Hypermiling.....Is it worth the effort?

[Llamapup]

Hello All

I know its not an alternative fuel, but hypermiling is reported to significantly reduce fuel consumption. So I thought that you drivers who use this alternative fuels section may have a particular interest in this discussion.

There is no requirement to make any modifications to your car (or van for that matter) to implement the process of hypermiling, all you have to do is adapt your driving style to gain the optimum fuel economy.

The practice has been around for a while, but it has recieved more press coverage recently due to the rise in fuel prices. Some drivers have reported fantastic fuel economy figures of over 100mpg average over a tank of petrol in completely standard cars. But drivers of hybrid cars using the same technique have manged to do even better:
--Honda Insight (213 mpg)
--Toyota Prius (136 mpg)

The basic idea seems pretty straight forward:
--accelerate slowly
--never exceed the speed limit
--anticipate stops by using the brake as little as possible
--avoid idiling at traffic lights as much as possible
--checking tire pressure 3 times a week
--Never exceeding 2500 rpm.

All of this is fine and may well add 5 or 10 miles per gallon to your average tank of petrol, but to see the exceptionally high fuel economy that some drivers are getting you have to perform some fairly extreeme or even dangerous techniques.
--Drafting lories on the motorway
--Turning your car off at traffic lights
--Turning your car off going down hills!

There is loads of information out there about hypermiling and from the sound of it is quite popular. Here are a few weblinks.
http://www.hypermiling.com/phpBB3/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermiling

What do you reckon? Is getting 49 miles per gallon in a VW T3 Camper worth all that effort? Is it worth the risk of performing some of those seemingly dangerous techniques.

Do any of you have any experience of hypermiling? What kind of fuel economy do you get in your car when you are driving at your most efficient?

Thanks

Llamapup

[Ian Hulley]

Turning your car off at traffic lights may well be fine with a modern car .... read technical though and see how many people have starter motor issues

Switching your cars engine off going down hill IS ILLEGAL ... AND DANGEROUS ! I'd suggest you E D I T you post and remove that particular piece of 'advice'

Life's too kin short .... get something more economical if money means that much to you !

Ian.

[HarryMann]

--Turning your car off going down hills!

I would hope they mean 'knocking it into neutral', but even that is dangerous and unwise.

[Ian Hulley]

--Turning your car off going down hills!

I would hope they mean 'knocking it into neutral', but even that is dangerous and unwise.

'Coasting' as it's called is also illegal .... the technical director of the AA was on 5 Live last night blowing holes in this B.S.

Ian

[slim_adi]

if you're gonna coast down hill, please dont do it when near me

i'd have thought the best way to impove fuel consumption is to drive everywhere at about 56mph, because that seems to be the best consumption figures listed

[ghost123uk]

On a trip back from Whitby to Chester I got into this kinda by accident.

I was in my Scirocco GTX that is fitted with a MPG gauge and I just started to see how low I could get the average reading.

That car usually does around 32MPG.
On that trip I got it down to an average of 60MPG !!

It was only an experiment and fun at the time but I wouldn't want to drive like that normally.

[Llamapup]

Switching your cars engine off going down hill IS ILLEGAL ... AND DANGEROUS ! I'd suggest you E D I T you post and remove that particular piece of 'advice'
Ian.

I do think that attempting better fuel economy is a fairly worthwhile endeavour but I certainly wouldn't reccomend turning your car off on hills or even at traffic lights for that matter. Ian is correct, that would just be dangerous. But that information is just there to highlight the lengths that people will go to to achieve greater fuel economy. I'm not sure deleting the reference is necessary.......

I'm don't know what I make of hypermiling yet. It seems that the value of hypermiling is not in its extreem (and possibly dangerous application), but rather in its basic principles of driving frugally and being aware of just how much your driving behavour affects fuel economy.

I drive a Volvo V40 T4 as a second car. I got it because its comfortable and fun to drive. With 200 bhp and a top speed of 135 mph its not a fuel efficient car, but I do see the benefit of eeking out some extra miles between fill ups. By reducing my motorway crusing speed to 65 miles per hour and setting the cruise control I have managed to save quite a bit of petrol. That seems fairly worthwile (and safe).

Thanks

Llamapup

[steve8090]

You will find that most modern vehicles have an overun facility on them so theat when they are on overun i.e. on a downhill stretch they cut-off the fuel to the injectors anyway thus maximising the engine brake, do not try to emulate this by turning off the engine, this facility is programmed into modern fuel systems as well as modern LPG systems.

[matt]

Off at a tangent, 8090 Style

On the News t'other nite, Transborder trains now "coast" on the downhill Sections

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2674890 ... -fuel.html

[mikey9]

Don't think it is as black and white as some people seem to try and make out.

The suggestions aren't ALL dangerous
See the suggestion of not flooring it it from the lights - accelerating smoothly etc.

Having driven reasonably powered cars for some years - and now a TDI skoda - you can clearly see the significant difference between driving normally ( for me - I consider normally to be accelerating quickly from rest and from slow) and probably a bit above various speed lmits and overtaking a fair bit
Now, although it is "Normal" for me it certainly isn't the most economical way of driving.

Quite easily - on the same journey, at the same time of day, without turning off the engine at any point, not drafting other vehicles etc. - I can increase from 45 ish mpg ("Normal Driving") to 55+mpg.
I have backed this up over significant distances (brim to brim measures etc) Now that suggests 20% savings are possible (in this vehicle, on this type of journey) without changing behaviour much.

Now the van is a bit different - 20 up to 22mpg - only about 10% difference.

£6 per gallon - (or £3 on gas) - saves 60p or 30p per gallon
8000 miles last year - 400 gallons - £240 (petrol) or £120 (gas)

So in simple terms - a new exhaust from JK by driving in a more relaxed style.......(or quarter of a Gas conversion by Steve )

You takes your choice -mine is a new exhaust!

[cornishpete]

I read on some Vanagon related site from the US that you actually use less fuel driving down hill in gear foot off the accelarator than you use coasting down hill out of gear with ignition switched on. Sorry cant find the url but it was in a section giving fuel saving tips among lots of other usefull T25 related tips.

[HarryMann]

Drafting lories on the motorway

Damn, I keep forgetting to put my sketchpad and HB pencil in the truck, no wonder I can't get 100 mpg

[Ian Hulley]

I was wrong .... switching off the engine while going down hill is not to be interfered with ... after all it's just natural selection taking place in front of our eyes !

It comes under the same category as people as people skimping on brakes and the like .... if you can't afford to repair it properly you can't afford the vehicle.

Pray continue

Ian.

[pugvan]

not trying to start a barny or nout but wots wrong with coasting down hill as long as the engine is kept runing

[Mocki]

not trying to start a barny or nout but wots wrong with coasting down hill as long as the engine is kept runing

its called aberdeen overdrive amongst the trucking ferternity........

its wrong because it means you dont have full control of the vehicle.......

same reason you select a low gear when desending very steep hills but dont brake, more control over the vehicle