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Hypermiling
From CopperWiki
Hypermiling is a form of green driving. It is a method of increasing your car's gas mileage by making skillful changes in the way you drive, allowing you to save gas and thereby have an easier time withstanding the rising oil and gas prices. Hypermiling also reduces greenhouse gases.
These methods can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles. Its popularity is growing by the day, as gasoline prices keep soaring on a daily basis. Gas prices have emerged as the biggest economic concern in recent times, ahead of jobs, and healthcare, according to a poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
It even has a 'originator' - Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois, who claims to get 40-70-mpg (about 20 km a litre) out of his Ford Ranger pickup truck (almost double the official fuel consumption!).
Hypermiling is now being popularized through web sites which talk about pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag, which was started by truck drivers some years ago. "Advanced" hypermiling techniques are over and above the regular practices of keeping speed down, accelerating gently, avoiding excess idling and removing cargo racks to cut down the aerodynamic drag.
[edit] Hypermiling Basic Techniques
- Always know your car's mileage
- Vehicle maintenance
- Minimize weight
- Improve Driving Etiquette
- Reduce 'idle' times
- Keep moving in Traffic Congestions
- Accelerate slowly
- Use "cruise control" properly
[edit] Hypermiling Advanced techniques
These are less broadly applicable, and some may compromise safety.
- Pulse and glide
- Driving in Neutral and/or Engine Shut-off modes (Auto-stop, forced stop, and draft-assisted forced stop)
