Get better gas mileage and learn about hypermiling
July 2, 2008
We all want to save money on gas. There are some easy ways to do that. Then there are the more complicated ways.
First, some of the easy ways to make the most of every gallon of gas:
· Drive the speed limit. Speeding is one of the fastest ways to cause your miles per gallon to plummet. (And yes, there was a pun intended.)
· Keep up with the routine maintenance of your vehicle.
· Make sure your tires are properly, but not overly, inflated.
· Eliminate any unnecessary weight in your car.
· When traveling below 40 miles per hour, turn off your air conditioner and open your windows. When you’re traveling over 40, it’s actually more efficient to run your air because of the drag the open windows will cause at higher speeds.
There are some drivers who have taken fuel conservation to a whole new level. They are known as “hypermilers.”
I have been reading a ton of stuff lately about “hypermiling,” which is basically a driving practice that is supposed to lead to maximum fuel efficiency for your vehicle.
There are people out there who are hypermiling experts. Then there are a whole lot of people who have jumped on the bandwagon in the wake of high fuel prices.
Hypermiling involves going beyond the obvious things we can all do and starts to get into some other practices. I read some blogs about hypermiling and thought, “Some of these things sound really unsafe?”
And apparently I’m right … and sort of wrong.
It turns out that some drivers who don’t really understand the principles of hypermiling have started using some techniques — like drafting, driving excessively slow or turning off their engine — that are hazardous on the roadway.
Check out this article that details some of the dangers. The hypermiling web sites do not advocate some of these practices.
Driving too slow can be dangerous on busy highways. Drafting, aka tailgating, behind big trucks is not safe because it reduces your ability to see ahead of you and increases your chances of rear-ending the vehicle ahead of you. And turning off your vehicle means you lose all of the power to your car including steering and brakes.
It’s important to increase your fuel efficiency, but it’s even more important to stay safe.
If you’re interested in learning more about getting better fuel economy from your vehicle and being a safe driver visit:
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That datum about 40 mph and the windows vrs AC was very good – I had not seen it so specific before. It makes sense!
I have just started trying some hypermiling techniques. Just a week ago I fueled up, getting my baseline mileage, since I didn’t track MPG routinely before. Now that I have been trying some of them, I could see how some of them could be hazardous. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try “drafting,” but have turned off the engine at red lights, or even coasting into it–only to have the light turn quickly green. I then have to come to a complete stop to start the car. Am thinking some of the techniques would be much easier and safer with a manual transmission vehicle.