Lil4X

One hypermiling technique I've proven many times over is not engaging the cruise control. Driving at the limit of 60 mph on urban freeways, I save as much as 4 mpg by holding a steady throttle position up and down grades. Don't do this in traffic, but shedding a few mph uphill will come back to you on the downhill side.

Lexus' and many other cars' cruise controls are now wired through the ECM, and they will move all obstacles to holding within a fraction of your setpoint speed. This produces a lot of throttle action that simply kills mileage. A steady right foot prevents all this throttle jockeying and saves a lot of acceleration and lifting, thus saving you gas. Try it!

SLegacy99

I simply held 65 MPH on my trip last week. Managed 33 MPG in my AWD Legacy which is rated for 27 MPG on the highway. Wish I had a 6th cog to drop the RPMs down.

IS-SV

Here we go with the the fuel economy stories, lol......

mmarshall

Probably.

Some AWD cars, of course, operate in 2WD until the sensors (or center differential) detect slip, and then re-route torque as needed.

That's also one reason I think highly of the Suzuki SX-4. Not only is it the American market's cheapest (and smallest) AWD vehicle, starting around $16,000, but it has a 3-position rotary switch on the dash that chooses 2WD/4WD/4WD Lock for tough conditions. You can run FWD if desired, for more power and efficiency.

A shorter final-drive also helps in the mild off-road conditions that some car-based AWD vehicles (like the Outback, Forester, and SX-4) can handle.

mmarshall

Well, isn't fuel economy why many people try and hypermill in the first place, no matter how good or bad it is for the car?

shyguy16

exactly. everyone loves to tout that the car uses no gas while coasting in gear, yadda yadda...
what they neglect to mention is how much farther a car can coast in neutral compared with when in gear.
i don't have hard numbers but i bet i use less gas coasting in neutral than coasting in gear then gassing again to make up for the lost ground.

^ this is in a 5mt. dunno crap about an auto.

mmarshall

As we have posted previously, however, NEVER coast in neutral on downgrades, especially steep ones. It is potentially dangerous, and can overload the brakes.

IS-SV

Yes, but some enjoy the high speed cornering on skinny tires, disrupting smooth traffic flow with erratic driving, all with the goal of extra gas mileage. So hear we go with the stories, which is exactly why we have EPA ratings, because the stories are just that., CHIT CHAT for sure.