M3 GT (LM GTE Pro pole position)

Photo from bwmblog.com

AF Corse SRL Ferrari 430 Competizione (LM GTE AM pole position)

Photo from Andrew Goldstraw on Flikr

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Fun with Hypermiling - Part 6

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test Hypotheses
Part 3 - Fun with air filters
Part 4 - We're talking tires
Part 5 - Driving Techniques
Part 6 - Is it worth it? 


So given everything that we've done, we should appreciate an annual fuel savings of $238.98. Sounds pretty good, huh? Free money, right in your pocket.

But here's where it gets really interesting.

While better fuel economy is great, the focus of my experiment was to see if the increased fuel economy is a good trade off for the wear and tear on the other items in your car that are being worn out faster by utilizing hypermiling techniques. I think it's something that all the "engineers" aren't accounting for in their reports.

Specifically, I'm thinking that with the increased tire pressure, the tires will bulge in the middle and wear out faster. When the car is put in neutral, it's using wear and tear on the throwout bearing, clutch, and transmission synchros. And when the car is shut off and restarted, there's additional wear and tear on the ignition switch, starter motor and the flywheel.

Figuring I'd keep this car about 10 years, this means that over the lifetime of the car, I'd save $2,389.80.
Being realistic, you'll need to replace the following items over the course of 10 years: tires, battery, clutch/flywheel, and starter. Conservatively figuring the car will see 15k miles per year, that's 150k miles over 10 years.

So if you owned a '94 Toyota Corolla like mine, here's how it breaks down, assuming you do the work yourself (tires are estimated, other parts prices taken from Advanced Auto online web store):

- Tires are about $320 (4 x $80) every 50k miles, so figure $960.
- One clutch - $40
- Starter - $107-$200
- battery - $60-$86

This is figured based on normal usage, so figure just for these four items, you're spending at least $1,167. This doesn't include labor to install them, and it does not include other items that may be required to be done (like flywheel resurfacing or throwout bearings for clutch jobs).

Once you start hypermiling, the wear on these items goes up considerably. For example, when driving to and from work, I would typically use the starter twice. By hypermiling, I was using the starter about 16 times. Every time the car starts, the clutch must be engaged, so that is 16 more times than normal that the clutch gets engaged. Also, as I coast in neutral, I engage the clutch to shift out of gear, then engage it again to get the car back into gear when I am done coasting. This accounts for at least 50 extra engagement/disengagement cycles. Sound like a lot? On a typical commute, I once counted 156 gear changes, just on the way to work.

Also, every time I shut the car off at a traffic light, I put a draw on the battery for things like brake lights, the radio, and then call upon the battery again to turn the starter motor. This puts additional strain on the battery, and could cause it to fail earlier in its life cycle.

I'm also overinflating the tires, so I'm putting undue wear on the center of the tread, and wearing them at a much faster rate.

So if all of these (except the tires) will expectedly wear out over the next 150,000 miles, by increasing their usage by at least 8 times their normal daily use, it stands to reason they will wear out that much faster. So, for example, instead of lasting 150k miles, they may last 20k miles. So your $107 investment in your starter just turned into a $749 investment in 7 additional starters.

And that $1,167 expense is now $2,616, which doesn't account for the increased (and unknown) extra wear on the tires which could equate to a few extra sets over that 10-year period.

So by Hypermiling, you might save $2,389.80 in fuel, but you'll spend at least $226.20 more to replace the parts that are now wearing out at a much faster rate. And that's if you buy the parts and install them yourself - your mechanic's labor fee is probably $85 an hour.

Based on the rough data, it appears that hypermiling would probably pay off if you were keeping your car for a short time (like a lease), or if you had an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty that would pay for the extra starters, clutches, etc.

Overall, I'm disappointed in the end result. I was hoping for a lot more mileage (at least breaking 40mpg) for my diligence.

On the positive side of things, I helped the environment by cutting my emissions at idle (traffic lights and coasting), I saved myself a few bucks worth of fuel, and by coasting, I learned a lot about how to take corners fast by carrying speed and not losing momentum. I was also VERY focused on every aspect of driving the car, and got better at planning maneuvers.

On the down side, it was boring (and mostly stressful) to drive so slow and methodically, and not really at a comfortable pace. The higher pressure in the tires also makes for some tricky driving under braking and on wet roads.

So it's back to normal, relaxing driving for me. It may not get me the highest mileage, but it's still respectable mpg and is exponentially less stressful!


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Fun With Hypermiling - Part 5

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test Hypotheses
Part 3 - Fun with air filters
Part 4 - We're talking tires
Part 5 - Driving techniques

In Part 4, we talked about the trade-offs between adjusting tire pressures and gaining fuel mileage. By doing this, we gained 1.5mpg, for an average annual savings of 858 miles of fuel saved equalling 23.8 gallons per year which, at $3.44 per gallon, is an annual savings of $81.87.

The next step was to adjust my driving style, and see how that affects the Corolla's fuel mileage.

I started by coasting as much as possible. Since my drive is fairly hilly, this wasn't too difficult. Upon approaching the crest of a hill, I'd push in the clutch pedal, disengage the gear, and let the car roll.

Now that I've been making an effort to coast as much as possible, I tallied the mileage, and on my way to work, I was able to coast 12.5 miles (on a 33.5-mile trip). Coasting on the return trip home? 13.3 miles.

If I was an incredibly dedicated Hypermiler, I could probably increase this, but to be fair to other motorists, I get back on the gas when the car slows to the posted speed limit (because I'm gaining speed when going downhill).

At this point, it should be noted that many cars will not benefit from coasting in neutral. In most cases, the engine computer sees various parameters such as the throttle position and engine load, and compensates accordingly. In the case of a car coasting in neutral, the computer assumes the car is idling, and will still send fuel to the engine to keep it running.

However, if the car is kept in gear while coasting, engine vacuum occurs which makes the computer temporarily shut off the fuel supply to the engine, and thus use zero fuel.

In the case of my older Toyota, I didn't see any appreciable gas mileage improvements by using neutral versus engine braking.

The other method I employed was something else I'd borrowed from the Hypermiler handbook: turning off the car at traffic lights. I recently read that a modern fuel injected car consumes about the same amount of fuel at startup as it does idling for 6 seconds, so while I'm not shutting off the motor every time I stop, I know which traffic lights have me sitting idle for a while (30 seconds or more).

The result was a consistent gain, which brought my average to almost 38.7 mpg. This includes keeping the tires at 38psi (6 psi more than stock), shutting off the motor at long traffic lights, reducing idling time dramatically, and coasting for over 1/3 of the total round trip daily.

So if the car started at 34mpg before modifications, this means an increase of 4.7mpg by Hypermiling. Annually, this calculates to 2,688.4 miles of fuel saved equalling 69.47 gallons per year which, at $3.44 per gallon, is an annual savings of $238.98.

Next time, we'll see if it's really worth it to Hypermile.

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On a side note, I read about another Hypermiling technique in which the driver accelerates at full throttle to cruising speed, and uses engine braking (coasting with the car in gear) to slow down. The theory is that even though the car is using more fuel on the quick acceleration, it would equate to less fuel used than it would take to get the car to the same speed but at a slower pace.

I tried this technique and, unfortunately, I needed to cut the test short. After two days, I found that with this method, not only did my right knee start hurting, but it also gave me headaches, too.

Once the results were crunched mid-tank, I averaged 32.6mpg. However, this made for a miserable driving experience, so even if the technique would have done netted 50mpg, I would have probably not continued driving in this fashion.


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Fun With Hypermiling - Part 4

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test Hypotheses
Part 3 - Fun with air filters
Part 4 - We're talking tires

In Part 3, we talked about the gains in fuel efficiency by modifying the intake track on a 1994 Toyota Corolla for increased airflow. By doing this, we gained about 1mpg, for an average annual savings of 572 miles of fuel per year, which equates to 16.8 gallons. At $3.44 per gallon of 87 octane, that's a savings of $57.79 per year.

One of the tenets of Hypermiling is to increase air pressure in your tires to the maximum allowed pressure. But before you go out and do this, read on.

On the side of your tires, you'll find a "Max pressure" amount imprinted on the tire. This is the tire manufacturer's maximum rating for that tire. It may say, for example, "MAX pressure 50psi". Your vehicle manufacturer might recommend you inflate your tires to 32psi. The reason this is done is because the engineers have found a happy medium, or proper inflation pressure, for that particular vehicle.

Imagine your tires as a balloon. When you overinflate your tires, they react much like a balloon that has been blown up to a much larger size. It is very hard, but very brittle and is easy to pop. On the flip side, underinflated tires will heat up quickly, which causes a failure (blowout). These factors will increase exponentially as the vehicle's size and weight increase.

The other factor to consider with tire inflation is the shape of the tread. If you look at the front of the vehicle (and assuming you could see through the bumper), your tires will appear as approximate vertical rectangles. As tire pressure is increased, the top and bottom of the tires will bow out. This, in turn, means not all of the tire's tread is in contact with the road. This decreases rolling resistance (thus improving your mileage by making the car work less), but the decreased contact patch means less resistance for more important things like going around corners or braking. Especially in the rain. This also means the tires will wear out much faster.

Basically, if you want to play with tire pressures, do so at your own risk.

Knowing all this, I decided to go with the recommendations of Hypermilers and increase the tire pressure. I didn't have the nerve to go to the maximum pressure, so I increased the tire pressure from the Toyota-recommended 32psi to 38psi.

The result was a consistent 1.5mpg gain, which brought my average to almost 36 mpg. Annually, this calculates to 858 miles of fuel saved equalling 23.8 gallons per year which, at $3.44 per gallon, is an annual savings of $81.87.

Total savings with modded air intake and overinflated tires: $139.66

In the next installment, we'll delve into various driving techniques. You'll be surprised by what we came up with.


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Fun With Hypermiling - Part 3

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test Hypotheses
Part 2 - Fun with air filters

In Part 2, you learned about what I'm hoping to conclude from these tests, as well as the test subject itself - our trusty 1994 Toyota Corolla.

The car typically got an average of 34 mpg with my 33.5-mile one-way daily commute consisting of about 17 miles of hilly back roads and 16 miles of stop-and-go traffic. My typical driving style could be described as "average".

The first thing I tried was improving the airflow to the engine intake. By allowing more airflow, I hoped to reduce the airflow restrictions, making it easier for the engine to suck in air (imagine trying to breathe through a coffee stirrer versus a normal straw). My hypothesis was that this would create less work for the engine, thus making it more efficient.

The downside was that with increased airflow is more oxygen. When the engine's sensors detected more oxygen, there's a possibily that the computer will add more fuel to compensate. With this car being an OBD-1 car, there was no way to read the sensors accurately, but eventual mileage would indicate the increased use of fuel.

The stock airbox consisted of a tube that ran from the front of the engine bay to a large, empty box that held the air filter. The engine pulled air from the tube, into the box, through the filter, through the airflow meter (built into the top of the box), and down another duct to the engine intake, and into the cylinders.

I removed the tube and lower portion of the box. Then, I secured the air filter to the airflow meter, which still forced all intake air through the filter.

Much to my surprise, this modification netted about 1 mpg for an average of just over 34mpg.

While this doesn't generate specific numbers on fuel use, there is the possibility that the car realized more airflow than what that 1mpg increase showed, but may have been adding more fuel to compensate for the extra oxygen.

Whatever the situation, the car consistently saw that extra 1mpg with this intake modification. The cost was free and, given the average fuel consumption rate of me and the car, would have saved about 572 miles of fuel per year, which equates to 16.8 gallons. At $3.44 per gallon of 87 octane, that's a savings of $57.79 per year.

It should also be noted that the filter was an OEM-style paper filter, so additional mileage may be able to be obtained with a higher-flowing cotton filter.

In the next installment, we talk tires.


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Fun With Hypermiling - Part 2

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test hypotheses

In Part 1, I gave a brief synopsis of "Hypermiling".

While reading several articles on the subject, authored by journalists who had interviewed automotive "experts" on the best way to save fuel, I decided it was time for some hands-on experimentation.

I was primarily concerned with a part of the equation that I feel is being ignored by everyone - the cost of wear and tear on the vehicle (and driver) from Hypermiling. And, would it be worth it, in the long run, to practice Hypermiling on a daily basis?

Everything on a vehicle is a wear and tear item. Tires, oil, engines and the like are the obvious ones. But others like subframes, unibody chassis, even your dashboard is a wear and tear item. Plus, if you were to never even drive the car, it would still deteriorate (the rubber and plastics would be the first to go). So whether the car is parked or moving, it's still wearing out itself, albeit at different rates per component.

Some of the recommendations for proper Hypermiling include things like coasting down hills, turning off your engine, and over-inflating your tires. These would be the initial focus of my experiment.

The car that was used was a 1994 Toyota Corolla base model. It has a 105hp, 1.6 liter engine with electronic fuel injection and 5-speed transmission. The car was in good tune, with 119k miles on the odometer at the beginning of the test, and used 10w-30 regular motor oil and 87 octane fuel. The tires were 175/65-14 Toyo all-seasons with a 600 treadwear rating.

For the purpose of this test, I refilled the tank on the same gasoline pump at a Sunoco station in Wheaton, MD. I would let the pump go until it clicked off when full.

The car typically got an average of 34 mpg (with little to no a/c use) with my 33.5-mile one-way daily commute consisting of about 17 miles of hilly back roads and 16 miles of stop-and-go traffic. My typical driving style could be described as "average", though I can drive it like a rental and still manage 31-32 mpg. Not too shabby, by any means.

In the next installment, we'll start getting into the various testing methods and procedures. You'll start to really see some numbers emerge.


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Fun With Hypermiling - Part 1

With gas prices climbing quickly in response to the current upheaval in the Middle East, not to mention the annual "Summer Season" price changes, the rising cost of fuel is on everyone's mind - no matter what you drive.

You've no doubt noticed the increase of hybrid Toyotas and Hondas on the road in recent months. And as more and more people search for ways to extend their fuel dollar, there's been a lot of theories on how to do this ranging from fuel additives, to crazy gizmos in the intake track, to something called Hypermiling.

I've done some research, and while the first two are dubious at best, using Hypermiling techniques actually have some real merit and measurable results.

Hypermiling is a driving style that's used to get the most fuel economy out of a vehicle. While it's typically used by owners of already fuel efficient vehicles (there are some folks that are getting 95mpg in a Prius), it can be applied to any vehicle. The main techniques include drafting other larger vehicles, turning off the motor at idle, increasing the tire pressure to (or beyond) the tire manufacturer's recommendations, coasting in neutral, driving at or below the posted speed limit, and using a very gentle touch on the gas pedal.

There's no shortage of articles and web pages dedicated to Hypermiling (a Google search turned up over 245,000 results), and even legitimate news and media outlets will cover the subject from time to time. They'll interview automotive experts (mechanics and engineers), and discuss the best way to extend your vehicle's gas mileage.

After reading yet another interview with an "engineer" who talked about Hypermiling, I thought it was time to do an experiment to see what a real-world, "Average Joe" commuter and car owner could expect.

There's an awful lot of data, and a series of tests that I performed. So rather than writing a book here, be sure to check back for more info and results in upcoming posts.


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High School Cool Cars

It's not easy being a car guy in High School when you lack a rebellious older brother, a crazy car-guy uncle, or when your parents' idea of a cool car was that mustard-yellow Toyota Corona they used to own in the '70s.

Fortunately, I went to school with a number of guys who had been able to manage a cool car in their driveway, and were willing to let me live vicariously through them.

One of my favorites was a blue '68 Camaro that belonged to my buddy Kurt. It was originally a straight-6 column shift car that he'd dropped a 350 into. It looked awesome. It sounded awesome. And between the horsepower, the lack of seatbelts, and that crazy over-boosted GM steering pump, it was one of the hairiest cars to drive. But it had muscular curves, and I loved drooling all over it. Sorry about the paint, Kurt.

There was a guy in my homeroom named Michael, aka "Wolfman". He was a scary-looking dude, complete with long hair and a Fu Manchu moustache. I don't think he never liked me much, but he had an evil black '66 Mustang coupe with a 351 Windsor stuffed into it with a four speed and open exhaust. He and the car looked the part together, and he either drove it at full-throttle, or it was parked - there was no in-between. I'm sure it was one hell of a ride.

Another guy I used to run with was Keith, who owned an early '70s Plymouth Duster. It was olive green inside and out, with Cragar S/S wheels, a 318 automatic and an open diff. How do we know? Because we once made fun of him for doing a peg-leg burnout at McDonald's. Still, the car was cool, and I always think of him when I see one.

Then there was Troy's '77 Camaro. It had a 305 automatic, and was dark blue with dual silver racing stripes. Its most distinctive feature was the shifter - and old B&M unit with a #7 billiard ball on it for the knob.

Another of my favorites belonged to my buddy, Jim. It was an emerald green AMC Rebel SST, and I've never seen another one since. It was a big sedan with a big engine, and it was unmistakable. We took a few road trips in it, and it once seated seven of us with ease. In a moment of weakness, I talked Jim into letting me drive it. At full bore, the throttle stuck open. Jim got on the floor and started pulling at the gas pedal to no avail. Somewhere around 75mph, I put it in neutral and brought it to a stop. The fix? Beat the carburetor linkage with a big hammer. "Just don't go wide open on it again," he said with a grin.

Another guy that didn't care for me much was a jock named Rick. He owned a pretty blue '70 Nova with a lumpy-cammed 327. It looked pro-built, ran 10" tires, and looked to be amazingly fast. I often wonder whatever happened to that car.

There's a sad story about Jeff's '68 Mustang fastback, though. It was a dark blue 302, and he'd upgraded the head unit to an Alpine one. Unfortunately, this was to be the car's undoing. One night, he looked down to change the station, and rear-ended another car. The lovely fastback was totaled on the spot.

One of the really interesting vehicles belonged to a guy named Tom. He had an old, olive green Toyota Land Cruiser. It was fitted with Dana differentials, 35" tires, and a Chevy 327. It was a ridiculously fast death trap, but was one of those truly badass SUVs that any car guy would want to own.

I would eventually get my own V8 muscle car, but I would have still given a right arm for most of these machines. I'm sure that, like my own, they're long since gone. But their awesome memories still linger on in all our psyches.


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