Posted on 05/02/2008 5:13:54 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
PHILADEPHIA: As gasoline prices hit records on almost a daily basis, an increasing number of motorists in US are following a radical driving technique designed to eke out every last mile from a tank of fuel. Known as 'hypermiling,' the methods can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles.
Promoted on a growing number of websites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag — a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.
The price of gasoline has rapidly emerged as the public's biggest economic concern. Gas prices are a "serious problem," ahead of jobs, and healthcare, according to a poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The "advanced" techniques of hypermiling are in addition to well-known approaches including keeping speed down, accelerating gently, avoiding excessive idling and removing cargo racks to also cut down on aerodynamic drag.
Adherence to hypermiling and other disciplines are designed to boost mileage well in excess of the US Environmental Protection Administration's ratings, which apply to each car model.
Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois, and the originator of hypermiling, said he gets 40-70-mpg (almost 20km a litre) out of his Ford Ranger pickup truck, about doubling its official fuel consumption.
Gerdes (47), estimates that hypermiling has saved him $15,000 in fuel since he began the technique after the attacks of September 11, events that convinced him that US national security was being undermined by its dependence on oil from the Middle East, and motivated him to reduce his own fuel consumption.
"If every vehicle in the US got 25km per litre, we would not import any oil," he said. Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director at environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, said most hypermiling techniques are "sensible recommendations" that could drive down demand and even prices if widely adopted.
"We should be looking under every rock for potential energy savings," he said.
He said he could not recommend drafting behind fast-moving trucks because it could potentially lead to highway accidents. Hypermiling can even make fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrid cars more efficient. Chuck Thomas (50), a computer programmer from Lewisville, Texas, said he has been getting 30km a litre from his Honda Insight, a hybrid whose EPA rating is 25km a litre, in the two years since he has been hypermiling.
Among Thomas' techniques is "pulse and glide" in which he accelerates and then coasts with the engine off until around 24 kph when he kicks the engine back on and accelerates again. "It's the automotive equivalent of skateboarding," he said.
I thought they just blew things up.
Mostly, they do but sometimes they debunk other things. Wednesday, they were debunking MacGiver’s stunts. The week before they were in Alaska.
Always fill up in the early morning before the ground has heated up. Gas expands with heat.
Fill up when the tank is still half full - less vapors in the tank.
Do not fill up if a delivery is being made to the gas station - the rush of incoming gas can stir up sediment at the bottom of the storage tanks.
If the nozzle has different speeds - use the slowest one. (can't say I've ever come across any of these)
My highschool car was a 85 Dodge Ram with a 360. With all the smog controls on it and 8.5:1 compression, it wasn’t that impressive. By the time I finish my Barracuda with the 440 engine in all its pre-smog controls high compression muscle car glory, the greens will have me tooling around in a plug in hybrid. Fortunately I can walk to work. Or just take my 35mpg Harley.
Selling my Barracuda was among the worst decisions of my life. It was immaculate when I sold it twenty years ago. I actually saw it in a local car show a couple years ago. It made me happy to see that it looked like it just rolled off the dealer showfloor- with the MSRP sticker and dealer delivery order (which confirmed that it had been my car). Now, there is no way I could afford to replace it. I wish you the best with your Cuda! Post a picture of it sometime!
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