Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Are you a hypermiler?

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

More MPG — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:06:36 -0000

Hypermiling is my new favorite hobby. I can sort of make a 'game' out of seeing how much gas mileage I can get when I'm heading to work. As I drive the same route daily I try to get better and better at anticipating stuff and beat my MPG record from before. It helps to get a MPG meter installed too. Anyways I love hypermiling!

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Rick Miller — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:55:45 -0000

I have a '91 Ford Explorer I like to "hypermile" in. Of course, 20 mpg is my goal instead of 40 :D . But I used to get 13 mpg, now I get 17-19 mpg in mixed driving; it's hard to sneeze at a 25% improvement.

I used to get road rage at tailgaters and the like, but being in 2 tons of Detroit iron reminds me nothing is likely to happen. So I just sit back, enjoy driving a smooth running piece of machinery, and disassociate myself from the actions of drivers around me. I try to watch them like a people watcher at the park, and when they jump in front of me or tailgate, I just watch them and chuckle at them. I remember being a immature driver once upon a time. Now I just enjoy driving. I don't mind when someone tailgates; I just say to myself "my car can beat up your car."

Remember when driving a car was fun? when you used to daydream about getting a chance to borrow Mom and Dad's car? It may be these Prius owners have rediscovered the joy of driving. Why begrudge them a simple joy of life?

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

MattKelly — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:23:04 -0000

I know what you mean Jewellery. It can be intimidating being in front of those drivers. My suggestion is to just slow down even more, or to even jam on the brakes. If they hit you, that's their fault--their insurance rates will let them know they need to slow down and cool it. I used to be one of those drivers years ago, and I do confess, sometimes in LA I can still get that road rage feeling, but I still see plenty of cars speed by me all the time, and it makes me laugh when I finally get to the red light and there they are sitting there too!

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Oil Portrait paintings — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:02:35 -0000

If I were a hypermiler I might end up losing my driver’s license every now and them. Don’t you think I’ll be in jail for traffic incidents and all most of the time? Or am I just looking at the negative side of being a hypermiler?

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

jewellery — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:06:14 -0000

Man, I would love to hypermile more. The problem, I think, is really the other drivers : the pushy ones that try and push everyone either off the road, or faster down the road. I've tried a few times to do some makeshift manual hypermiling, but my plans are always spoilt by some suit in a faster car insisting that I go his ridiculous speed in a residential area. I have no patience for those kinds of people, but they push you so badly that you just want to speed up to get away from them and the accidents they're almost causing all around themselves!

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

trademark registration — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:32:31 -0000

I can't wait to get a Toyota Prius. They seem like the coolest, most cost-efficient cars ever invented. They're so technologically advanced, even though they've been out for a few years already. They never cease to amaze me.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Linda — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:52:45 -0000

Someone wrote, "the Prius’s display is a ton more distracting than a speedometer..."

Prius aren't the only cars that these guys are using to hypermile. Along with other hybrids that don't have an LCD screen, some of these guys are hypermiling in their non-hybrids, with NO gauges at all. It's not about staring at the gauges -- these guys can feel and hear the changes in the engine and respond to that input the same way lots of experienced drivers never check the tachometer when they shift their manual transmission!

I had a first-gen Prius, and you know what, you get used to that gauge. It's as distracting as any new toy at first, but in real life it's no more so than the cell phone people are dialing, or the people who are texting while they drive, or the people who are obsessively bound to their GPS displays while driving.

If you folks don't want to hypermile, that's your choice -- but I wish you'd think twice about flaming these men and women who are trying to use less fuel to benefit the greater good. Their driving under the speed limit is no more dangerous than the people who drive over the speed limit. I met these people at Friday's MPG Challenge, and they are intelligent forward-thinking individuals with no desire to inconvenience you personally.

Someone else wrote, "Spare me the preachy political posturing, it’s a car, not a religious movement..."

It's not just "a car" -- these men and women do it in ANY vehicle they drive. It's not just a hybrid thing, either, it's a new way of thinking about all of the driving you do, every day, every mile. Maybe that is kind of a religious movement to the people who hypermile! I'm *not* a hypermiler by anyone's stretch of the imagination (though I drive an Insight), but I do drive close to the posted speed limit, and frankly I'm more alarmed by the cars and trucks that run up on my tail too fast, follow too closely, and pass me dangerously than I am by the hypermilers who are driving more slowly than I am.

And then someone wrote, "damning SUV owners..."

Whoa, wait a minute. Where do you see that? That's not what hypermilers do! You're confusing hypermiling with something else, I think. Hypermilers drive SUVs when they need to. There was a division in the MPG Challenge for Hybrid SUVs. Hypermilers make the most fuel-efficient choice that is right for them. They encourage you to do the same, but they do not blanketly disdain SUV drivers.

" It’s not a all weather car, and demands a flat topographic use pattern, plus the tire wear is incredible and the maintenance costs are crazy..."

I won't consume Matt's bandwidth to go through this point by point. I've owned three different hybrids, and none of this is altogether true. There's a lot of misinformation floating around about hybrids, as evidenced in that sentence, and this is exactly what Hybridfest is for -- getting the facts to the people who want to hear them and raising awareness about the real deal with hybrids.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Aruni — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:51:53 -0000

Interesting. We have a Prius and are looking to get the new Highlander Hybrid to replace my car when it comes out soon.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Rodgers — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 05:30:41 -0000

The hypermilers’ disdain for the dependence this country has on foreign oil

Spare me the preachy political posturing, it's a car, not a religious movement, and when Texas makes it economically feasible or they finally open up Alaska, then the 'foreign' might disappear.

People hardly look directly at speedometer's, that thing called peripheral vision, the Prius's display is a ton more distracting than a speedometer, with playful interactive features, ask anyone who has ever been a Prius passenger.

No one has an 'interest' in causing accidents, well aside from Mallachi Crunch, when he rammed into Pinky Tuscadero, but cause them they do, as they follow their hypermiling recipe and always look at the dashboard, and not the flow of traffic, plus the car drives like a toaster on wheels, and you have the timid ecofacists behind the wheel. It's not a all weather car, and demands a flat topographic use pattern, plus the tire wear is incredible and the maintenance costs are crazy. But it gives cult members a platform in which to wage a new Inquisition, damning SUV owners, and labeling everyone not into the dogma as gas-guzzling lawbreaking speeders.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Matt Kelly, The Next Gear — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:01:02 -0000

What I find so interesting in these comments is the amount of animosity shown towards these hypermilers, none of whom I have met while here at Hybridfest in Madison, WI, have any interest in causing a traffic collision. In fact, quite the opposite--without exception, all are extremely conscious of their environment, and of the drivers around them. Watching the readouts on their vehicles is no more distracting than looking at your speedometer, yet the suspicion they've received here is just like that shown them on the roadways by those who break the law by speeding, who feel the need to speed up to a traffic light, only to slam on the brakes to stop. Today the winner of the MPG Challenge was able to achieve 168 miles per gallon with only slight modifications to his vehicle--inflating his tires to reduce resistance, and moderating his driving habits to levels we can all easily accomodate, if we simply choose to. I'm sure I'm not the only one to applaud his achievement. This same individual traveled over 2000 miles from the Seattle, WA area to Madison WI, and spent only $56 on fuel. I bet many readers of this blog spend that in less than a week driving their SUV's to and from the grocery store. Sadly though, the rat race we all live in, forces us to speed up to get somewhere in as short amount a time as possible...damn the consequences, full speed ahead and to heck with the other guy. The hypermilers' disdain for the dependence this country has on foreign oil and the consequences that it causes is the single biggest theme that I could see that unites them in their desire for better fuel economy, resulting in a cleaner environment and a safer country. A moral crusade? Nah. Equating driving a Prius with driving drunk? Please....Here's a better analogy. Speeding = a speeding ticket, higher insurance premiums and a a roadway less safer for your passengers and vehicles around you. Hypermiling = saving money.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

mike3k — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:43:50 -0000

It isn't a matter of driving slower; keeping a steady speed really helps your MPG. Also, avoid short trips. I find that my mileage is around 25-30 for the first 5 minutes, and after that goes up to 50 and levels off around 70-75 after 15 or 20 minutes.

Taking advantage of regenerative braking helps a lot. Instead of braking suddenly, anticipate red lights and brake gradually. I can usually get it to switch to electric by accelerating to 40-45 and then backing off the gas *very slightly* so it doesn't slow down more than 1 or 2 MPH.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Rodgers — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:34:55 -0000

Nothing more annoying than a self-righteous Prius-tards lecturing you on good driving habits and ways to save gasoline, as if it's some moral crusade. Reminds me of the Vegans, flipping out if they catch you with a Big Mac. Driving drunk, talking or texting on the cellphone, and driving while in a Prius, all the same level of risk.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Michael Walsh — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:25:25 -0000

Dan? That's funny, recently I was looking at one of his books that's on my bookshelf and remembering my frustration with it. So many pages of complex examples that badly illustrated a point.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Karoli — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:04:55 -0000

When we first bought the Prius, I was amazed at how rapidly my driving style changed. Having that real-time feedback on the screen really changed me to a more conservative driver. I agree with the analogy to a video game - the feedback challenges me every time I drive it to raise that MPG .1 at a time.

I just wish that the other drivers around me would do the same. My single biggest annoyance is maximizing things at 65 on the freeway and having people zoom up behind me as if I had the audacity NOT to speed. That's when I have to remind myself that my gas bill is probably less than 1/3rd of theirs. :)

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Dan Guy — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:57:08 -0000

It's nowhere near as simple as "Speed up, gas milage went down. Drive slower, it goes up." It's all about optimizing the process of getting up to speed and then using your momentum optimally.

I can get 60+ MPG in my 2004 Prius driving 65-71 MPH up and down I-95.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Chris — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:34:34 -0000

"Oh, wait a minute! My ‘96 Dodge Caravan had the same feature, except it was on the overhead console."

All the old Chrysler built cars had the miles per gallon display. They also had voice reponse. "The door is ajar".
I wonder why they stopped putting that into vehicles.

Perhaps there is some link between that and the reason Chrysler went under and was sold to a capital investment firm?

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Neuromancer — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:17:27 -0000

Sean

"My question to you is, How many times have you heard of someone running over a kid cyclist or biker because he was distracted my checking his MPH?"

Cheking an large anlog display is way less distracting than continiosly monitoring a digital MPG readout - you know they have laws against watching tv and using cell phones whist driving for a reason.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Mike Elliott — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:09:33 -0000

Hypermiling's not a bad idea at all, but until it catches on, there's sure to be some accidents, if not by the people preoccupied with their displays then by impatience on the part of the other drivers.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Andrew F — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:50:59 -0000

You don't need to watch the display to hypermile, you can more or less tell based on the speed you are going and your surroundings.

I did this for about the first month after I got my Prius (a few years ago), but just stopped and figured life was too short.

In the Prius, there is a sweet spot that forces the car to use the electric motor while you lightly press the gas. I believe it is in the 30-40 mph range, so it only really works in town.

Anyone can use the other hypermiler methods (slow down and coast into stop signs/red lights, don't accelerate hard, etc).

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Bob — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:45:47 -0000

Wow, a dashboard display that gives real time fuel mileage? Amazing! I Oh, wait a minute! My '96 Dodge Caravan had the same feature, except it was on the overhead console.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Sean McGee — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:43:53 -0000

Neuromancer said, "How long before a “hypermiling” driver runs over a kid cyclyst or biker becuase he was distracted by cheking his MPG."

My question to you is, How many times have you heard of someone running over a kid cyclist or biker because he was distracted my checking his MPH? The speedometer's there, and pple check that all the time. Never heard of someone having an accident because he was checking his speed.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Chris — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:31:52 -0000

http://www.canadiandriver.c...
Fuel consumption city: 7.1 l/100 km (40 mpg)
Highway: 5.5 l/100 km (51 mpg)

He could step on the gas as much as he wants and it would have cost him half as much with no hybrid tech.
People don't want Echo's though do they?
They want a way to drive an SUV or luxury Sedan and tell their friends about how they're saving trees.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

some guy — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:07:08 -0000

Get a motorcycle and you can hypermile while going like a bat out of hell.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Rodgers — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:39:01 -0000

He showed me how the car was training him to drive slower

Guess it didn't work for Gore's kid. :) And hypermilers are traffic accidents in waiting, for one, they drive too slow and timid, secondly, they don't watch the road, thirdly, they let the GPS do their thinking, which always misses real local knowledge and conditions.

Re: Are you a hypermiler?

Chris — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:15:51 -0000

BeerCo owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla registered to the company. Anyone is free to use it for business, but I happen to drive it the most for some reason.

I was told by my garage not to buy a hybrid or anything with gas saving technology because once the bumper to bumper warranty runs out, you're screwed. We will use our company cars until they die, however long that takes. Leasing is not an option with the way we treat commercial vehicles.