Hypermiling?

[RustyJC]

Ummmm....yes, it does. I posted it because it's an honest to goodness official 80 MPH speed limit, not because it has a posted minimum speed.

Rusty

[Lindsay Richards]

I never heard of that term, but I try to drive to increase gas mileage by coasting and not using the brakes except when absolutely needed. I think the practice requires a lots more attention than normal driving and is safe. I am very aware of the traffic ahead and behind me. I never, never follow too close and actually do the opposite. I try to go between 55 and 60. I think these practices will increase the fuel mileage pretty substantially and are actually much safer. Being constantly aware of what is going around you is critical. I have called it momentum driving in that I try to conserve my momentum.

[georgetown350]

I try to use the engine to slow down as much as possible to extend the life of my brakes. However I do like to use the brakes without engine help periodically to keep the rust off the rotors.

As far as saving fuel the only method I use is trying to time signal lights so that I dont have to stop. One good area for this practise is along the 19 highway through West Virginia. Nothing uses more fuel then having to stop at a red light at the start of a mountain.

[Glenn and Kathy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RustyJC:
Ummmm....yes, it does. I posted it because it's an honest to goodness official 80 MPH speed limit, not because it has a posted minimum speed.

Rusty </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry for the missunderstanding.

They were considering raising the AZ limit from 75 to 80, but figured since they didn't usually ticket until over 80 anyway why bother changing the signs.

Glenn

[Steve Rankin]

Well, I have several thoughts on this.

First, it violates one of the precepts of safe driving and that's the one that tells me to drive as if everyone else is an idiot with a death wish. If someone was 'hypermiling' by tailgating me I assume he's an idiot until proven otherwise. Since it is always possible for something to happen that causes me to need to brake suddenly, the guy tailgating me is a serious threat, not an ecology minded do-gooder.

Second, we have too many folks already that think they have the right or even an obligation to violate the laws of their choice. So the guy 'hypermiling' has an excuse to run a red light that the guy who's simply late doesn't?

Third, the average driver consistently considers himself to be about an 8-9 out of 10 driver. Talk about inflated egos. The reality is that the average driver is a 5 on a good day and frequently worse. There's a simple reason why so many SUVs speed, get stuck and roll over and so many Porsche accidents involve the Porsche going off the road backwards--average drivers thinking their Micheal Andretti when they're really more like Elmer Fudd.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Dunno about "hypermiling", but I try to accelerate slowly, keep the max speed in the "sweet spot" for my engine (62-64 mph in 6th gear), and anticipate traffic so as to maximize coasting and minimize braking. It seems to add about 0.5 mpg most of the time and occasionally gains me 1.0 mph when conditions are ideal.

The gains I'm talking about are mostly in highway driving and are relative to what I get if I merely drive along with the rest of the pack.

[CD]

I use what I call “modified hypermiling”. I don’t even consider doing illegal, dangerous or stupid things as mentioned above (not intentionally anyway). I do practice what I call “keep your foot out of it”. Most of us learned to bury our foot in the peddle until it was the speed we wanted. I try to use just enough peddle to accelerate reasonably then back off as needed. I keep some distance between me and the car in front so I am not committed to their speed up slow down thing that most do. I try to anticipate when a light will turn green and be moving as mentioned above. I have improved my mileage from 10% to 25%. I have a 91 Pontiac w/V6 that I got 20/21 on a good day. Now I get 23/25 locally and 25/26 on highway. We have a 03 Honda Civic that I have gotten 48 on a trip and usually get mid 40s. Last weekend we went down I5 into Ore. with PU listed below. I stayed under 60 and was getting 18 (by computer) until we got to Ore. After leaving Portland where speed limit is 65 and traffic was heavy, I stayed with traffic and the millage went down to 17.5. When we got back to Tacoma (on same tank) I filled up and the millage figured out to 18MPG. Most of the time I’m not far behind others that are driving harder. So you can make a difference without being stupid and/or dangerous.

[lawdude]

I don't recall ever flooring the foot feed on my Itasca. Nor do I recall ever locking the brakes. I try to keep the tach at 2000-2100 and get 7.5MPG average.