Source: AutoTrader.com
August 1, 2008
Most car shoppers know that the fuel mileage estimates on every window sticker come from laboratory tests performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But fewer people know how drastically their actual miles per gallon (mpg) can vary with their everyday driving habits. Fast acceleration, traffic jams, cargo racks, numerous passengers, blasting the A/C, exceeding the speed limit — these are all common real-world occurrences that can drop fuel economy to well below the EPA's estimates.
But there's an unconventional group of drivers out there who look at those mpg estimates and say they can do better. Calling themselves "hypermilers," these drivers are committed to shattering the EPA's figures by employing a wide variety of techniques and maintenance methods. Some of these are insightful, some unorthodox, and all make a difference for fuel economy.
Here's a list of ten popular hypermiling tips for beginners, or anyone looking for an mpg boost:
1. Drive a stick shift. Operating a manual transmission means having maximum control over your driving. Veteran hypermilers have their gear shifts down to a fuel-sipping science, and even coast in neutral when possible. While impressive fuel efficiency is possible with an automatic, serious hypermilers make the shift to manual.
2. Make sure your tires aren't under-inflated. The lower your tire pressure, the more energy it takes to propel your car forward. Just remember that there's a trade-off. It's unsafe to exceed the high end of your car's recommended tire pressure range, and higher pressure means a greater sacrifice in handling and comfort.
3. Use lower weight oil. The science behind this is also relatively simple — lighter oil is easier to push through the engine, and that means using less energy.
4. Keep your RPMs down. This technique is easiest when operating a manual transmission, because you can govern your own shift points. Of course, it's also possible driving an automatic if you accelerate slowly — very slowly. This may be an uncomfortable practice for some drivers, but its impact on fuel economy is undeniable.
5. Stop speeding. Again, this can be an uncomfortable change for some. And it's also worth noting that driving the speed limit on the highway — let alone below it — will put you in an endangered minority at times. However, this can have the greatest impact on fuel economy. You burn more fuel as you pick up speed, of course, and increased wind resistance makes your engine work even harder to keep pace.
6. Avoid idling. When stopped, your car gets zero miles per gallon. This is important to keep in mind when planning routes as well as driving times. You may find that taking the longer route will actually burn less gas. Also, if you're picking someone up, turn off the engine while you're waiting.
7. Keep the engine warm. Engines have to reach a certain temperature before they operate with maximum efficiency. So if you have a series of errands to run, making the closest stop first may result in never reaching the optimal temperature. When possible, try to give your engine time to warm up.
8. Watch your weight. It's always tempting to use the trunk as a spare storage closet, but that just means more work for the engine. Make sure you eliminate any excess weight in your vehicle.
9. Drive as though you don't have brakes. In other words, make the most of your momentum. Energy you use just to be halted by a red light or stop sign is energy wasted. The most successful hypermilers will try to spend as much time as possible away from both the gas pedal and the brake pedal.
10. Track your progress. Finally, if you're serious about your hypermiling aspirations, you can invest in a trip computer such as a Scangauge (http://www.scangauge.com/). This device is a real-time mpg tracker, and it can provide a great deal of motivation and useful information to mileage-conscious drivers. You can see which of these techniques makes the biggest different to your fuel economy, or try to set new records on frequently traveled routes.
Veteran hypermilers boast some truly astounding mpg statistics, and some even approach double what the EPA estimates. However, those numbers can come at the expense of safety — and safety should always trump fuel economy. Should you choose to graduate to more advanced techniques, always remember to pay more attention to your surroundings than your gas gauge.
Many of these tips were informed by CleanMPG.com (http://www.cleanmpg.com/), an Internet authority on hypermiling. Also, be sure to click around right here on AutoTrader.com for other easy ways to conserve gas.
Learn more about what it means to drive green in our Going Green lifestyle center.
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