Anyone here Hypermil

[DY]

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/Get50MpgInYourOwnCar.aspx

definition:  the art of wringing every last ounce of fuel efficiency out of a car

I never knew there was actual term for this, and i've been hypermiling in my car for years.  I shut off my car while waiting as Looooong red lights or CHP traffic stops on the freeway, and sometimes even fold in my side view mirror(s) when driving across the desert.  The latter actually gets me 1mpg more per folded mirror! 

[sqweak]

I shut off my car while waiting as Looooong red lights or CHP traffic stops on the freeway...

This probably uses more gas than idling...

[DY]

This probably uses more gas than idling...

read rule number two...
To idle is to sin. Cars of recent vintage have fuel-injection systems that make starting an engine more efficient than idling. So if you're going to be at a standstill for 10 seconds or more, cut off the engine. And if the drive-through line at McDonald's is a long one, park and buy your food inside.

[duc_fan]

My question is: does the fuel savings outweigh the cost of the increased maintenance... because the starter in a standard gas vehicle is not designed to cycle that many times for a given number of miles traversed, so you're gonna be replacing it more often.  You're also hitting the starter gear teeth into the flywheel ring gear teeth more often than it was designed for, which *could* lead to earlier flywheel replacement (as many modern cars do not have a separately replaceable flywheel ring gear like the old stuff did).

I've been tempted to shut off my VR6 when I approach lights I know to be long (I already do if I come up on a railroad crossing where I have reason to believe I'll be waiting at least 1 minute)... but I really don't want to replace the starter in that car anytime soon.

I do wonder what kind of gas mileage a 2.8l VR6 would get if one "hypermiled".

[Monsterlover]

Pretty cool!

Someone try this on a bike and see what happens

[NeufUnSix]

My car averages around 10 mpg in the city. I got 27 on the highway at steady speed with the cruise control on for an entire tank on a long trip, and I was thrilled.

Don't think the techniques will help much in my gas sucker. I drive a fuel pig and I accept that, and I get irritated by people who think they can magically increase their MPG rather than buying something more efficient. I hear that kind of BS all the time on the Infiniti / Nissan forums. Product X got me an extra 2 mpg! Product X is a placebo, you just happened to get 2mpg more because you were light on the pedal, or from regular variance in driving conditions. You name it, it's been covered. Acetone, fuel types, magnets on the fuel line, intake gimmicks...

I don't agree with the "max tire pressure" suggestion. High tire pressure increases wear on the treads amd reduces grip A LOT (meaning you'll have longer stops in emergency braking and poor grip under hard cornering). That's assuming the tire is good enough to handle the pressure without blowing out (old tires with hard rubber and cracked sidewalls would be dangerous to overinflate). Maybe 5 psi over is the factory number is "acceptable" but if you go balls out and put the maximum load you are asking for trouble.

[Le Pirate]

i found out about this the other day...and i've been reading up on it. seems like there is a whole sub-car-culture based around it. pretty cool

a couple websites:

www.hypermiling.com
www.cleanmpg.com (they have some good descriptions of stuff)


a good list of hypermiling tips

http://tinyurl.com/6r5vf4

[Monsterlover]

From the tinyurl posted above

Drafting: This technique comes with a warning sign: according to many hypermiling experts, it is incredibly dangerous. A “deliberate form of tailgating,” the forced auto stop involves turning off your car's engine and then following closely behind the vehicle in front of you “in order to take advantage of the reduced wind resistance in [the other car's] immediate wake.”

Im all for better mileage, but I can't think of a more stupid thing to do while driving a car.  Shutting it off while drafting someone?  Vacuum assisted brakes and power steering would be off the table if an emergency stop/evasion situation popped up.

[c_rex]

I think I'm an anti-hypermiller.  It's not that I floor it everywhere I go... I just don't care.  Incidentally, the first time I took my wife's new Pious for a drive a increased her average fuel consumption somehow.  I really have no idea how- but she tries (still n00b) to do this hypermillifying type behavior when she drives.  /shrug

[Le Pirate]

I think I'm an anti-hypermiller.  It's not that I floor it everywhere I go... I just don't care.  Incidentally, the first time I took my wife's new Pious for a drive a increased her average fuel consumption somehow.  I really have no idea how- but she tries (still n00b) to do this hypermillifying type behavior when she drives.  /shrug

Since I received my driver's license, I've gassed it hard, braked hard. I loved hearing my engine rev hard while pushing it through some twisty backroads. I'd go 25 miles out of my way on the commute home so I could drive some desolate backroads that had great curves.

But honestly...The way gas is going up, and the rest of the economy going down....I've got to start trying to save a little money on fuel. I don't know about all their hypermiling techniques, but there are a few tid-bits that I might adapt...I dunno 

[Howie]

I watched a hypermiler driving on TV.  Driving well under the speed limit and coasting while paying more attention to a computer does not seem like a good idea to me.

[Randimus Maximus]

I took home a Camry Hybrid today...so I can drop it off tomorrow for a promo.

I caught myself trying to keep it on 'electric' only a number of times. 

I still averaged 49.8 for the 18 mile drive (50/50 highway/city).

[Kaveh]

Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear "Hypermilling" a Audi A8

[DY]

I took home a Camry Hybrid today...so I can drop it off tomorrow for a promo.

I caught myself trying to keep it on 'electric' only a number of times. 

I still averaged 49.8 for the 18 mile drive (50/50 highway/city).

Reminds me of something i saw on the local news.  Some company installs an "electric motor only" button on the prius for driving around town that significantly increases your mpg... but they charge some absurd amount(in the thousands) for it.

[He Man]

HEY WHERES THE REST OF THAT VIDDEO???