High gas prices = hypermiling?

[kornbread]

My wife and I were just having a discussion about fuel mileage the today. In her car (99 VW Beetle) She averages about 24 MPG. We took a trip to the NC Mountains on July fourth. I was driving and I got almost 27 MPG. And that was mountain driving. My wife is a very slow driver but she takes off like somebody dropped the green.

 

[kornbread]

My son was telling me that he saw on TV a story that turning off the AC can actually hurt fuel mileage. In some cars, opening the windows increases wind drag enough to negate any gas savings that turning of the AC achieves. I guess it depends on the shape of the car and aerodynamics.

 

[McKBrew]

I'll suffer with the slightly lower gas mileage vice not having AC.

 

[tdavisii]

Buying a Prius defeats the purpose of a Prius.

I couldnt agree more. I guess its the american way though.

 

[superfluent]

My wife and I were just having a discussion about fuel mileage the today. In her car (99 VW Beetle) She averages about 24 MPG. We took a trip to the NC Mountains on July fourth. I was driving and I got almost 27 MPG. And that was mountain driving. My wife is a very slow driver but she takes off like somebody dropped the green.

A friend of mine works with engine development and I think I recall him saying that if it's a "suction otto engine" (non supercharged gas engine) it will get the highest efficiency when it is giving max tourque (basically flooring it). So it's not the accelerating hard that is uneconomic, it's the breaking that kills the efficiency.

The most economic scheme to run an otto motor is to floor it and then turn off the engine and let it roll to a near stop, floor it again and so on (that's how the Prius works -it uses the "left over" torque to recharge the batteries).

Oh, btw, do NOT try this on an ordinary car if you're not absolutely sure what you're doing:

A couple of years a Swedish guy decided to try this out but when he shut down the engine at top speed he accidently removed the ignition key and the steering wheel lock kicked in, he crashed and killed him, his wife and two kids...

H

 

[dirtymike1]

Well Iam the A hole thats still doing 95 in a 45, weaving through traffic with reckless abandon, and believe that the shift light must come on to change gears


j/k...kinda

 

[98EXL]

Well Iam the A hole thats still doing 95 in a 45, weaving through traffic with reckless abandon, and believe that the shift light must come on to change gears


j/k...kinda

LIAR! You live in NoVa...since when did you drive over 45mph on any road

I hypermile awesome...I've been driving stick since the beginning...and I drive like a bat out of hell and I still get 31mpg...hypermiling is gay, driving is so much more fun...and so what eveything costs more...remember 39 cent cheeseburgers at whack arnolds?

 

[superfluent]

Well Iam the A hole thats still doing 95 in a 45, weaving through traffic with reckless abandon, and believe that the shift light must come on to change gears

Oh, you mean like this guy driving to work:



/
H

 

[98EXL]

is that another turbo busa video? Those rock

 

[superfluent]

is that another turbo busa video? Those rock

No, I think a "busa" is a bit to bulky and heavy to manouver at these speeds, I beleve he is using an all carbon Suzuki GSX-R1000 (or perhaps a Suzuki GSX-1300R).

What he do is just wrong, dangerous and jeopardizing other's lives, but somehow I just cant deny that just the sound alone maxing out this bike gets the adrenaline going...

H

 

[Zul'jin]

Looky what I dug up :cross:

I turned mid 40s into near constant low 50s on my motorcycle by coasting with the clutch in while shifting into lower gears as my speed reduced in light traffic*, not taking off like John Force from traffic lights and keeping my speed 60-70 on 60mph highways.

None of this d-bag snail driving or dangerous engine off or coasting in neutral baloney.

*driving my usual commute at my usual time, knowing how the traffic lights work, what the normal traffic pattern is and being in light traffic are key here. As said, don't be an ass or a danger for the sake of a few ounces of gas. Drive as conditions warrant.

 

[jpc]

I'll probably burn in eco-hell, but...No. My car is way to fun car to be "hypermiling" (Audi RS4). Besides, since it's a new car it's current value is pretty much freefalling - a saved gallon here and there is marginal at best (economically, that is...).

So, at the end of the day I just think "f**k it" and floor it at least a couple of times a week...

H

Ah, a fellow Audi enthusiast!!! I used to have an S4 (2004), but got rid of it because I went from a 15 mile commute to a 2 mile commute, and couldn't enjoy it any more. When I lived further away, it wasn't a good day unless I hit 100mph at one point (usually on the exit ramp) during the trip.

I traded it in on a 2008 A4 Avant, but I still "drive it like I stole it". I fill up once or twice a month, depending on how much weekend driving I do, and really don't care about mileage.

And before any self-appointed green freaks get their knickers in a twist (like a former co-worker who lectured me about owning a 12 mpg car, yet he drove 60 miles each way on his commute), I more than make up for it by never using the heat in my townhouse-- haven't had to turn it on yet in the six years I've lived here.

 

[TJinWV]

don't be an ass or a danger for the sake of a few ounces of gas. Drive as conditions warrant.

This. Driving 15 MPH under the flow of traffic is just as dangerous, if not more so, than driving 15 MPH above the flow of traffic.

If you really want to learn how to save gas, get yourself a ScanGuage-type device and get some hard data on what really works and what doesn't for you. Everybody's gonna be a little different based on terrain, drive time, and vehicle.

 

[kh54s10]

A few years later, return to high priced gas, return to hypermiling. Some aspects are ok.

Driving too slow creates problems and is dangerous - don't do it.

Don't "draft" me! I hate tailgaters and will slow down if I am getting "drafted".

A question - I am driving in the slow lane, going faster than the speed limit or as fast as the car ahead of me. I am getting tailgated. -- Why is it 80% of the time that it is a woman tailgating me? Do women lack spatial perception.

And of those 80% it seems that 80% of them have Massachusetts plates!!
And they are usually talking on a cellphone or putting on makeup!