Hypermileage
#1
There can only be One
Thread Starter
Hypermileage
I heard about these dudes today on my local Fox channel and thought it was straight amazing what they were doing with Honda Insights pushing them to 120MPG!
I tried to find video on this but couldn't but found this:
Link
http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/to...echniques.html
Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9s3OzIgC4XM&feature=related
I tried to find video on this but couldn't but found this:
Wayne Gerdes knows how to wring a gas tank dry. He can squeeze 84 miles per gallon from your standard-issue Ford Ranger pick-up. He once averaged more than 100 mpg during the course of an entire summer. And while behind the wheel of a hybrid electric Honda Insight, he coaxed the vehicle into yielding an astonishing 180.1 mpg. Gerdes can do these seemingly impossible things with a car because he is one of a rare breed of drivers known as hypermilers.
These drivers are “completely obsessed” with getting good gas mileage, says Bill Robbins, spokesperson for an annual event called Hybridfest in Madison, Wis., which celebrates hybrid cars and all things related to reducing fuel consumption.
Gerdes, of Wadsworth, Ill., admits to this obsession without hesitation.
He isn’t trying to get merely good gas mileage. Or even great mileage. He’s intent on achieving hypermileage.
He uses specialized driving techniques that can double the normal gas mileage for any car, including non-hybrids. Some techniques are simple, even self-evident. Don’t let your car idle excessively. And don’t waste gas by accelerating up to red lights and stop signs.
Other techniques get a little more technical. For instance, putting the lowest weight oil in your car helps it work more efficiently. “This allows for better kinematic viscosity,” says Gerdes, “which means that it's easier to pump oil through the engine, and the engine moves against itself easier.”
Then, there are the more advanced techniques. Techniques with names like Pulse and Glide, Warp Stealth and Ridge Riding. Gerdes doesn’t like to talk too much about these because, if performed improperly, they can actually be dangerous. If you’re intrigued by the names, not to mention the potentially stratospheric mileage that can result, he recommends seeking out an instructor to show you how advanced hypermiling is done.
As his enthusiasm might suggest, Gerdes isn’t just a hypermiler. He’s the hypermiler.
“He’s the man who coined the term ‘hypermiler’!” says Robbins, the Hybridfest spokesperson.
Gerdes came up with the neologism during that extraordinary 100-plus mpg summer. “I live and die for this stuff,” says Gerdes, who works at a nuclear power plant which, he points out, provides energy without emitting carbon dioxide. He’ll go to almost any length to emit as little CO2 as possible himself and help others to do the same.
Gerdes spreads the hypermiling gospel through instruction. At this summer’s Hybridfest, which drew extreme mileage enthusiasts from around the country, Gerdes and others that share his passion put on a clinic to help attendees practice what the hypermilers preach. In one exercise, Gerdes guided a driver through some basic techniques in a standard Honda Accord, and the driver extracted 51.2 mpg from a car that the EPA rates at 24 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.
The Hybridfest also puts hypermiling skills to use in the name of competition. In the MPG Challenge, drivers try to get the best mileage over a 20-mile course, an event that Robbins describes as “NASCAR in reverse.” Last year, it was on this 20-mile circuit that Gerdes hit the 180.1 mpg mark on his way to victory.
Even though the MPG Challenge is a competition, it’s not a particularly cutthroat one. A lot of the entrants were already friends, having met on Gerdes’ website, CleanMPG.com, where they share fuel-saving tips and tricks. Before this year’s contest, Gerdes said, "I’m looking forward to the challenge — the field is thick with great drivers, and they are all my friends, so I'll be happy with whoever wins." This year’s victor was Bill Kinney, who averaged 168 mpg. Gerdes finished second with 146 mpg.
The benefits of hypermiling are fairly apparent. “For the most part, hypermiling encourages non-aggressive driving,” says Geoff Sundstrom, director of AAA Public Affairs. “Driving the speed limit and not speeding up to stop signs are all good things — these are things that we teach new drivers.”
However, when pushed to the extreme, even elementary techniques can become dangerous. Driving too slowly below the speed limit can cause other drivers to become more aggressive and perform unsafe maneuvers, and the technique of using one’s brakes sparingly to conserve energy can lead to drivers rolling through stop signs. “When taken to an extreme, hypermiling can become a very selfish endeavor,” Sundstrom says. “The bottom line is: Saving fuel and conserving energy are important, but so is safety — and preventing crashes.”
Then there’s the questionable method of positioning one’s automobile directly behind a large vehicle (such as an 18-wheeler) to catch its draft and reduce drag, which, Sundstrom says, “is called tailgating!”
But there are ways to reap the benefits of hypermiling while still driving safely. Gerdes suggests ten things that the average driver can do to maximize fuel economy. All of them are applicable to real-world driving conditions, and none of them require the purchase of a hybrid, although surely that will help your numbers. Click on the link to the slideshow to see ten fuel-saving tips from a hypermiler.
These drivers are “completely obsessed” with getting good gas mileage, says Bill Robbins, spokesperson for an annual event called Hybridfest in Madison, Wis., which celebrates hybrid cars and all things related to reducing fuel consumption.
Gerdes, of Wadsworth, Ill., admits to this obsession without hesitation.
He isn’t trying to get merely good gas mileage. Or even great mileage. He’s intent on achieving hypermileage.
He uses specialized driving techniques that can double the normal gas mileage for any car, including non-hybrids. Some techniques are simple, even self-evident. Don’t let your car idle excessively. And don’t waste gas by accelerating up to red lights and stop signs.
Other techniques get a little more technical. For instance, putting the lowest weight oil in your car helps it work more efficiently. “This allows for better kinematic viscosity,” says Gerdes, “which means that it's easier to pump oil through the engine, and the engine moves against itself easier.”
Then, there are the more advanced techniques. Techniques with names like Pulse and Glide, Warp Stealth and Ridge Riding. Gerdes doesn’t like to talk too much about these because, if performed improperly, they can actually be dangerous. If you’re intrigued by the names, not to mention the potentially stratospheric mileage that can result, he recommends seeking out an instructor to show you how advanced hypermiling is done.
As his enthusiasm might suggest, Gerdes isn’t just a hypermiler. He’s the hypermiler.
“He’s the man who coined the term ‘hypermiler’!” says Robbins, the Hybridfest spokesperson.
Gerdes came up with the neologism during that extraordinary 100-plus mpg summer. “I live and die for this stuff,” says Gerdes, who works at a nuclear power plant which, he points out, provides energy without emitting carbon dioxide. He’ll go to almost any length to emit as little CO2 as possible himself and help others to do the same.
Gerdes spreads the hypermiling gospel through instruction. At this summer’s Hybridfest, which drew extreme mileage enthusiasts from around the country, Gerdes and others that share his passion put on a clinic to help attendees practice what the hypermilers preach. In one exercise, Gerdes guided a driver through some basic techniques in a standard Honda Accord, and the driver extracted 51.2 mpg from a car that the EPA rates at 24 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.
The Hybridfest also puts hypermiling skills to use in the name of competition. In the MPG Challenge, drivers try to get the best mileage over a 20-mile course, an event that Robbins describes as “NASCAR in reverse.” Last year, it was on this 20-mile circuit that Gerdes hit the 180.1 mpg mark on his way to victory.
Even though the MPG Challenge is a competition, it’s not a particularly cutthroat one. A lot of the entrants were already friends, having met on Gerdes’ website, CleanMPG.com, where they share fuel-saving tips and tricks. Before this year’s contest, Gerdes said, "I’m looking forward to the challenge — the field is thick with great drivers, and they are all my friends, so I'll be happy with whoever wins." This year’s victor was Bill Kinney, who averaged 168 mpg. Gerdes finished second with 146 mpg.
The benefits of hypermiling are fairly apparent. “For the most part, hypermiling encourages non-aggressive driving,” says Geoff Sundstrom, director of AAA Public Affairs. “Driving the speed limit and not speeding up to stop signs are all good things — these are things that we teach new drivers.”
However, when pushed to the extreme, even elementary techniques can become dangerous. Driving too slowly below the speed limit can cause other drivers to become more aggressive and perform unsafe maneuvers, and the technique of using one’s brakes sparingly to conserve energy can lead to drivers rolling through stop signs. “When taken to an extreme, hypermiling can become a very selfish endeavor,” Sundstrom says. “The bottom line is: Saving fuel and conserving energy are important, but so is safety — and preventing crashes.”
Then there’s the questionable method of positioning one’s automobile directly behind a large vehicle (such as an 18-wheeler) to catch its draft and reduce drag, which, Sundstrom says, “is called tailgating!”
But there are ways to reap the benefits of hypermiling while still driving safely. Gerdes suggests ten things that the average driver can do to maximize fuel economy. All of them are applicable to real-world driving conditions, and none of them require the purchase of a hybrid, although surely that will help your numbers. Click on the link to the slideshow to see ten fuel-saving tips from a hypermiler.
http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/to...echniques.html
Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9s3OzIgC4XM&feature=related
#3
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
Seems a little ridiculous to try to squeeze every mile you can out of the gas... but, if it works and it makes them happy... so be it. Personally, I can't see myself trying to plot a route that's LONGER than the one I have to go to POSSIBLY increase MPG. Same thing goes with cutting off the air and driving with the windows up... I live in Florida... you do that, and you'll die... lol.
#4
I try to do something similar like that in my car...but it's just too hard to avoid stopping and going when you live in a very busy area with lots of traffic lights and heavy traffic. I wonder how much the antenna really improved on gas mileage.
#5
Some procedures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermileage
Pulse and Glide seems like a reasonable maneuver to incorporate into your driving, but auto-stop seems pretty crazy. It's pretty cool what people can achieve. A couple of winters ago, I coaxed 550 km out of my tank. No amazing feat, but in comparison to the 4-450 I usually eek out, I impressed myself. It was all through driving mpg-conscious. In the summer I bet I could do more. I'll give it a shot with an upcoming tank...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermileage
Pulse and Glide seems like a reasonable maneuver to incorporate into your driving, but auto-stop seems pretty crazy. It's pretty cool what people can achieve. A couple of winters ago, I coaxed 550 km out of my tank. No amazing feat, but in comparison to the 4-450 I usually eek out, I impressed myself. It was all through driving mpg-conscious. In the summer I bet I could do more. I'll give it a shot with an upcoming tank...
#6
There can only be One
Thread Starter
I am going to try some of these. Like really try the coasting thing more.
For me its almost impossible to plan all right turns.
90% of my commute is a straight line.
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#11
Yeah it's possible. That's how I got 60mpg in my Prius. Driven normally, it would've been 50mpg. I pulse & glide.
Of course having a good commute route helps plus if you've able to drive when the traffic is lighter, that helps too. I've been blessed with not having to deal with 9am or 5pm rush hour traffic so my mpg increases.
Of course having a good commute route helps plus if you've able to drive when the traffic is lighter, that helps too. I've been blessed with not having to deal with 9am or 5pm rush hour traffic so my mpg increases.
#13
Lexus Test Driver
I'd like to install a component in my GS that can kickstart the engine back on w/o having to use the starter, that i can use when at stoplights to cut down on idling.
Of course, it would have to have a kill switch on it, to allow normal idling when necessary (Like charging the battery, or wanting to use the AC when not moving)
Note, i never turn the engine off to save gas as of now, simply because i know how much of a PITA it is to replace a starter on a 1UZ-FE
Of course, it would have to have a kill switch on it, to allow normal idling when necessary (Like charging the battery, or wanting to use the AC when not moving)
Note, i never turn the engine off to save gas as of now, simply because i know how much of a PITA it is to replace a starter on a 1UZ-FE
#15
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)