To What Extent?
 

So I guess being new to hypermiling and never seeing anyone else doing it directly, I haven't really picked up how much effort people put into this. I've read some articles in the news about the "experts" that always make them sound crazy by pushing the car out the driveway, or pulling crazy speeds around turns instead of using brakes. My question is: to what extent are you trying to hypermile? If my average now is ~33mpg and I'm not doing anything "crazy" than what would it be if I went all out focusing on hypermiling? Are you pushing the car instead of backing up? Do you ride curves at high speed?

I feel like to get even more mpg I would be really annoying other drivers on the road, and I try to remember that they aren't paying my gas and that I'm not braking any laws but sometimes that's hard for me to not feel bad for holding up traffic for my sake. Currently, if there was a strech that I could get better FE by going 20 under, I wouldn't do it if anyone was around, would you?

I'm pretty moderate. Of course, my automatic makes some of the simpler techniques difficult or impossible. I try to stay at 60 on the freeway. Mostly I try to bleed whenever possible and to anticipate so I can coast as much as possible. This weekend I tried a little moderate-distance drafting and it seemed to work. I'm waiting to gather together some cash to do some mods. In the meantime, I'm going to try blocking the upper two sections of my grille and devising a partial bed cover.

I impede traffic on secondary roads very little as long as the speed limits are only 45. On the 55 mph section I run 50-55 if someone is behind me. If no one is there I run 45 -55. The recent freeway driving has been at 60 mph. I make a serious effort to not get in peoples way unless someone is in front of me controlling the speed. I do vary my speed a bit for the coasts but that is all. I like a little more space in front of me so when some one nearly stops to turn off the road I don't have to stop too. I don't know if I am radical as I am fairly new to this scene too but I am doing pretty good.

I won't go so far as to pull corners at high speeds, since my little truck would probably barrel roll into the ditch, but I do try to time my arrival at red lights to allow a rolling takeoff. It's always good to conserve your inertia, so scrubbing 20 mph from your pace a few hundred yards away from the light is definitely going to save more fuel than holding high speed, then slamming the brakes.

I drive a diesel straight truck for work, so I use this technique to prevent having to press the clutch - it's pretty heavy. I just slide along in 2nd or 3rd gear for a few hundred feet and arrive at the stop bar as the light is turning green. :)

Colin

I don't do anything I would consider dangerous. EOC is pushing it for me. I tried it for the first time today, and although I got considerable gains, the idea of not having assisted breaking after the first few presses really makes me worry. Maybe I just need to get more comfortable with it.

I usually drive exactly on the speed limit. Only exception is if I'm trying to push FE and I'll do 60mph in a 70mph zone. We have wide shoulders here (the size of another lane) so I'll usually pull over and let someone pass if it's safe. I do feel bad about holding up traffic. I'll happily get good gas mileage on the shoulder while the truck passing me, pedal to the metal, is getting single digit mpg.

I definitely think safety should come first.

GeekGuyAndy -

I try to be the slowest driver that still goes with the flow. I am a "Granny first class" driver. IMO, I think you will learn to optimize your route. There will be times and places where you feel it is safe to EOC. At other times there will be traffic that doesn't allow you to do what you want. All of our routes are soooo different. You will learn to push it here and there over time and find your own comfort zone.

I try to go as slow as I can in the far right lane, but the flow of traffic typically pushes me faster than I want to go, and I will speed up here and there.

CarloSW2

I think Pikachu has a good point. Merely by being the slowest car that still goes with the flow, you will be getting great FE.

As for me, my undiagnosed OCD goes nuts with this kind of thing. As you can see by my gaslog, I've been getting greater than 40 MPG lately. This is woefully inadequate for my tenacious thirst for MORE -- I need 50!

I coast to stops, do some P&G, and execute high-G turns. I accelerate very slowly. My engine idles at 600 because I disconnected the throttle control thingy per a suggestion from someone on this board (Thanks!). I take routes which minimize waiting at stop lights/signs. I buy 89 octane and add acetone/xylene. I have 2 aero mods, a supplemental HAI, and a PCV catch can. The only time I do EOC is pulling into a parking lot or my driveway, though, because I'm not sure the wear & tear of bump starting is worth the FE gains (also I need to install a fuel injector enable switch).

The side benefit of taking curves at high speeds is that it's fun! However, from a safety standppoint you should be sure your car can handle it. Also, DON'T do it if there are hard objects such as trees or telephone poles on the outside of the particular curve...a blowout, etc. could be nasty in that situation. A month or two ago someone posted a fatality on SaturnFans because his brother's axle broke on a turn and he suffered a broken neck after slamming into an object.

Lots of questions. I'll try to put in my answers:

I think I just made a decision to try my hardest to make this tank my best. I just filled up, and it will likely take 3 weeks before I fill again, but I really want to see a 400 mile tank on this one. I once got 400 by driving an all highway route that had 1 stop and the engine never had time to cool off.

I like the idea of being the slowest car moving with traffic, and "helping" others slow down instead of barreling to the light. Almost every road I drive on has 1 lane which has some passing zones if it's a 55mph limit, but I might have to hold people back. And their just going to DEAL and get better mpg too :)

I've been changing my technique to get better gas mileage, I drive the speed limit or 5 under, depending on traffic but honestly couldn't care less when I'm "holding back" traffic, because I wouldn't be holding them back if they weren't speeding. I accelerate slowly, trying to keep my RPMs under 2200, on average it takes me about 20 seconds to get up to 45mph from a stop. As far as conserving momentum goes I try to take turns without ever applying the brakes. I don't consider taking turns fast dangerous since I know the limits of my car well. I'm comfortable going say, 40mph, around a corner others take at 10-15, as l have experience racing and I've learned the hard way what it feels like when you're exceeding your limits and when you're too fast to correct for an unexpected emergency.

I drop into neutral and turn the engine off the second I see a yellow or red light and never idle for longer than it takes to do a stop sign properly. I turn my ac compressor on and off depending on the temperature. I normally run it until I feel the ambient air get cold, then turn it off until it feels humid (I love my little "AC" button).

I'm not obsessive about it, but I try. I'm really starting to hate my AT though because my gas mileage has barely increased even though I've gone from putting the hammer down to driving like a grandma. I'm getting on a cheap solution to the TC lockup problem. I reckon if I put a switch in to lock my TC I could bring my mileage up a good deal by locking all the time.

I've been taking curves and corners pretty fast but I will have to cut back on that. Rain + fast curve = broken side glass, just this morning. Definitely not the way to go. This will set me back a couple hundred $$ or so.

I stopped doing EOC with my auto tranny - just too ridiculous restarting it, having headlights go out for a moment, etc.

I often drive slower than most (all??) of the traffic but I stay above the minimum of 45 that's on our interstates. I keep an eye out for traffic approaching from behind and I make an effort to stay out of their way by using "slow vehicle" lanes etc. Now and then I'll actually speed up a bit to avoid ticking someone off.

When I P&G on hills I sometimes get up to 75 mph on the downhill. If I coast down to 50 or even only to 55 it confuses the heck out of other drivers. They can't figure out what I'm doing and why I "can't" keep a steady speed. I have to pay lots of attention to where they are and what they're doing.

Whenever I'm alone on the road I will drive more conservativly than whenerver others are around. I pick my speeds up alittle when people are behind me. I dont compromise safety for FE though.

its kinda hard to slow people down out in the country but when im in they city i go 52 in a 60 and up to 65 in a P&g so it up and down all the time. It depends on how hard i want to try on a tank also if im going for a goal its all out. My friends dont even to bother to get in the car anymore when going for a goal because they cant handle no windows radio or a/c. High g turns are a must because lots of times i have to keep my speed because there hills right after the turn. Eoc i do but the only thing is its bad for the tranny not because it isnt safe. I consider hypermileing Really Really safe compared to not. I have never come close to an accedent when hypermileing but almost died two times when not so that where im coming from on that.

I'm to the point where I'm gonna follow Paul Anka's advice and do it "MY WAY!" [I think Paul Anka wrote "My Way...?" ] There are sooooo many azz clown drivers in these parts that I'm saying "Fook 'em" if they can't handle one 'lil car doing the speed limit or a 'lil under, while staying to the right. I wish most of the idiots on the roads here would speed off into eternity, while killing each other on the way out. Don't compromise what you have to do because of others. Try not to give a dayum about them, 'cause brother, THEY DON'T GIVE A DAYUM ABOUT YOU!!!:mad:

I think my sig sums it up.... :)

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I had to re-instate my throttle control. There was too much of a slam when shifting back into gear from neutral, and it takes too much work/fine-tuning to double-clutch and get the engine up to the right RPM before easing off the clutch.

Darn computers -- can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. This car was designed to run with the assistance of the computer, so it's very difficult to control the RPM's precisely with the accelerator pedal.

I unplugged mine at at 1000 rpm, no problems. 600 seems a little low (And I bet you have a 0506 - low idle code).

I go to a moderate extent.
I don't turn on my vehicle until my seatbelt is fastened and I am actually ready to go. I don't use AC, ever. On the highway I drive about 63, which is acceptable. That puts me just under 2500rpm in 5th. I use engine braking and coast to every red light as slowly as possible to avoid having to come to a full stop. Drivers behind me often seem confused when I do this. It seems like it's the woman driving the mini van that actually gets irritated, I've been honked and screamed at by mini van drivers.
I've begun coasting down hills where appropriate. I never take turns at high speeds, it's just not worth it. Plus, there's no way to do that here in winter with snow and ice. Basically, I don't do anything that puts more wear and tear on the car.
My accord is rated 21 in town, 29 highway. I am getting between 36-38 in town, and I've never done a long enough highway trip with this car to get an accurate highway rating.

I started out slow, by simply trying to make my car run better. I spent special attention on anything that could result in additional drag. My theory was that anything putting drag on the car, had to be robbing some FE in the car, as that drag had to be making more work for the engine to overcome. So anything that I did that lowered drag, had to be improving my FE at least a little bit.

So I started off with things like good synthetic oils (less friction in the engine), and lowering electrical usage in the car (because electrical power in the car is produced by mechanical load on the engine, therefore lowering electrical usage lowers car drag). That's where I started, and I did notice some gains doing nothing more than that.

I then started working up from there. For example, I raised my tire pressure based upon these forums. And I had my mechanic put good synthetic grease in my rear wheel barrings, as a result of some posts over on the BITOG forums. And I started experimenting with "safe" but more FE driving (such as coasting to a red light, vs just driving normally than using the brakes).

And at one point, I converted most of my car lights (except for the headlights themselves) over to energy efficient LED modules. Not only did that greatly lower the power (and therefore alternator drag) when the lights are on, but IMHO it also resulted in lights that were easier for others to see as well. And with luck, the lights themselves should last for YEARS, as LEDs don't burn out light normal car bulbs. And it also made my feel "less guilty" when I turned my secondary lights (everything except for the headlights) on in marginal light conditions, solely to allow other drivers to see me better. Yes, the LEDs still put a noticeable increase in drag on the engine when they are on, but that drag is a fraction as much as the drag was with the incandescent lights. So at this point, I will use the LEDs when I think they will improve safety, even if they aren't technically "required" (as it's technically light enough out that I could leave them all off).

And at this point, I consider any needed car work as an opportunity to see if I can get the work done with BETTER THAN STOCK parts and fluids (that hopefully are a little better from a FE standpoint, as well as hopefully lasting longer than stock parts). For example, when my mechanic replaced a worn out axle, he took the opportunity to shoot some high-tech grease I had into the front wheel barrings. The wheel barrings where supposedly "sealed", but since he was in that car area anyway (to replace the axle), he used a hypodermic needle to shoot my grease into the front wheels themselves (thereby allowing the wheels to spin easier, i.e. less drag). And when the stock radiator finally started corroding out (after 15+ years of service), I asked for advice on a new radiator here on these forums. And what we eventually went with was an aluminum radiator to replace the (heaver) brass stock radiator that was worn out. And one of my most recent mods (also related to the radiator) was an adjustable/variable radiator fan sensor, that allows me to just adjust a dial when I want to change what temp the radiator fans come on at. And higher fan temps have two key FE advantages (as long as you don't go so high of a temp that the engine melts, and that in turn is controlled by other engine factors related to how well you have your engine maintained): 1) Higher temps are generally more FE, as the engine can run more efficiently _IF_ it doesn't get "too hot" (how hot is "too hot" depends upon how well you maintain your engine). and 2) The radiator fan uses a lot of electric, so running it less saves alternator drag on the engine. Therefore a higher temp for fan turn on will save on alternator drag.

The point is, I consider this a journey (keep making "improvements"), vs something I jump into all at once. And I don't do some of the more "radical" things here either. For example I don't do "engine off coast" yet, and I won't until I find some way to "safely" do so. For example, if I had a good "injector kill switch" (which I might add at some point), I might consider engine off coasting if/when I wasn't in traffic. But IMHO the "traditional" turn the key approach (to engine off coasting) just isn't "safe", and I don't do it. IMHO if I ever do start doing engine off coasting (I do already do neutral coasting if/when appropriate), I'll have to first modify the car so that starting/stopping the engine (while still moving down the road) is easier and safer first.

But in the mean time I continue to learn FE driving techniques, and continue to take all "required maintenance" as an opportunity to see if I can "do better". So I talk to my mechanic, and when we see an opportunity to put something in that not only "repairs" the immediate problem but also is more FE (or otherwise "better quality"), we do so. And over time those mods have added up (and should continue to do so in the future).

i like this thread its cool to see what people think of hypermileing and how serious they take it.

A: To a great extent. I've been known to occasionally push the car, and I'd say I corner at above average speeds for a Metroid owner.

But I also live in an area with low population density, so I can get away with techniques that I wouldn't be able to use in the big city. And it's easy to find lightly used routes around here that permit me to drive wacky without ticking off/confusing other drivers.

Also, I don't have to commute for work so I can avoid peak traffic times.

And, like Ben, I ride my bike a lot.

When I was driving back and forth to school (25miles each way) I would do more hardcore / dangerous hypermiling techniques (3 mile eoc on twisty roads). Normally I am not too bad. I don't think the average driver would notice anything except going uphill slow and starting to slow down way before a red light.

It's interesting to see the responses here and then see how much above EPA you each get. There seems to be a correlation of those that are trying to stay more with traffic and whatnot are 20-30% over, then some are using more EOC, more P&G and get 40-50%, and those that were above 50% were more "all out" kind of drivers. I don't mean that in a bad way either. And MetroMPG wins with 122% over (must have something to do with Canada? :D)

GeekGuyAndy -

Make sure you check to see if the MPG is "old EPA" vs "new EPA". At new EPA I am 46% over EPA.

But, yes, in principle, I agree (thank you P&G!!!!!).

CarloSW2

Wow, it is cool to see how everyone is doing and what techniques they are using.

At present I'm using EOC on any hills that my MPH doesn't drop too much on. IE, if I'm doing 55 and I drop it into neutral and it stays 55, I'll kill the engine. Otherwise I'll P&G on the hill. All that, of course, depends on traffic. If there's no one behind me, I'll EOC even if I drop to 35!

I try not to take my turns too fast, I don't trust my tires, I need new ones. I do have them set at 40 PSI though.

I did some mild aero stuff, tucked my antenna away, tucked my wipers down, and removed the stupid air deflector under the nose of the car. As soon as I get the darn thing inspected though, I'm pulling off outside mirrors. I already have inside mirrors in place (see thread in my sig). Gotta get that darn air dam installed too!

I EOC up to read lights and restart when traffic moves. I kill the motor at a drive-through if I use one.

Oh yes! I too love the AC button! Run it till I feel cold and kill it till it gets too stuffy ;)

Since I don't have a scangauge yet, I limit myself to 2,500 RPM max. No full throttle EVER! If the car threatens to downshift going up a hill, I throw on the hazard flashers and slow down. I've been known to take a hill in a 65 MPH zone at 45 MPH.

Ummm, last thing I guess is my new found proficiency at following 18-wheelers. Though not too closely.

Ya, the people who post really big numbers are definitely working for them. For me even, I think I could get another 20% by EOCing and not idling, but I choose not to do it for a whole variety of reasons. But the true believers don't make excuses, and they really set the standard.

BTW, I'm using "New EPA" number

Skewbe I'm not sure my throttle control works the same yours does. I unplugged it at 800 (car not completely warm) and it drops to 600.

If you plugged yours back in, would it completely reset and be like stock, or would there be an offset?

It would be like stock, what with the racing after restarting with the key and the high idling while coasting with the engine on, oy.

Maybe unplug it when completely warm? And maybe turn on some accessories before you unplug it? Just a suggestion.