Increase Gas Mileage
Tips & Tactics

What is Hypermiling?

Hypermiling sounds like something odd – in fact, it doesn’t even sound like something that would be associated with cars, but it is. Hypermiling is a way of driving that maximizes your fuel economy. If you practice any of these hypermiling techniques, you are a hypermiler.

Basically, these techniques are ways of getting more money out of each and every drop of gas you put into your car. It doesn’t matter what type of car you have – you can practice hypermiling in a large SUV, a truck, a small car or even a hybrid. Some minor hypermiling driving techniques are fairly safe, legal, and can be done by making just a few adjustments to the way you drive. On the other hand, other techniques – especially the ones that save more fuel – are dangerous, and some are even illegal.

Some hypermiling techniques are actually very common and are a part of every good driver’s style of driving. These include doing things like remaining focused on the road and anticipating when you need to slow down, brake or accelerate. By minimizing the number of times you brake hard or accelerate rapidly, you can save on gas and also on the wear and tear your brake pads will endure. These techniques can also help you avoid accidents, since you’ll be watching the flow of traffic.

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 electronic navigation systems can be set to figure this route automatically. They can even be programmed with the latest construction information and automatically plan to avoid trouble spots.

If you plan on making use of some of these and other, more advanced hypermiling techniques, you’ll probably come across a number of different terms and acronyms. Just like any jargon, these acronyms can be confusing at first. If you see FE, that stands for fuel economy, and is one of the most common terms used in hypermiling.

Others are somewhat more confusing. P&G stands for “Pulse and Glide,” which is the term for accelerating up to a specific speed and then coasting until your acceleration reaches a minimum point. This is one of the more advanced hypermiling techniques – those who really want to save on fuel will even turn their engine off when they reach their maximum speed. Of course, this is highly dangerous, since it makes it impossible to quickly accelerate at a moment’s notice without turning the engine back on.

When fuel prices were at their peak in the United States in the late 2000s, hypermiling became quite popular, but it also gained its fair share of opponents. Many claim it’s very dangerous, since some techniques – like the one mentioned above – make it impossible 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.

Driving Tips To Save On Gas Mileage

If you don’t want to buy a hybrid automobile and can’t wait two years for electric vehicles to hit the market, you’re probably looking for ways to improve the gas mileage on your current car. Luckily, there are some ways to improve your gas mileage simply by changing the way that you drive.

Cut down on how much you drive. Move closer to your job, carpool, use public transportation, ride your bicycle, or walk instead of driving.

Drive less aggressively. Jack rabbit starts and hard stops wreak havoc with your gas mileage. Gradually ease onto the gas and brake pedal instead.

Drive the speed limit. Most vehicles operate at optimum gas consumption at around 60 miles per hour. Every five miles per hour you drive over 60 mph reduces your gas economy.

Use your cruise control as much as possible. Maintaining a constant speed on the freeway increases your fuel economy.

Draft other cars on the highway. Travel in packs of cars on the expressway to reduce air resistance rather than driving solo. If NASCAR does it, you can too.

Travel in the slow lane on the freeway. You generally won’t have to change your speed or take your car off of cruise control.

Reduce idling. Don’t run your car’s engine while doing things like waiting to pick up the kids from school. An idling car gets 0 miles per gallon and ruins your average gas mileage.

Take the junk out of your trunk. A hundred extra pounds of weight can reduce your gas mileage by up to 2 percent.

Keep your car tuned up. One mechanical problem can seriously reduce your gas mileage, sometimes by up to 40 percent.

Minimize the use of your air conditioning. A/C decreases fuel efficiency. Often rolling down your windows will keep you cool enough.

Avoid driving during peak traffic hours such as rush hour. You’ll idle more in heavy traffic and kill your gas mileage.

Combine your errands. Turn three trips per week to the grocery store into one big trip.

Plan your driving routes. When running multiple errands, plan your trip so each stop is close to the next one to eliminate excessive driving.

Walk between driving stops. Instead of driving from store to store during errands, park your car in one central location and walk to all of the stores on your list.

Park in the first spot you find. Don’t waste gas driving around looking for the best space.

Time traffic lights. Don’t speed and then get stopped by every light. Usually lights are timed so vehicles driving the correct speed limit will hit the fewest red lights.

Using just a few of these tips will increase your gas mileage and save you money. All it involves is paying a little more attention to the way you drive. Getting better gas mileage isn’t just good for your wallet; it’s also good for the environment.

What Factors Affect Your Car’s MPG Rating?

When you look at the mpg – miles per gallon – rating for a car, you may wonder if you’ll actually be able to get that number when you drive the car. That depends on a number of different factors, but there are several steps you can take to maximize your car’s mpg.

You may have heard that jackrabbit starts – more formally known as quick acceleration – and quick stopping can reduce your mpg. What you may not know is that you can lose up to 33 percent of your mpg with this kind of driving. So forget the jackrabbit – slow and steady really does win the race, especially when it comes to increasing your car’s gas mileage.

And although most cars are designed for aerodynamics, exceeding normal highway speeds can reduce your fuel economy. Other things that interfere with your car’s aerodynamics – like cargo racks, for example – can also reduce your fuel efficiency.

While towing a trailer also affects the aerodynamics of your car, it’s the extra weight that really decreases your fuel economy. EPA testing assumes only 300 pounds of passengers and cargo, and two healthy adults could exceed that amount on their own. If you plan on hauling your boat or camper this summer, plan to pay a little extra for gas.

In addition, to operate efficiently, your engine needs to be broken in. On new cars, this can take anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Your car engine should also be operating at optimal temperature. This means that driving in cold weather or making short trips, can reduce your fuel economy because your engine doesn’t reach this temperature. The EPA says letting your car idle to warm up doesn’t really help – it actually burns more gas to let the car idle than you can save by letting the engine warm up.

Speaking of temperature, the car’s internal temperature can make a difference in your gas mileage too if you’re running the air conditioner. Running the air conditioner on its maximum setting, for example, can reduce your mpg up to 25 percent. Other electrical accessories can reduce fuel economy as well.

Also, EPA mileage tests assume you’re driving on level ground, so if you’re doing a lot of traveling on mountainous, hilly terrain or on rough, unpaved roads, expect your mpg to be a little less. The same goes for 4-wheeling – using all 4 wheels means the engine works harder and burns more fuel. Optional 4-wheel drive models are always tested in 2-wheel drive mode to improve the mpg ratings.

The other things that can make a difference in your fuel economy are the things you’ve been hearing for some time. Keep your engine properly tuned, keep your tires properly inflated and aligned, and keep your air filter clean – especially if you have an older car with a carburetor.

Know also that gas can vary. In summer, gas provides more energy than in the winter, and oxygenated fuels or RFGs (reformulated gasoline) can reduce fuel economy.

Of course, some of the things that affect your car’s mpg are beyond your control, like the state of the roads on which you have to drive. Other things you can do involve your own personal driving habits, like avoiding jackrabbit starts and keeping your car well maintained.

Some Basic Tips To Get Better Gas Mileage

With gas prices are on the rise and environmental concerns there are many reasons to lower your fuel consumption. The following tips and resources will help you improve (perhaps double) your gas mileage: