Improve Your Gas Mileage
Your recognized Authority On Ways to Improve Your Gas Mileage

By Tom Price

Hypermiling sounds like something odd. In fact when our researchers first saw the term it was misspelled (hypermilling) and we thought it sounded like something that you would associate with a machine shop. But we were wrong. Hypermiling is driving technique that will increase your gas mileage. If you practice any of these hypermiling techniques, you may be a hypermiler without even realizing it.

Now, you may be asking yourself what hypermiling is. According to Wikipedia, hypermiling is “Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors (and) techniques that drivers can use to optimize their automobile fuel economy. The energy in fuel consumed in driving is lost in many ways, including engine inefficiency, aerodynamic drag, rolling friction, and kinetic energy lost to braking (absent regenerative braking). Driver behavior can influence all of these. The city mileage of conventional cars is lower than highway mileage due to: 1) a high proportion of idling time, 2) operation mostly at very inefficient low-output engine operating points, and 3) more frequent braking.”

In a nut shell, these hypermiling techniques are ways of getting more miles per gallon out of each and every drop of gas you put use. It doesn’t matter what type of car you have. You can practice hypermiling in a truck, an SUV, a large or small car. These techniques are even effective in a hybrid. Some hypermiling techniques are fairly safe, legal, and can be done by making just a few adjustments to the way you drive. There are some other hypermiling techniques, especially the ones that save more fuel, that are dangerous. Some are even illegal.

There are some hypermiling techniques you may already be using. These hypermiling techniques are actually very common and are a part of every good driver’s style of driving. These include doing things like concentrating on your driving and driving defensively. One example of this type of hypermiling would be predicting when you need to slow down, brake or accelerate. By keeping to a minimum the number of times you brake hard or accelerate rapidly, you can not only save gas but you can also cut down on the wear and tear on your brakes. Focusing on the road can also help you avoid accidents, since you’ll be watching things more carefully.

Another common hypermiling technique is planning out your routes to avoid heavy traffic and areas under construction that will slow you down. By determining a route that is the shortest distance and involves the fewest number of stops, you can save on both fuel and on time. While this used to take a bit of advance planning, today, many GPS navigation systems can be set to figure this route automatically. They can even be programmed with information on construction zones and automatically route you around trouble spots.

Here, briefly, are some other safe hypermiling techniques.

Calculate and Record Your MPG

Tracking your progress seems to be a large part of hypermiling success. Calculating your MPG is a simple equation (Miles driven / Gallons used), so the best way to do this would be with ScanGauge. This is a tool that we were encouraged to get by several Hypermilers we contacted while doing our research. We have also seen it publicized in several other places as well. It is a digital display that plugs into your car in order to calculate gas mileage as you drive. This valuable information gives the driver the feedback needed to determine how various hypermiling techniques are affecting your gas mileage. We have tried to do it by hand, but let’s face it. Sometimes life kicks in and you don’t take the time to calculate and record your mileage.

Watch the Mileage Display

Some newer vehicles come with computers that compute your fuel use as you drive and translate that information into cumulative miles per gallon and give you a readout on your dashboard. As mentioned above, the ScanGauge seems to be the after-market tool of choice by most hypermilers. They can glance at ScanGauge digital readout and use the information to adjust driving habits and gas pedal pressure accordingly in order to maximize their gas mileage.

Ride the White Line

This means riding along the painted white line on the road. Have you ever noticed that when it rains you can sometimes see long narrow puddles in the road? This is because over time, roads tend to “groove”. Those grooves or ruts tend to form in the direction of travel as a result of the weight of the traffic that the road has to bear. We have seen that, especially in some western states, these ruts are so deep that they can actually effect the vehicle’s steering and throw the vehicle around within the ruts. This is horrible for mileage. Hypermilers are now using this white line technique to avoid these dangerous ruts and increase their fuel economy. This method is especially useful in the rain when puddles form in the grooves of the road. These puddles not only contribute to a dangerous condition called hydroplaning, they dramatically increases rolling resistance which is also a mileage killer.

Downhill Parking

Hypermiler Wayne Gerdes is the winner of the 2006 Hybridfest MPG Challenge. According to him, you should “Park at the highest spot in the parking lot and face out.” This technique allows you to exit by rolling forward in neutral without turning on the engine, thereby saving gas. Some hypermilers claim that this technique does away with the backing up and braking required by nose-in parking, while also reducing the time the engine runs. This one is questionable. After all, you still have to go uphill to get to the highest point in the lot and use the same amount of gas and brake backing into the space. Additionally, coasting without the engine in most vehicles equipped with power steering and power brakes can be a dangerous proposition.

Minimize Brake Usage

Some drivers hate to have to come to a, full stop at a stop sign, but it is the law. Some hypermilers treat stop signs as though they aren’t there, and slowly roll through the intersection. They also are constantly planning and preparing for what’s ahead and minimizing use of their brakes. This is acceptable to a point, but that point becomes dangerous and irresponsible when hypermilers tailgate or take corners at unsafe speeds in order to avoid applying their brakes.

Pulse and Glide

This hypermiling technique is usually reserved for the hybrid owners, but I think some non-hybrid owners have found ways to apply this principle as well. The “Pulse and glide” method involves accelerating the vehicle to about 30-40 mph and letting it coast. The 30-40 mph point is where some hybrids do not use the engine or the battery. They let it coast for a few seconds, and then repeat. Sounds like car sickness redefined to us. This is one of the more advanced hypermiling techniques. Hypermilers who really want to save on fuel will even turn their engine off when they reach their maximum speed. Of course, this is very dangerous, since it makes it impossible to quickly accelerate at a moment’s notice without turning the engine back on. It also affects your steering and braking on cars equipped with power steering and brakes.

There are also some downright useless if not dangerous hypermiling techniques. They are:

Avoid stoplights and stop signs

Many hypermilers plan out and map their route before departing to make sure their route has the fewest stops possible. Are you kidding? This can actually defeat the purpose. By avoiding stops, you can add so many miles onto your trip that you actually burn more gas. That’s not even getting into what your time is worth. You can be a more effective hypermiler  by timing stoplights.  Determine the optimal speed for making sure stop lights are green when you get there. Taking this small step has a remarkable effect on your fuel economy. Just don’t ruin everyone’s day who is stuck driving behind you.

Overinflate tires

Some hypermilers overinflate their tires by 15-20 pounds. This is not only hard on your tires in the form of uneven tire wear, it can be dangerous. Over inflation can result in accidents caused by blowouts. Some of these hypermilers consider it safe to overinflate because most of their driving is around town and under 50 miles per hour. These hypermilers assert that by overinflating their tires they put less rubber on the road which gives them a leg up in the fuel mileage battle by decreasing rolling resistance. Our opinion is that while practicing this hypermiling method they may saving money on gas, but they may be leaving themselves open to other expenses by decreasing tire life and having to pay an insurance deductable in case of an accident caused by over inflation. How much gas could you buy with a $500.00 deductable?

Removing Your Outside Mirrors

We heard about one hypermiler who removed his outside mirrors, replacing them with a video camera mounted in the left rear turn signal. He has it connected to a small video display mounted on the dash that enables him to see a wide-angle view of what’s behind him. He figures it adds another one mile per gallon. Again, are you kidding? Other than increasing your gas mileage for environmental purposes, this is just not cost effective. You can buy a lot of gas for what these modifications probably cost. That plus, it is illegal in many states to remove the side view mirrors and place anything on the dash that will interfere with your vision.

Drive Without Air Conditioning

Keep the Windows Rolled Up

In the testing that Edmunds did, they concluded that there is, “no measureable difference,” when choosing to open the windows and turn off the air conditioning or reversing the two. However, if you a dedicated hypermiler and choose neither, there’s about a 10% difference in fuel economy. We don’t know how you feel, but when most people buy a car they get a heater and an air conditioner for a very good reason.  We all want to be comfortable while we drive. A comfortable driver is also a safe driver.

Drafting

Some hypermilers have learned a lesson from the NASCAR pros. They realize that they can save fuel by getting right behind big trucks.  This is not only dangerous, but stupid! We have seen both automobile drivers and truckers utilize this hypermiling technique. We’ve also seen the downside. If you are going to try this (which we don’t recommend) you may want to think about the possibility of decapitation as opposed to improving your gas mileage. Using this hypermiling technique isn’t worth losing your head over.

With fuel prices on the rise again and poised to go as high as $5.00 – $12.00 per gallon,  hypermiling is  becoming quite popular again, but it also has its fair share of opponents. Some claim it’s very dangerous, since some techniques, like the ones mentioned above, make it difficult for drivers to truly be safe. In August of 2008, in fact, the Hypermiling Safety Foundation was formed to help educate drivers on which hypermiling techniques were safe to use and on ways to legally save on fuel.