Well… Maybe not exactly that good but lets see what we can do…
Can you afford not to drive? Most of us depend on cars for some part of our daily lives. By using some easy Hypermile (or fuel efficient driving) tricks you can beat your car’s EPA rating and save some dollars. Here are ten easy things you can do to boost your MPG…
10 Hypermile Tricks:
1. Use Lighter Grade Engine Oil
Using more viscous engine oil (10W- 30, 10W-40) may not mean better lubrication. The thick oil may not penetrate all the small spaces in you engine and requires more energy to push it around (think Syrup vs KY). Go for the 5W-30 or less.
2. Lose the Extra Pounds
All the junk in the trunk means your car has more to pull around. For every 100lbs of stuff in your car you lose 1-2% fuel efficiency. This one’s easy; you don’t need the ski boots, wetsuit, and mountain bike for visiting grandma at the nursing home.
3. Idling is Negative MPG
I often thought it took more gas to start the engine than to let it idle. Baloney. Turn the car off if you will be stopped for a few minutes.
4. Make Your Ride Sleek
Take off the roof rack or bike rack; it’s costing you 5% from your MPG. If you use it on the weekend, put it on during the weekend. Check out Ecomodder.com for some more aerodynamic tricks to make your ride less of a drag.
5. Brake Less
Every time you put on the brakes you have to eventually gas it again. Look ahead, plan, and pace so you get the most out of your accelerations. Don’t race 200yds to the next stoplight.
6. Skip the Premium Octane
Most cars can run on the minimum rated octane gas. Using higher ratings will cost you more and will pollute more.
7. Slow Down, but Not Too Slow
Most highway MPG rating are based on 48-60mph speeds. We all go faster than that (except for that guy in the passing lane going 45mph with his blinker on for 50 miles). Driving 70mph instead of 55mph can cost 17% loss in fuel economy.
8. Get it in High Gear
If you have a manual car, get it to your cruising gear without tachin’ up the engine. Try to shoot for the low end of your RPM range, shift sooner, and cruise in a high gear to keep your car from the gas sucking RPMs.
9. Use the Cruise
Using cruise control whenever possible will mean your acceleration and speed maintenance will be more efficient. Also, using the built in acceleration button will allow you to gradually speed up, which is more efficient than crushing that pedal down.
10. Beat the Congestion Waves!
Stop and go traffic is killer on gas. By anticipating rush hour stop and go waves you save for yourself and maybe even those around you gas (not to mention your sanity).
Check out Traffic Wave Experiments!
Want to save more money, gas, and reduce emissions at the same time? Don’t drive at all! Bike it, walk it, run it…even rollerblade it around town! Also, check out public transportation options.
Good tips! My work truck only gets 9mpg when I tow, so far I have made the following changes in order to increase my mpg:
Completely emptied the bed of roofing shingles (50lbs), lumber (100lbs), misc deck hardware (50 lbs) and a mix of other items that in total add up to almost 500 lbs.
Reduced my highway speed from 85 down to 60-65, this was a very hard task since I like to drive fast.
Keeping my tires inflated properly.
I’ll try out a few of the tips on your list!
These “tips” suck. The only one worth while is the engine oil - that makes sense - otherwise these tips won’t amount to anything.
I’m surprised he didn’t mention “keep your dogs head inside the window - that’s costing you 8.3% mpg.”
Or something like - “thinking like a republican uses more gas than a liberal democratic thought.”
Thanks for nothing….
Actually, using the cruise control only helps when you are on completely flat land. It’s actually a better idea to decelerate as you go uphill and accelerate downhill. As you go uphill, you convert kinetic energy to potential energy which can be converted back to kinetic on the way down.
“6. Skip the Premium Octane
Most cars can run on the minimum rated octane gas. Using higher ratings will cost you more and will pollute more. ”
Bad idea. *Always* use the octane level that the car’s manufacturer recommends. Anything different and the engine has to compensate the unfamiliar grade with various settings (retarding or advancing the camshafts) that leave you with poorer emissions, mileage, and power.
I agree with Ciuffo… I’ve found that nothing is worse for fuel economy than using the cruise control. It never “gradually” speeds up. The idea behind the cruise control is to maintain a constant speed. The farther below that set speed you are, the more gas it gives to the engine to get you back up to speed. It’s especially bad on a hill… It stomps on the gas to get you back to the set speed, and accelerating up a hill is a terrible waste of fuel.
You also forgot to say “maintain you tire pressure”. Most tires need to be really low before they look low. If your tires are low, you’re wasting more energy in friction.
Love it cuz of the burning man pic above
Great tips but let’s add on
1. Be cool. If you get mad at drivers that pass you or get excited when everyone else seems to be going faster, just think about how much money they’re wasting to get to the next stoplight sooner. It’s cool to just cruise.
2. Driver fewer miles. This doesn’t so much increase your mpg as it just decreases your miles driven; as long as you get the same job done, why drive extra miles? Every mile avoided is like getting infinity mpg.
* Walk. Don’t drive 10 miles to save a dollar on food; find a store within walking distance and shop there. Bonus: exercise!
* If you absolutely must drive, use mapquest or googlemaps or what-ever to figure out your route before you go, including where you’re gonna park.
* Combine trips: get everything done in one trip instead of three.
* Check your habits. Are you going to the movies 15 miles away because you didn’t know they built a new theater 3 miles away?
RAMMMMMOOOOOONNNEEE! Hypermileing is for faggots!
A bunch of tips obviously written by a non-mechanic. You should only use the fluids your manufacturer recommends. If I put low octane in my car, I would probably put a hole in a piston or break a ring land.
If you put lower octane in a car that recommends premium - you could potentially have much WORSE mpg and WORSE emissions - all depending on the anti-knock methods used in the programming of the car’s computer - if you run a lower grade gasoline.
There are probably some premium-grade-gas cars that don’t have a knock sensor, or possibly an inoperable knock sensor. These cars could have a catastrophic failure due to running too low of a grade of gas.
If you put too thin of an oil in an engine…you would have only yourself and this horribly written article to blame when you spin a bearing.
11. Buy a GPS. Driving around lost eats up lots of juice, so get where you need to go and turn off the car!
Jordan, you are a total douche. I bet you voted for Bush twice. We have fucktard thinking like yours to thank for the situation we’re in right now.
I have to agree with a few commenters - Cruise Control kills efficiency. While driving towing a trailer (ironically containing a solar car for the World Solar Challenge) between Perth and Darwin we often drove for long stretches between petrol stations and turning off cruise control was absolutely required to make it without running out of gas (turning off the air conditioning was also required occasionally, and that sucked big time!).
I’m amazed at the number of times I have seen articles like this advocating Cruise Control as benefiting efficiency, but I can tell you it definitely killed efficiency in our tests.
These rules of thumb are generally applicable to everyone (depending on engine type, etc.) But for the real scoop, read OmniNerd’s “Improve MPG: The Factors Affecting Fuel Efficiency” for a complete breakdown with graphical comparisons of how different driving habits will actually save you gas as measured directly from the engine’s computer through the OBD II interface. If you can save gas in a Jeep Wrangler, you can save even more gas in your “normal” car.
http://www.omninerd.com/articles/Improve_MPG_The_Factors_Affecting_Fuel_Efficiency
Jordan, your obviously braindead….. with a large fuel bill.
The oil advice is probably the most insignificant point out of all of them.
I disagree with the folks that are saying cruise wrecks your gas milage. I think it might depend on the car. I can’t get my Jetta up to 32 MPG WITHOUT cruise. It’s impossible. I average around 26 MPG if I don’t use cruise. It makes sense that maybe some cars are better at it than others, not all cruises are built the same.
“Every time you put on the breaks you have to eventually gas it again. ”
Proof read your articles, fools. “breaks” should be “brakes.”
Cruise control is great for flat areas and for going up hills, but have you ever noticed that your engine is still at high rpm’s and is slowing you down as you go down a hill. If you live in a place where it’s feasible and you have large hills you’ll increase your mileage if you put your transmission in neutral and coast down the hill until you start decellerating.
If nothing else, this article provoked thought about increasing fuel efficiency. Regardless of which fuel saving techniques you employ, be sure to reset your vehicle’s ‘tripometer’ when you top off your fuel tank. The next time you stop for fuel, top off as usual, noting the number of gallons as well as the miles on the ‘tripometer’. Divide your miles by the number of gallons to determine your actual mileage. Using this method will help you determine which fuel-saving techniques are valid, and which are not.
(My motorcycle travels 46-54 miles on one gallon of mid/high octane gasoline.)
Breaking News: Driving less miles uses less gas!!!
@ REWINN
Drive less? No kidding?!?!?!
If you don’t know where you are going when you leave, you are a moron.
If you don’t combine your trips already, you are a moron.
If you don’t already know they built a theater 3 miles away, you are a moron.
CONCLUSION: YOU ARE A MORON!
Your brain needs an oil change, dimwit. It would seem like you are a few gallons short of a tank.
Oh joy, something that I didn’t realize these high prices will do: make my driving experience more frustration having to get around these gas misers. Please please please if you drive like the above DO NOT drive in the left lane, and if you do, getout of the way or PUNCH IT to speed up.
A good thing about the high prices is fewer drivers on the road = less traffic. now I can go a lot faster.
Your advice on gear changing for manual gear boxes is inaccurate, it’s an old wife’s tale. I assume you don’t drive a manual. Your car has a peak torque range. The most efficient your car can be is in that torque range. If you shift early you use more fuel to compensate. Absolutely you shouldn’t unnecessarily drive at 6000rpm but if your peak range is at 4500rpm then you shouldn’t be shifting up at 3000rpm.Just ask yourself why it’s so hard to start a car in 4th gear.
I hypermile a lot. I drive a TDI and get as much as 73mpg (Imperial) by using the gearbox wisely. If you are approaching a highway always increase your speed rapidly and then cruise. Slow acceleration with poor shifting technique will seriously damage your fuel consumption.
Also with manual gearboxes you should not be afraid to change gears a lot. Aim for your torque range. In pertrol/gas cars it’s probably 3500-6000, diesels it can be between 1500 and 2800. If you are braking gear down too and you will have incredibly fast stopping when you need it.
More tips here:
http://mark.tranchant.co.uk/2008/06/driving-more-economically.html
The best tip to save gas !
Throw your wife/husband out of the car, put it in neutral gear and get her/him to push the car. No hypermiler can beat that.
Techniques used in hypermiling do have some analogy in medicine. Take the example of busy, stressed, rushing, always on go executives - shorter life spans; slow and steady contempt clerk - longer milage.
I find it helps to visualize the road as if you were a bike rider and think of conserving energy. You want to built up as much energy as you can and then coast as far up hills as possible. Coasting is slightly illegal but works.
“7. Slow Down, but Not Too Slow”
This comment is a blanket statement. Probably originating from someone who drives a Honda Civic. I believe peak fuel efficiency is largely defendant on the gearing of your vehicle and your engine’s torque curve. My Bimmer gets significantly better gas mileage at 75MPH than 55.
”
These “tips†suck. The only one worth while is the engine oil - that makes sense - otherwise these tips won’t amount to anything.
I’m surprised he didn’t mention “keep your dogs head inside the window - that’s costing you 8.3% mpg.â€
Or something like - “thinking like a republican uses more gas than a liberal democratic thought.â€
Thanks for nothing….
”
haha, awesome. “i hate these boring tips. % don’t mean anything…duurrr, just liberal hippies driving priuses and making science up”
I agree, these tips are not helpful to me because i’ve read the same thing 100000 times, but why turn this political?
What I love is watching priuses in CA going 85-90 and hitting their brakes, slamming the gas constantly (regenerative braking ain’t as good as not braking). god i hate priuses, destroying the environment by wasting all those perfectly good used civics/corollas. i’m gonna get a prius and get a lift kit, off-road tires, huge exhaust, V12 that sticks out of the back seat.
Wow, a lot of people getting mad about trying to save some gas. Even if you just change your driving habits, you can save too much gas (and money). I get like 36 mpg now, check that out yo
These tips don’t have much to do with gas efficiency, more to do with polluting.
#6 higher octane fuel adds to gas efficiency, so what if it is more expensive, if its better for your car.
If you commute the same distance every day, try filling up just before you go home. And do it every day.
I drive a 1998 Toyota Camry XLE (6 cylinder), and I save close to $45/month by filling up every day.
Try it yourself…do your commute, and fill up at the end of the week…note the cost. Then on Monday, make your last stop before home the gas station. Note how much it costs to top the tank off. Multiply that number by 5, and see if you are lower than the single weekly fill up.
I’ve been doing this for 3 years, and it never fails.
I agree about skipping the Premium Octane. Look if its a choice between being able to drive or getting a little extra zip. Ill take the lower grade until I can save for a Toyota Prius.
I was going to share this with coworkers, but the sexist comment about the girlfriend with junk in the trunk prevented me from doing so. Hey guys can be fat too–singling out heavy girls isn’t funny or very nice. I would lose that. If you’re going to be sensitive about the environment and resources, how about extending that to people?
Turn Monstero into an electric vehicle??? NEVER!
What troglodyte came up with this sentence? “All the junk in the trunk means your car (like your girlfriend) has more to pull around.”
Maybe a good guide for pistons, but things that do not apply to rotary engines:
1. Use Lighter Grade Engine Oil - required to prevent primary failure of the apex seals.
6. Skip the Premium Octane - high compression, required or will ‘ping’
7. Slow Down, but Not Too Slow - overcome by SDIAS - Sequential Dynamic Air Induction System, so cruising in 6th gear between 67 and 87 uses the same fuel and air map.
8. Get it in High Gear - SDIAS
Awesome tips. Everyone is looking for more ways to save on gas. I read somewhere, though, where hypermiling can be dangerous because of the drafting aspect. what light can you shed on this? I read that information at http://hypermiling-gas-price.com.
Who makes a rotary engine car?
Yandel: Mazda do.
Keeping the car in lower gear is a good idea but might cause horrible vibration if performed wrongly on a bit congested area, I could not get the point regarding the not to high speed or nor too low, I mean is it not that if in the last(lower) gear with out using breaks would save up the fuel in any case? In my town there is one more issue now a days, we get only dam premium gas as for profit reason they have shut their store for unleaded petrol.
I could care less about the people honking their horns behind me while I travel at 55mph. The usual speed limit around Miami is about 55-60mph. So when I see folks honking their horns at me and then drive around me while giving me the middle finger as they punch the throttle to 80mph in their Mustangs, I tend to ignore them because they’re the ones breaking the speed limits and wasting more gas with their aggression.
In fact, considering the fact that there are undercover cops driving around in unmarked vehicles, I wouldn’t want to flip the bird at a slow-poke like the last angry driver did to me. I mean, what if I was an undercover cop driving an unmarked car? I would’ve pulled him over in a heart beat and show him the bird.
Jordan, you’re obviously a young punk that doesn’t realize how valuable these tips are. I acheive 12-15% more mpg by driving conservatively (i.e. coasting, accelerating more slowly than the guy in the beefed up pickup that wants to show off his dual exhaust roar by tromping on the gas from the stop light). I mean really. All the idiots who don’t slow down and conserve are the ones who drive the price up due to higher demand. I don’t care if you can afford it and want to race between stoplights, it’s irresponsible, it’s the principle of supply and demand that drives the cost through the roof when idiots don’t know how to drive responsibly.
More automotive tips at: blog.usedcargenius.com
Higher octane may help. My old car (an 8 year old ‘92 Civic LX) got ~10% better mileage on 89 octane than 87, which, at the time cost about 7% more, for a net savings. The Accord and Neon we have now don’t benefit from the higher octane, though. So, buy a couple tanks, calculate your mileage, and find out for yourself.
You all are a bunch of fucking jerkoffs
This website is a waste a binary code
Just found your site. AWESOME ideas. I’m always looking for things like this. Have you ever done any reseach about converting a car to full electric? I heard that it’s not only possible, but that it can be done pretty cheap, if you know where to look.
Very Good Tips!
Here is another good article on the subject:
Check out these common sense ways to save money on gas http://www.ehow.com/how_5224349_save-gas.html
Mythbusters proved sleekness might not give you better gas milage
I found the best advices about hypermiling in here:
http://savingsadvisor.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-hypermile.html