Treehugger - Latest Comments in Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

nomel — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:20:12 -0000

On a manual, the transmission doesn't disengage when you let off the gas. Your burning forward speed, not fuel, from the pumping losses. Same with an automatic, just less so. The transmission doesn't disengage when you go down hill, it just goes to the highest gear, so you're still burning forward speed in losses. If you've having to hit your brakes to stay at a safe speed, then yeah, it's moot.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Mark — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:33:08 -0000

Guys, why are you putting it in neutral downhills?

Surely the engine will idle and thus use fuel, if it was in gear and you did not accelerate then surely no fuel will be used?

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

webshyte — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:44:36 -0000

This stuff isn't difficult you know. I regularly achieve 70-72 mpg (UK) from my 2009 Vauxhall Corsa diesel - just drive sensibly but PLEASE don't do the 'drafting' thing - that's just plain stupid.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

dcdarling — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:09:55 -0000

I raised my mileage on my 1995 VW Golf from 26 to almost 32 with only these two simple things:
I live in a hilly place, so I coast downhill whenever possible. Sometimes I can coast a mile or more.
My Golf has a manual 5 speed transmission. I make it a practice to skip 4th gear whenever possible (without lugging the engine). So, unless I'm ascending a hill, I shift 1-2-3-5.
That's it. Good luck to you!

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Fran Enes — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:57:45 -0000

I have been doing some kind of hypermilling.. i get 1150km of 70litres of diesel...that like 6l /100km... but my car is an priginal audi A6.. i'll be trying some tricks and will be posting here!

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Travis — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:29:43 -0000

For someone like my dad, who is forced to commute 60 miles per day for a job that doesn't pay much in the first place, hypermilling certainly would have a great use. Thing is, he lives in rural area locally where the job market is almost nonexistent. He has to go that far to make a living. Walking that far is obviously infeasible for a 46 year old heart patient.

Here's the other thing: the cost of living out in that area is dramatically lower. So for anyone wanting to respond with "live closer" wouldn't otherwise understand the context. Pay $130 for rent out in the country with minimal utility bills, or three times that much in an urban area working the same job?

Hypermilling has its use.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Julie — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:36:28 -0000

I am driving an '08 Honda Fit manual and have recently been trying some basic hypermiling techniques:

1. Coasting to stoplights/stopsigns and just reducing breaking when possible.

2. No A/C under 50 mph and no windows down over 50 mph.

3. Coasting downhill sometimes in neutral.

I do mostly backroads driving to and from work. I raised my mpg from around 34 mpg to 43 mpg just by doing these things. I love it! I will keep trying new things in order to beat my best mpg.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:38:48 -0000

I agree with tim from texas. one of the problems with hypermiling is other drivers. it's really frustrating to them when you only get up to 30 mph because the light in front of you is still red. or when you accelerate super slowly.

i think a good way to raise your mpg is just to drive a stick shift though. it's easy to coast down hills and around corners in neutral, and you can change gears a lot earlier. i don't drive very economically on the highway (i usually have my windows down and i definitely speed... ), but i still get about 35 mpg on a 1999 ford escort with about 25% of that being city driving.

now, i'm not condoning what i do, but i think everyone should at least pick some rules of hypermiling to follow.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Angel1210 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:16:37 -0000

I have a 2006 Ford Freestyle and began hypermiling a couple of months ago. On the average since I began Hypermiling I have increased my gas mileage by 15% - 20%. One day I will trade it in for a more fuel efficienct car like a Prius, but that will be when my 4 teenagers leave home. I have actually taught them (the ones that are driving) how to hypermile because we all know how much teenagers like to speed. I like hypermiling because anyone can learn how to do it and it does not take any special skills.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Dyer13 — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:10:04 -0000

To all of you who say they turn off the engine while coasting downhill...How do you steer? The power steering pump turns off while the engine is not running, so to all of you safety advocates, this seems unsafe to me.

It seems to me that the problem lies in the engines we are using. The piston engine is used so widespread and yet it really hasn't had any major improvements in design over the last century. There needs to be engines designed more efficiently to utilize fuels better. The Quasi-turbine is an example of a "revolutionary" engine, but it has not been put in production yet.

http://quasiturbine.promci....

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

kevin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:01:00 -0000

I began hyper miling coming home from Vermont. I coasted a total of 53 miles during a 238 mile trip I got 31 MPG vs 24 MPG. I commute 28 miles to work in traffic each way and I am getting about 27mpg just coasting. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks. Today I began shutting car off at lights. shifting into neutral to coast and even shutting off engine while coasting. I can't get enough of it. I would strongly reccomend getting a wheel alignment. I increased 4mpg because my alignment was soi far off.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:21:01 -0000

JOHN, please cite your sources. Thanks.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

JOHN — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:47:42 -0000

At least a couple of devices have been invented in the last 30 years that can nearly double the mileage of cars. Guess who bought the patents and all legal rights to them, then put the information in the very back of their vaults? The oil companys - they don't want to cut their income in half. The poor devils, just can't seem to get enough millions. It's criminal.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Matt — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:39:12 -0000

The important part is finding a balance between optimizing your MPGs and optimizing your safety. If you're a "normal" driver, you can probably increase your mileage by about a third. BUT BE SAFE! Especially in an emergency situation.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Geoff Kirk — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:34:29 -0000

If you're trying to find a direct way to control the amount of gas you are using, i have found that monitoring how hard your engine is working is key. A/C, acceleration, and speed all, of course, affect work but these are not direct indicators. Try monitoring the RPMs (or revolutions per minute) your engine is running at. Its like monitoring your pulse to find out how hard your heart is working. You will find that there are RPM ranges which are ideal for your car and others that are not. For me when ever my engine is running at above 3000 RPMs i find that I am accelerating unnecesarily at a low gear. So i ease off the pedal and let the engine build up a higher speed at a lower RPM. The lower average RPM you travel the lower your work and this DIRECTLY determines your gas mileage. How do you monitor your RPM? Most cars have a left guage next to the speedometer called the odometer. It measures your RPM at x1000 which means if your guage indicates halfway between 2 & 3, you're running at 2,500 RPM. I have found that my comfort/efficient RPM zone is between 2000 and 3000 RPM, However I try to stay below 2000 as much as possible and not much over 2700 only when necessary, such as moving up hill through a traffic light from a stopped position. This means I don't get above 40 MPH but not necessarily. I find that I can achieve 50-55 mph in the city and up to 65 MPH on the highway and still be running at 2500 RPM. Try to find your confort/efficient zone and perhaps you can get a few more MPH's by watching how hard your engine is working!! :)

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Jim — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:47:16 -0000

I do the following:

1. Keep RPM below 2,000 whenever possible. This means no fast starts and accelerating very slowly.

2. If I go over 40mph, I roll up the windows and use AC. Read somewhere that the drag of open windows makes a difference at 40mpg and higher.

3. Go into idle whenever possible to coast. Is this bad for the engine? I have not found anything saying yes or no on this technique.

What I have not done is check the tire level. Really got to do that.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

wild bill — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:28:44 -0000

i am a mechanic and a racer and i guess a hyper miler from the old days , i do everything but drafting and shutting the motor off , there are other mechanical things you can do to save gas , by changing the accessory pulleys " make them run slower " adding a electric cooling fan , this can save as much as 25 horsepower that translates into gas mileage , my 85 mustang with a 302 cid roller motor had a top speed of 185 mph and would get 35 mpg when drove correctly at 45 to 55 mph ,i think electric cars are the future and i am starting to work on building one .....

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

PJ — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:17:02 -0000

Lately I have tried hypermileing and last night I got an incredible 55 mpg. usually I get around 35mpg this is in my 95 VW pasatt!!! and I still drive carefully.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

mike — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:53:46 -0000

i wish all you people would put more energy on trying to save fuel and focus your energy and demand form our government that they lower the fuel prices. what, you say it cant be done, yes it can, where is the oil from Iraq? we have spent billions of dollors fighting over there, it i time for them to pay up. BUT, the oil companys wont let them bring the oil here. go fiqure. this is just one example.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Steve E — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:19:40 -0000

Here's some other mileage hints:

1. Tune up the car! Do it according to factory specs-- stock spark plugs, no "ring of fire" or "dragon's breath". Install exactly what the manufacturer says. Check other components, like air cleaner.

2. Get rid of the oversize and wider tires-- use the narrowest size the maker recommends, or even 1 size less. (Take a look at Honda Insight tires, for example). Larger/ fatter tires do not automatically provide better traction-- traction is also lbs. per square inch, tread pattern, inflation, and driving style.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:56:27 -0000

i drive a 2007 jeep wrangler and if i realy focus on the road i get 30 mpg other wise 26 but thats beter than the 18 city epa rating

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

androo — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:14:16 -0000

wow i really have to get me a hybrid... i get like 17 miles to the gallon.. this frugal way of saving gas would help out my wallet big time..! great article!

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

AL — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:29:23 -0000

Been driving a diesel Rabbit and Jetta VW since Dec 1 1980 .Logged over half a million miles in 2 cars ...both still going ..... Avg mpg 45-52 for 28 yrs...... thats is real long term savings.

ps - no tune ups or extra batteries need.

Maybe hypering will pulll it over 100mpg..

Will let you guys know

AL

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

Felicia Giordano — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:43:16 -0000

I live in New England, home to extreme winter storms and ice and for that reason I drive a 2003Ford Explorer. I know I know it has a bad SUV reputation, but that is not the point of my post. By employing some very simple changes in driving habits I am able to exceed the expected fuel efficiency of this vehicle. Its rated at 22 mpg highway. At my last fillup, I got 22.1 mpg, up from the 19 or 20 that i was getting. I keep the speedomoter at 58-60, coast whenever possible, and avoid those tempting jackrabbit starts when somone has cut me off rolling up to a traffic light. I am proud of my changes in habit and since it is already paid for I will not be getting rid of this vehicle anytime soon. I will be continuing my quest for ever increasing fuel efficiency by sropping down my speed even more. Good luck to all as we try to change our habits. Thank you.

Re: Hypermiling Becoming More Popular as Gas Prices Rise

shigley — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:11:04 -0000

Cousin Otto use to coast and glide all the time when he took his wife Nelly to Wall-Mart in his old Dodge Pickup. 'Course back then we called it "rubber-necking." I understand the practice is alive and well in Flolida. Senior citizens do it all the time down there.