Hypermiling has gotten a bad rap from some places. The media at one point was doing reports on how great it was, and then shortly after, they started trashing it. A bunch of that has to do with some jerks at AAA saying that hypermiling was dangerous, and then spouting about a bunch of techniques that most hypermilers don’t do.
Anyway, one of my favorite techniques is to shut off my engine while waiting at red lights. If I sit there idling, I am getting zero mpg! I have read that if I have my engine off for more than 10 seconds, then I have saved gas. Many of the new hybrids do this automatically. I have had friends tell me I would fry my starter, but I have had no problems with this.
My next favorite technique is by slowing down. I drive mellower than I used to. I don’t do jack rabbit starts, and I don’t speed to the next red light, just to slam on my brakes. I accelerate easy, and then I try to coast to a stop as much as possible. And I don’t tailgate people. I leave a buffer between me and the person in front of me so that I avoid hitting brakes if they slow down. I basically try to drive as if I have no brakes.
As part of driving easier, I try to keep a steady throttle. My Scan Guage II shows me my throttle position (TPS). I find that I get better gas mileage the steadier I keep the throttle. So if I want to go 35mph, I try to keep the throttle position (TPS) at 13. If I want to go about 40mph, I hold it at 14. If I want to go 55, I need to the TPS at about 15-17. By keeping it a fixed TPS (which takes a steady foot), I will slow down a little on the up hills, and speed up a little on the down hills. If I want to slow down on the down hills, I just take my foot off the gas. When I am coasting, the fuel injectors shut off, and I and getting mileage while burning NO GAS!!!
I don’t do any of these things AAA labels as dangerous, such as drafting trucks, or coasting through red lights. That stuff is just stupid! And somehow I manage to get well above the EPA estimates for my car.
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