Hypermiling - guy gets 180.91 mpg in a Honda Insight

[gollygee]

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/king_of_the_hypermilers.html

It's a fascinating article - I thought some folks here might like to read it. It's about saving fuel by driving differently. You have to drive pretty dangerously to get the kind of mileage he gets, but I bet we could all make a few safe changes here and there and still get significant improvement in our gas mileage.

[here_is_to_hope]

1. Thanks for posting this, cool read! n/t

[NNN0LHI]

2. Bet he doesn't live long enough to spend his fuel savings very long

Hope he doesn't kill some other innocent SOB in the process.

Don

[riderinthestorm]

3. That guy's driving scares the shit out of me just reading about it

I can't imagine encountering him on the road. :scared: There's got to be some kind of happy medium between getting better gas mileage and what this guy is doing....

[gollygee]

4. Yeah he's going crazy

if he crashes his car and another person's car, even if no one gets hurt, the energy expended by creating two new cars for the drivers would be greater than what he's saving by driving so dangerously.

Still, I think it illustrates that we could drive differently and save money. If he can make such a huge difference in his mileage, even just making safe changes would make a reasonable difference.

[blondeatlast]

5. Ah, I'll go with "Mythbusters" findings on this, thanks. BTW, I hope he isn't insured

with the same company I am. :scared:

[gollygee]

7. I wonder if someone from his insurance co. reads the article

what will happen?

He's obviously taking this to an unsafe extreme.

[Old Codger]

6. well

Sounds like fun maybe but these people break laws and endanger themselves and others( to say nothing of their self centered, lack of common courtesy) with what really amounts to unrealistic methods for most drivers....there has to be better ways to do what they claim to be attempting (cutting out dependence on mideast oil).What is really needed (IMHO)is a complete revamp of our auto industry to vehicles that use something other than gasoline made from petroleum products, until that happens we are stuck with what we have.

[tech3149]

8. I've been using hypermiling techniques for the last few years

I can squeeze 40 mpg out of my 98 Civic 5spd. That's a bit better than the 32/37 mpg from the window sticker.

For those that seem to be fearful of sharing the road with someone using the techniques, I can say a few things for you to think about.
1. Driving is easy, driving well takes considerable effort.
2. No matter how easy driving can be, it's still dangerous.
3. Anyone who puts the effort into using these techniques is much more connected and aware of what they're doing than your average Joe who just cranks the key and hits the Go pedal.
4. If you don't pay attention to everything every driver around you is doing, you will pay the price.

I'm wearing my Nomex, go ahead and flame away.

[blondeatlast]

10. Forty mpg from a Civic 5spd doesn't sound like you are very aggressive about it.

This guy forced a car that got between him and a semi out of the way. Talk to a semi-driver about how they feel about such practices. I hope you aren't delicate about language use.

I had an 84 Civic 5 speed and could get 32 MPG in the city with no problem and the AC on.

[tech3149]

11. Your right, I realize I live in the real world and adjust accordingly

I've done my share of "balls to the walls" driving and I'm too old for that stuff. Or it might be I'm just smarter. Or it might be I know I'm not infallible and don't have the money or luck to deal with the consequences.

[blondeatlast]

12. Good to know. This guy's obsessed and crazy as hell.

That thing about the car overtaking him from behind the semi and him forcing it back over just pushed me over the edge about this.

[SoCalDem]

9. I bet he's a fun guy on a trip..or to drive behind

:eyes:

[RexDart]

13. Good gods, he works at a nuke plant...

I wonder what kind if fuel economy tricks he plays there?

[Romulox]

14. Isn't it a lot more responsible to walk or take the bus?

My god we've turned into a country of obese assholes who are willing to risk the lives of everyone around us to earn the right to brag about "how much gas we've saved!" on our daily trips to Wal-Mart. :puke:

[gollygee]

15. We all should do what we can

For some of us, that means taking the bus, if it's available where you live and goes where you want to go, or other public transportation if available. It could be to walk if it's close and the weather isn't as it is today. It could be to ride a bike.

We can also limit how often we drive and how far we drive when we have to, and we can combine trips rather than making one car trip for only one purpose. We can carpool as well.

And we can also choose smaller cars, and choose to drive in ways that are both safe (all of his driving methods obviously aren't safe) and that use energy more efficiently. We don't have to allow our cars to idle, we don't have to keep our foot on the gas until it's time to stop and then suddenly put our foot on the break. We can slow down more gently and save some gas when we *do* drive.

Anyway, the answer to these problems is to do what we can safely do in each circumstance. There's no reason to believe that he is driving to Walmart either. And I don't see why his size is relevant.

[Romulox]

16. The problem is, nobody is doing any of that. They are build exurbs

and taking the elevator to their all-u-can-eat buffets.

They are taking cheap flights to disney land and running their AC non-stop once they get to Florida.

Then they buy a Prius and declare themselves "Environmentalists!"

[taught_me_patience]

17. This is beyond stupid

Roasting out $125 tires by taking turns at 50 mph to save $.01 in gas.
Turning off the engine is just as dumb. Normally, the oil pressure unit is driven by the motor. Turn off the engine and oil pressure starts falling. So you are risking major engine damage over the long haul.

[Gold Metal Flake]

18. Yes, the oil pump is powered by the engine.

So if the engine crankshaft is rotating, it is being lubricated. If it is not turning, there is no need for lubricant.