Hypermiling for cheap using iPhone

optikalefx · 05-06-2009, 08:33 PM

Hypermiling for cheap with iPhone on Vimeo

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You don't need an expensive hybrid vehicle or car computer to get the most miles per gallon out of your car. Hypermiling is a set of techniques that maximize your MPG.

Some common techniques are:
Don't drive aggressively
Don't go over the speed limit
Avoid traffic
Avoid coming to a complete stop
Try to accelerate as slowly as possible
Using neutral when going down hills

Some uncommon techniques are"
Drafting behind trucks
Using centripetal force to go around turns fast
Over-inflating your tires to reduce friction

We took a look at how what kind of MPG we got out of our Toyota Matrix when doing basic hypermiling around town. We averaged 61 MPG when hypermiling and 27 MPG when driving normal. At some points on the trip going down hill in neutral we got up to 247 MPG.

If you have any of your own techniques or stories of your own hypermiling let's hear it.

tdb30_ · 05-06-2009, 10:00 PM

Using neutral when going down hills is illegal in some states. I used to hypermile, in fact I helped start one of the best hypermiling sites on the internet. I wasn't as good as many on the site because I avoided the "unconventional possibly illegal" techniques. I pretty much stick to driving between the minimum speed limit if there is one, and the speed limit.

I do try to avoid stopping and will try to time the lights so they turn green when I get there.

I used to turn off my engine while I was driving. I DO NOT turn off my engine anymore after I heard of one guy doing it while turning into his alley and almost hitting a family.

My mileage in the summer is about 60mpg in my hybrid.

I'm supprised you only got 247 mpg going down hill. They hypermilers I know would have gotten infinite mpg because their engine would be off.

optikalefx · 05-06-2009, 10:07 PM

I heard it was illegal in some places but I couldn't find any site that listed the states.

I wouldn't dare turn my engine off I can only neutral for about 1 minute in my town anyhow.

moorie · 05-07-2009, 06:51 AM

! who writes this stuff !

Neutral Uses MORE fuel than simply not pressing the accelerator!!!

If you got into neutral fuel is still injected to keep the engine turning over, whereas leaving it in gear, with no acceleration uses the cars momentum (flywheel) to keep the engine running!

Neutral = counter productive!

optikalefx · 05-07-2009, 09:28 AM

well I'm just going by the numbers. But if you think about even though your moving along in gear you slow down a lot faster when coasting. Thereby using more feul when you have to accelerate to stay at 55. If your in neutral you bareley lose speed going downhill thereby using less feul.

jpinkerton · 05-07-2009, 09:32 AM

Wow, some of you get pretty passionate about this. I will try and avoid stopping, coast, maintain gas not speed kinda deals...but I wouldn't turn engine off.

optikalefx · 05-07-2009, 09:40 AM

I agree some people take hypermiling to the extreme where it's not even about saving money anymore.

Crinos · 05-07-2009, 10:29 AM

I can't go from neutral to drive in my car, without standing still. So that option is out of the question on my part.

WHEN I try to drive eco, I try to use the cruise controll as much as possible, and slipstream where possible.

But usually.. My driving style would be called "active"

But still, it's doing on average 6.7L / 100Km

optikalefx · 05-07-2009, 10:36 AM

Dangerous, be careful doing that.

I had thought for a while that cruise control helped my gas mileage but after some research and random hypermiling forums it became apparent that the only reason cruise control helps your mileage is because it can accelerate better than a human can. Heavy acceleration is what uses the most gas, so when cruise control can accelerate at 1/2 mile or 1 mile at a time slowly then it's using a lot less fuel than if you accelerated at 6 or 7 miles at a time.

2k1Toaster · 05-07-2009, 10:42 AM

Simple solution, buy a economical car to begin with then floor it

Then you can still make fun of the hummer drivers that drive like grannies to get 30 litres/100k

optikalefx · 05-07-2009, 10:44 AM

Haha well If your giving away eco cars then ill make fun of some hummers.

strife · 05-07-2009, 12:30 PM

Fail

CraziFuzzy · 05-07-2009, 03:23 PM

I find it a LOT easier to just buy a cheaper, cleaner and domestic fuel, and not worry about the questionable/dangerous driving habits.

http://www.cngchat.com

optikalefx · 05-07-2009, 03:27 PM

So with only looking for a split second, you buy fuel online? Because it doesn't seem like this is widely available?

jpinkerton · 05-07-2009, 03:41 PM

It looks like a gas pricing website, but does not have any stations listed in my area.

At any rate, all the gas stations here seem to be in business for each other, the most they vary by is 2 cents a gallon. It's not worth driving 10 miles out of my way to save 40cents.

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