[snax]

Ok, with 'emergency throttle' put to bed, one cannot ignore the other issues with braking and steering. Both can be serious issues if you don't know what to expect without power or vacuum assist. In other words, if you can't comfortably steer or stop your vehicle without the assistance of the vacuum booster or power steering, for the love of fuel addiction, DON'T FREAKIN' DO IT! Obviously this includes anybody who's steering locks with the ingition in the accessory power position as well!

I just thought this worth emphasizing.

The difference in the amount of effort required between power assisted and without can be extreme. KNOW what that difference is and drive accordingly.

[eastbay]

I am a big time hypermiler both for the fun and for environment oh and of course savings

My only problem is the large trucks piling behind me whenever I slow down before a red light maybe 100 ft before. They horn and look at me like a dumb.

How to getaway from this?

Here's what I do. I find my courage and I say out loud to myself, 'I will not be intimidated.' Of course, if it came to that, if somebody wanted to mix it up because my conservative ways caused road rage they would be in for more than they expected. Somehow people associate weakness with small cars. They expect a weak man or a woman to be behind the wheel, not somebody that can take them out with one punch.

I practice some hypermiling techniques too. I agree. One drag about it is that when I'm nearing a controlled intersection (stop signs too) and notice the light change to 'orange' I immediately flip it into neutral and begin coasting. People behind me are generally still conditioned to race up to the light and then slam on their brakes when they're very close. They often have no idea why someone would be coasting slowly toward the intersection.


Yesterday, a large white pick up was right on my bumper as I coasted gently toward a red light, so I went as far to the right as I safely could (remaining on pavement to maintain momentum), as I usually do, and waved him by with a smile. He returned a very angry facial expression, but I'm not ever giving up with this practice. in time, they too will either join us or perish.


My neighbor who owns a Corvette and several fast motorcycles recently bought a Yaris to save gas. I explained hypermiling to him a few months ago and he now brags to me about his high mileage using this system. He claims 49 mpg. He's quite excited about it, and this shows it may be catching on.


One more point. If you still have access to real gas rather than fuel poisoned by ethanol, you'll do much better. In Oregon, crop burning and promoting worldwide starvation is the latest pop fashion, so 10% ethanol is all we're allowed to sell.


But across the bridge in Washington, where some common sense and environmental awareness still prevails, real gasoline is still available so I take the two mile hop north to the first exit and gas up there. That move alone gains me 10% more mileage.

[mobil1]

AAA: 'Hypermiling' can be dangerous to motorists
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer 11:07 AM EDT, June 27, 2008
The AAA auto club issued a warning this morning that some gas-savings techniques being popularized through a "hypermiling" fad can be dangerous and should be avoided.
The rapidly-rising price of gasoline has increased popularity in a movement among drivers called hypermiling, in which drivers seek ways to increase gas mileage through driving and vehicle maintenance techniques that range from common sense to extreme. AAA lauded some methods, such as when drivers seek to keep cars in top mechanical condition, or avoid aggressive driving maneuvers. But the auto club expressed concern that some hypermilers appear to be going too far. …
Orlando Sentinal

FTA:
In the advisory, the Lake Mary-based AAA warned that such hypermiling techniques as cutting a vehicle's engine or putting a vehicle in neutral to coast on a roadway, tailgating or drafting larger vehicles, or rolling through stop signs and driving at erratic and unsafe speeds should not be used.


Unsafe speeds ? Are they talking about ultra-low speeds or like 45-50 MPH on a 60-70 MPH highway ? Anyone who hypermiles will not be driving fast, so I assume they must be talking of low speeds. IMO, unless you are going REALLY slow, this safety issue is more due to those who go faster than speed limits (actually difference in speed, but they are the ones breaking a law.)

I think I understand "erratic speeds". I presume that refers to pulse and glide where you are constantly changing speed. What's the danger there ? Other drivers who don't adjust or who are inconvenienced ?


I bought a Prius about 1 month ago and love it. I've been learning hypermile tricks, but some, like Pulse and Glide and driving the 37-43 MPH speed limits on my commute, I've given up on for now. Cruise control is much more relaxing than P&G, and saving a few cents in gas by getting to work or home 5 minutes later isn't worth it IMO.

I've gotten as much as 70 MPG at low speed, and about 60 MPG at 6 MPH over limit. I save about 0.04 gallons or about 21 cents Canadian at $5.50 per gallon by getting home 5 minutes later. Not worth it financially at this time, but could be useful in future.

[snax]

One more point. If you still have access to real gas rather than fuel poisoned by ethanol, you'll do much better. [b]In Oregon, crop burning and promoting worldwide starvation is the latest pop fashion, so 10% ethanol is all we're allowed to sell.

Correction, in Portland Metro/Multnomah County, 10% ethanol is mandated. Outside of Portland, they are still allowed to dump the excess benzene from the refining process into our fuel, contributing to increased pollution and cancer. Unlucky Portland!!

I'm not even going to go into to the ethanol vs. food argument, but rather point out that Willamette Valley farmers have been sacrificing good growable land to grass seed production for decades. How big is your lawn?

As for efficiency, I have a hard time believing that 10% ethanol equates to a 10% economy penalty. Even E85 only runs a 30% penalty. Regardless, it's effect cannot be discounted.

[eastbay]

One more point. If you still have access to real gas rather than fuel poisoned by ethanol, you'll do much better. [b]In Oregon, crop burning and promoting worldwide starvation is the latest pop fashion, so 10% ethanol is all we're allowed to sell.

Correction, in Portland Metro/Multnomah County, 10% ethanol is mandated. Outside of Portland, they are still allowed to dump the excess benzene from the refining process into our fuel, contributing to increased pollution and cancer. Unlucky Portland!!

I'm not even going to go into to the ethanol vs. food argument, but rather point out that Willamette Valley farmers have been sacrificing good growable land to grass seed production for decades. How big is your lawn?

As for efficiency, I have a hard time believing that 10% ethanol equates to a 10% economy penalty. Even E85 only runs a 30% penalty. Regardless, it's effect cannot be discounted.

Counter to your correction (lol):

The State of Oregon is now about 10 weeks away from 100% statewide use of 10% ethanol. Most of the state is now using 10% ethanol under this mandate and the remaining few counties NOT mandated to use 10% ethanol until 16SEP08 are now using it because it's about all there is available in Oregon now.

A 10% reduction? Well, my quick research has shown that people are claiming a reduction from 5% to 20%. In my case, with my '05 Civic, it's a drop from 44 to 40 highway and from 38 to 35 or so city. I rounded to 10% which is also about the average of what people are claiming under real conditions.

I have no lawn... well, a tiny patch near the two pear trees and another near the fig tree... does that count? I can just about stretch myself across them if I try.

Corrected once for sloppy syntax.

[snax]

Counter to your correction (lol):

The State of Oregon is now about 10 weeks away from 100% statewide use of 10% ethanol. Most of the state is now using 10% ethanol under this mandate and the remaining few counties NOT mandated to use 10% ethanol until 16SEP08 are now using it because it's about all there is available in Oregon now.

Doh!

A 10% reduction? Well, my quick research has shown that people are claiming a reduction from 5% to 20%. In my case, with my '05 Civic, it's a drop from 44 to 40 highway and from 38 to 35 or so city. I rounded to 10% which is also about the average of what people are claiming under real conditions.

I've found plenty of anecdotal evidence to support that, but I've also seen plenty of statistical evidence that it's only 2-4% for many vehicles. I've not seen more than a 5% hit on my work truck when I have voluntarily filled with E10.

One point worth noting however is that the vehicle must be able to advance timing appropriately to deal with the slower burn rate it. Perhaps that's where allot of them fall flat. I'm suprised that an 05 would not deal with it well.

[eastbay]

Cool sense of humor ya got there... we can always use more of that, especially with what's coming at us.


Back to topic... for my scooter it's also about a 10% hit. I have a 150cc Derbi, which is basically a Vespa ET4. It went from just under 90 mpg to about 80 when the state of Oregon began kow towing to the greener-than-thou ethanol-loving crop- burning murderous whack job liberal scum demanding [s]soylent[/s] green gas.


I understand that if you do the math E10, containing ethanol which is touted to be 70% as efficient as gasoline, should be 97% as efficient as gas when mixed. But for some strange reason it doesn't work out that way.


Maybe one of the really smart people here can explain to this 65 IQ nobody why this is so.

[yesplease]

It went from just under 90 mpg to about 80 when the state of Oregon began kow towing to the greener-than-thou ethanol-loving crop- burning murderous whack job liberal scum demanding [s]soylent[/s] green gas.


I understand that if you do the math E10, containing ethanol which is touted to be 70% as efficient as gasoline, should be 97% as efficient as gas when mixed. But for some strange reason it doesn't work out that way.

A drop that big is kinda odd. When/over what route did you last get 90mpg?

[eastbay]

It went from just under 90 mpg to about 80 when the state of Oregon began kow towing to the greener-than-thou ethanol-loving crop- burning murderous whack job liberal scum demanding [s]soylent[/s] green gas.


I understand that if you do the math E10, containing ethanol which is touted to be 70% as efficient as gasoline, should be 97% as efficient as gas when mixed. But for some strange reason it doesn't work out that way.

A drop that big is kinda odd. When/over what route did you last get 90mpg?

Typically surface streets running errands around the east side of 205. A few runs to Corbett. That's my AOA. And I'm very gentle on the gas with very slow starts and an annoyingly (to others) steady 40 mph even in 45 zones.

[yesplease]

Typically surface streets running errands around the east side of 205. A few runs to Corbett. That's my AOA. And I'm very gentle on the gas with very slow starts and an annoyingly (to others) steady 40 mph even in 45 zones.

What about the time of year the last time you saw 90mpg?

[eastbay]

Typically surface streets running errands around the east side of 205. A few runs to Corbett. That's my AOA. And I'm very gentle on the gas with very slow starts and an annoyingly (to others) steady 40 mph even in 45 zones.

What about the time of year the last time you saw 90mpg?

I can't recall and I don't keep a log, but it was probably during weather much like this, because that's when I do most of my scootering. It's part way through another tank so I'll let everyone interested know the latest when I fill it again. But it could be awhile because the bicycle is getting most of the use now.

[jbrovont]

I started practicing some of these techniques about a month ago, and was a little surprised at how much of a difference it makes. I have a little toyota that I was getting right around 320 miles from a tank (~10/11 gals) and just by doing simple things like speeding up slowly, keeping it around 50-55 and coasting slowly into stopping situations from a good distance, I'm getting about 360-370 miles per tank. Granted, that's not a _huge_ difference, but 50 miles is 50 miles! Every little bit counts I guess.

[yesplease]

I can't recall and I don't keep a log, but it was probably during weather much like this, because that's when I do most of my scootering. It's part way through another tank so I'll let everyone interested know the latest when I fill it again. But it could be awhile because the bicycle is getting most of the use now.

It's probably the weather then. Going between seasons can add or drop an easy ~5-10%. In order to figure the impact of E10 gas you would need to compare several tanks over the same route in the same weather, other wise you get all sorts of other differences impacting your data.

[eastbay]

I can't recall and I don't keep a log, but it was probably during weather much like this, because that's when I do most of my scootering. It's part way through another tank so I'll let everyone interested know the latest when I fill it again. But it could be awhile because the bicycle is getting most of the use now.

It's probably the weather then. Going between seasons can add or drop an easy ~5-10%. In order to figure the impact of E10 gas you would need to compare several tanks over the same route in the same weather, other wise you get all sorts of other differences impacting your data.

I certainly hope so. Tire pressure is the second biggest aspect with hypermiling techniques. Keep it higher! So I upped the scooter tire pressure by a few lbs. That may help.


I agree, apples and apples is the only true test. With ICE transport it's tough to do this. Anyhow, the timing is suspicious, so the ethanol remains the prime suspect. I'll know more soon, maybe in a week or so. By then it will be closer to similar conditions, same weather.