[WildRose]

We drove a 1976 Dodge Colt (4 cylinder, 1.6 L engine, 4 speed standard) from Alberta to Cape Cod, MASS, on a tank of gas - JUST KIDDING! Seriously, we got about 60 mpg on the highway with that car, it was great, really fun to drive.

[joewp]

I've been simply watching my acceleration and putting my 2003 Honda Accord in neutral (auto trans) when possible and increased my mileage from 20mpg to almost 24mpg.

I think most people could get at least 10% better mileage by simply not hitting the gas so hard when accelerating and coasting to red lights, but most won't do it.

Why won't they? Because they're stupid, that's why!

[perdition79]

There are hardcore hypermilers out there who go to even greater extremes--they like to tailgate larger vehicles (to cut down wind resistance) and sometimes they even go as far as completely turning off the engine when they coast down a hill. I refuse to do this, as it sounds dangerously insane.

I would never try shutting down the engine while driving downhill, but I do like to kill the engine when I get to the driveway at work, then coast through the yard for 1/4 mile, dead silent. I enter at 25 mph, make two turns and end up getting to my parking space at about 9 mph. The only trick is remembering not to hit the brakes until I'm at my space -- power steering only gives me one shot at unassisted braking. After that, it's a squeaky handbrake as a last resort.
I've found out, with the help of that mpg counter in my dash, that a big truck is good for a draft up to 10 car lengths. Since most people won't get behind a truck at all, and since most people around my area think 3 car lengths is a safe following distance, I figure it's safer following a truck.
What's the payoff? Normal adherence to a 65 mph speed limit with the cruise control on yields 39 mpg in my sebring. Same speed, 10 car lengths behind a big truck gives me 47 mpg. I'll even get behind a 60 mph truck and get 51 mpg the whole way to work.
Overall, I get 41 mpg with hypermiling tactics. That's a heck of a lot better than the 27 mpg I get when keeping pace with everyone else's crazy driving style.

[skeptik]

Yup... though I never turn the engine off like the competitive hypermilers do. That's just crazy dangerous. If something unexpected happens in front when you're rolling along with no power steering or brake servos - you're varked!

I dont turn the climate control (set to 20.5C) off either. Im not that keen! Getting hot and flustered isn't conducive to serious concentration on what the traffic is doing on down the road and making appropriate decisions.

I'm getting about 55mpg mixed urban and suburban driving from an eight month old Citroen C3 1.4HDi diesel (compact 4 seater 5 door hatchback, 5 speed manual)

If I drive aggressively it only trims off a couple of minutes from my regular journey - but the increase in diesel consumption is huge. I havent actually worked it out , but I can see what is happening from the fuel consumption readout on the dash.

[jbeckton]

they even go as far as completely turning off the engine when they coast down a hill. I refuse to do this, as it sounds dangerously insane.

I hope they save all of the money from the fuel savings because they will need it to buy a new transmission before long.

[SteinarN]

A friend of me have a VW Passat. I'm not sure of the name used in US. It is 4 wheel drive, 1,9 litre diesel, 2001 model, 130 hp, 5 speed manual. In Europe it goes as an midsize to large stationwagon. Its easy to get about 58-60 mpg (4 l/100km) at highway when limiting the speed to 55 mhr and do some coasting and avoid applying brakes as much as possible.

[jbeckton]

you could buy two Chevy Aveos for the price of one Prius.

Yes but but if you want auto/power steering they are usually packaged with a bunch of other crap you don't want but add $1000's to the price. Those cars are also junk and won't last 10 years.

I got a Civic Hybrid for much less than a Prius and can easily get 49 mpg. You also don't need to change the oil for about 9500 miles because it has uses 0 weight oil.

I calculated the cost of several compact cars vs. the Civic Hybrid and found that I made the extra money back in ~4 years time (assuming gas averages $3/gal). I plan to keep the car for 10+ years do it was worth it.

Honda's service record speaks for itself, so does GM's & Ford's!

I think Consumer Reports listed the Aveo as a "worst buy" for quality and customer satisfaction.

[gg3]

'96 Dodge Caravan, 6-cylinder, automatic transmission (this by way of my work, which requires the cargo capacity and involves hills in San Francisco that shred clutches). Normal mileage is 20 - 24.

Lately I've been doing my darndest to coast to stops, shift into neutral while stopped (less drag on the engine), accelerate slowly, and drive as slowly as I can get away with on the freeway (e.g. 60 - 65 in moderate traffic, 50- 55 when the traffic is light enough that they can all pass me if they feel like it). Also I tend to shift to neutral and coast on flats, so long as there aren't a bunch of people behind me who'll get all weird about it as I gradually slow down approaching the next intersection.

I don't have a current measurement but I should when I fill up the tank again shortly. I've been averaging less than a tankfull per month lately, this by way of being able to do most of my work from my home office desk via remote.

When I move to the woods, and have more than one tiny parking space, I intend to get some kind of second vehicle. If the distance to town is within the range of an affordable electric, that'll be the likely choice. If not, then some kind of biodiesel or hybrid or whatever. BTW, the highest mileage I ever got, first-hand, was a mid 1980s Chevy Geo Metro: 65 miles per gallon at 65 miles per hour on flat freeway with the air conditioning on.

OTOH, the 1950s microcars typically got in the 75 to 90 range at speeds up to 60 miles per hour.

The way to deal with those nasty "keep the engine engaged at all times" laws (aside from ignoring them), is to go for electric or hybrid with regenerative braking.

Agreed about not turning the engine off altogether. We don't need to go darwinizing ourselves; in fact we need to become the dominant subspecies ASAP.

[ClassicSpiderman]

I read every response, thanks for your replies.

I'm convinced that my car is a gas guzzler now.

I saw many posts alluding to 1980s cars (even American-made ones) getting 50+ mpg. I assume that it's because these cars had low power (60 hp or so). My car is rated at 110 hp.

[IslandCrow]

I only seem to have a mild case of 'hypermiling' - coasting in neutral to stop lights etc, although since reading this thread I have found myself more deliberately looking for places where I could cost.


My wake up point was reading about the Prius, and how they generated electricity from the braking system. I said to my self "if there is so much waste energy from breaking that it is worth putting in a generator for each wheel, the I could save a lot of energy if I drove in a way that did not need as much braking as I had been using".

[Frank]

The Prius is also relatively lightweight and pretty aerodynamic. Using the batteries/motor to minimize ICE use and regenerate is icing on the cake. The best way to save gas with a conventional automobile is to (a) don't drive unless you have to (doh) and (b) slow down! By coasting to stops, etc. you're effectively reducing your average speed which makes the trip more economical.

[misterno]

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?

[patience]

kjmclark,
RE: an instant fuel economy gauge, install a vacuum gauge mounted where you can safely refer to it as you drive. It's a simple rubber hose connection, which you hook to a "tee" fitting in any manifold vacuum line, easily found as a small rubber hose at the base of the carburetor, or fuel injection throttle body.

The gauges are available from auto accessory dealers, and can be had with suitable mountings.

The gauge reads inches of manifold vacuum. A higher reading indicates essentially a lesser throttle setting which is more economical, and vice versa. Makes it easy to learn how to "drive like you have a rotten egg on the gas pedal", an old axiom for frugal driving.

[yesplease]

Agreed about not turning the engine off altogether. We don't need to go darwinizing ourselves; in fact we need to become the dominant subspecies ASAP.

If ya can't turn the engine off w/o a self professed risk of darwinization you want to reassess any notions of becoming the dominant subspecies.

[waldo]

As I've posted before, my lifetime mpg on my Insight is 63.6. It could easily be 75 if I drove slower. The above is averaging 70 on the freeway. I've measured fairly accurately a 1/v[sup]2[/sup] dependence on speed above about 60 mph (due to air resistance), and can routinely get 75 mpg if I go 60. The easiest way to get better gas mileage is to go slower.

I've also noted a rough linear dependence on temperature (Kelvin) since colder air is denser. So my winter mileage sucks.

I've also done the tailgate behind a semi, that does work, I've gotten up to 90 mpg for short distances; but it's very dangereous and I've heard the cops will stop you if they see it.

[snax]

I routinely use hypermiling techniques in my driving and have been doing the engine-off coasting for the better part of a year. And so far I have had to nail the throttle in an emergency a grand total of ZERO times. As a matter of fact, the only times I have ever had to use the throttle to rescue myself from any driving condition have been when I was exceeding safe driving speeds to a significant degree (while racing or on snow or ice). So that emergency throttle argument is just a ridiculous one statistically, and an impractical one in reality because the vast majority of the driving public wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. So let's just throw that silly argument aside ok?

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!

What I have found however is the majority of my engine off coasting can in fact be done in gear. (For vehicles with fuel injection and manual transmissions only of course.) Left in 5th, the additional drag of turning the motor is miniscule, yet I still save considerably on fuel consumption without sacrificing either my power steering or vacuum assist since the motor continues to both turn the steering pump and generate vacuum. This technique has the added benefit of reducing wear on restarts, presuming they are done before coasting below the threshold speed for doing that. It also skirts the legality issue of coasting in neutral. (To my knowledge there are no laws that state the motor has to be running at all times.)

All it takes to refire the motor is a quick flick of the key back on - something that can arguably done more quickly than say trying to put the transmission back into a useable gear.

I won't deny that this extra step to refire the motor adds delay and potential risk, however one should not rule out the reality that most people using this technique are probably looking much further down the road than the average driver anyway. So to that I say 'whatever'.

Drive safe.

[eastbay]

I'm in neutral on almost all downhills. I thought I was the only one practicing this neat little gas saving trick. Glad to see others doing it too!

[snax]

I would estimate my average fuel savings at 10-20% based on this technique alone.

Just looking at miles driven with engine on vs. off, I coast close to 25% of it when the lights are against me. Much less when they are not.

[Ferretlover]

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

[evilgenius]

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.