Anyone overcoming gas prices by hypermiling?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Me neither. No offense but its not much fun to continue hitting the pinata once you figure out that theres no candy in it.

[Danny]

Yes - I'm a journeyman hypermiling son of a gun - busy pissing off the local drivers here! I'm not extreme enough to start putting acetone in the tank, but I do what I can - obeying the speed limit (I had an ah ha moment a while back when I realized that the speed limit signs means that that's the max speed not the minimum speed!) easing up to speed keeping the rpms under 2000 and really easing into stops and actually trying to avoid stopping - just keep on rolling rolling rolling - keep that doggie rolling rawhide, yeah!

Here's an hypermiling site

and who wouldn't want to have one of these t-shirts to proudly wear...

[Martha]

Last time I drove to Minneapolis, 150 miles away, I drove 60 all the way there and back, and was super gentle with my accelerator. Got 60 miles a gallon with my diesel, manual transmission jetta. Drove me a little nuts.

[militaryman]

Years ago I bought a used Plymouth Horizon for 200 bucks --- It had the worst ride ever -- really sounded and felt terrible over the slightest bump --

One day i checked my tire pressure and (hard to believe) but instead of 35psi it WAS 135 PSI !!

I was riding on ROCK TIRES

I still don't know how they did not blow off the rim but as soon as I let the pressure out life was much better in that car!

[laurence]

The volvo's computer now says I'm up to 29 mpg average, with no extreme measures, just driving slower, higher tire pressure, gentler stops, etc. Considering gas/oil prices are driven by the margin, and I've been able to decrease consumption by close to 10%, imagine what would happen if everyone did?

You may say that I'm a dreamer....

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurencewill Considering gas/oil prices are driven by the margin, and I've been able to decrease consumption by close to 10%, imagine what would happen if everyone did?

In a rational market, prices are driven by the margins. In *this* market, prices are just driven ever higher by the Greater Fool Theory in the commodities markets. Fundamentals are becoming less and less important in the current frenzy.

[laurence]

Yeah, if we start conserving that only hastens the day oil companies come to congress with hat in hand saying, "We need help! We are too big to fail!". Barf.

[Danny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurencewill The volvo's computer now says I'm up to 29 mpg average, with no extreme measures, just driving slower, higher tire pressure, gentler stops, etc. Considering gas/oil prices are driven by the margin, and I've been able to decrease consumption by close to 10%, imagine what would happen if everyone did? You may say that I'm a dreamer....

..but you're not the only one...

[Dawg52]

Well I decided it was time to do my part in fuel preservation by driving smarter today. I slowed way down, coasted to red lights/stop signs, and even turned off the a/c and let a window down. Just read where that one has no measurable impact on fuel economy so I will abandon the last one. Thank god. The below link may have already been posted but I'm too lazy to read the whole thread.

We Test the Tips

[Danny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha Last time I drove to Minneapolis, 150 miles away, I drove 60 all the way there and back, and was super gentle with my accelerator. Got 60 miles a gallon with my diesel, manual transmission jetta. Drove me a little nuts.

Wow Martha!
Only one thing wrong and that's the price of diesel around here - $4.46 - what the heck ?

[homestead]

12 - 15 $ / gallon, yikes

'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha Got 60 miles a gallon with my diesel, manual transmission jetta.

Quote:

Originally Posted by homestead 12 - 15 $ / gallon, yikes 'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas

I'm not too worried about $15 gas. Before that, solar panels and electric cars make sense.

Maybe it was another 'gas prices!' thread, but the poster was putting down mini-vans. Heck, we just got 150mpg in ours (automatic, no high-polluting diesel) on a recent road trip. Drove somewhat conservatively (how else ), but nothing crazy. We probably would have done worse with a Prius.

Explanation: Six people plus luggage comfortably in the mini-van (room for seven plus luggage). Average mpg >25. So, >150 mpg/person. It would take two Priuses (Priusi?) to make the trip. If each Prius got 50mpg, that would equal 150mpg/person. But 2x the wear and tear, 2x the danger of an accident, etc.

That is why I'm against 'gas guzzler' taxes, and CAFE standards. It warps reality. The bottom line on conservation is how much gas we use, not the tools that we use.

-ERD50

[Bestwifeever]

I tried the hypermiling trick last night on the Interstate, following a semi for about ten miles. I was so intent on maintaining my safe interval that I missed my exit. Stupid! That took care of any gas-saving the drafting might have provided.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

...freewheeling down a hill get can hairy. Also, on a steep hill you likely would have to ride your brakes to stay anywhere near the speed limit. In any case, you are not saving much gas, as the engine is running on a closed throttle anyway.

I'm curious about this.

First, there's nothing dangerous about freewheeling, as long as you don't let your speed get too high, right?

Second, I've done some experimenting on a freeway hill near here. If I just leave the the car in fifth gear, I don't speed up. For example, if I'm going 60 MPH, I'm pretty much going 60 MPH at the bottom of the hill.

However, if I shift into neutral, I gain speed. I can be going 50 at the top of the hill, and I'll be going 70 at the bottom. Thus, I can go another half mile before my speed has returned to 55 MPH.

Seems like it might be worth a little to do this. Around here there aren't so many other cars, so changing speed like that isn't a safety issue.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I'm curious about this. First, there's nothing dangerous about freewheeling, as long as you don't let your speed get too high, right? .... However, if I shift into neutral, I gain speed. ...

Yes, a little bit of a safety issue. If you suddenly had to accelerate to avoid someone, you need to take a fraction of a second to shift into the proper gear. Worse, in the excitement, it might not click that you were in neutral, so you might floor the accelerator and do nothing more than blow your engine.

I'm pretty sure that driving safety people frown on it for that reason. Yes, it is rare, but it has happened to me. About a year ago I was at a stop light and I glance in the rear-view mirror and see a car approaching me WAY too fast. I looked left-right, got on the horn and accelerated through the intersection. The horn and maybe my motion got the guy's attention - he hit the brakes but blew through the intersection before he could stop. It would have been a mess if I didn't get out of the way in time.

-ERD50

[barbarus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords We also ran (at least one) oxygen generator that hydrolized pure water (distilled from seawater). Hint: the Navy still makes oxygen the old-fashioned way (by splitting oxygen & hydrogen) and propulsion still comes from splitting atoms.

I know what you guys did with the O2 nords. Added it to carbon.
What did you do with the hydrogen?
Not propulsion surely.
Little Hindenbergs to fly around in the submarine to have some fun?

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbarus I know what you guys did with the O2 nords. Added it to carbon. What did you do with the hydrogen? Not propulsion surely. Little Hindenbergs to fly around in the submarine to have some fun?

We discharged it overboard on my boat.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby We discharged it overboard on my boat.

Yep, everyone did. Probably still does.

We used to get excited about the Soviets being able to track dissolved H2 in the water, along with dissolved CO2 and floating trash. That used to make life particularly nasty when you were on station or "in the vicinity of" a reported datum conducting extended at-sea training evolutions in international waters...

Hey, Gumby, speaking of excitement, I read a short article in Scientific American the other day gushing about a newly-discovered chemical that absorbs CO2 from industrial smokestack discharges: monoethanolamine. Hopefully it's not hazardous!

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Yep, everyone did. Probably still does. We used to get excited about the Soviets being able to track dissolved H2 in the water, along with dissolved CO2 and floating trash. That used to make life particularly nasty when you were on station or "in the vicinity of" a reported datum conducting extended at-sea training evolutions in international waters... Hey, Gumby, speaking of excitement, I read a short article in Scientific American the other day gushing about a newly-discovered chemical that absorbs CO2 from industrial smokestack discharges: monoethanolamine. Hopefully it's not hazardous!

What will they think of next?! I bet it smells like a spring morning too.



(For those who have not had the pleasure -- monoethanolamine , or MEA for short, has been used to scrub the CO2 from submarine atmospheres for at least the last 50 years. It smells to high heaven and has been reported to be carcinogenic)

[unclemick]

Well now pushing 50 yrs ago or a tad more - they had CO2 scrubbers called trees.

They would get these dumb, niave Boy Scouts(volunteered by adults) to plant trees for a day.

I only fell for 'that' con job once.

heh heh heh -