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251 Comments
- erad222, on 06/25/2008, -4/+57FLYING ***** CAR IT RUNS ON AWESOME
- FaithclubDotNet, on 06/25/2008, -1/+5011) The closer you drive to the rear of a tractor tailer truck, the less drag you feel.*
*Only for people who don't value their lives. - swordedge, on 06/24/2008, -5/+411, lighter grade engine oil.... ruin engine down the road. Negative savings fixing the engine
3, shut off engine at lights.... NOT me!
5, brake better... I once had four wheel drums with no assist on a 4000 pound car. It taught me how to brake better... Standing on the brakes was very literal as I did exactly that, hang on to the steering wheel and stand in emergencies. MOST people brake wrong.
6. no premium... one I agree with. Running premium is like wearing size 12 shoes on a size 10 foot. Doesn't help any
8, high gear fast... I want myth busters on this one. Engines do NOT run efficiently at low RPM (unless 12 cyl)
9 Cruise, if you have good speed control naturally, cruise waste gas, not saves it. Cruise is a speeding ticket prevention device, not a gas saver. - MLyzz, on 06/24/2008, -0/+34Some decent insight, but Jeremy Clarkson PROVED that using the cruise control instead of gradual depression of the gas pedal is actually worse than manually controlling the vehicle. It is the episode where he travels from London to Edinburgh and back with one tank of gas. True, you would have to be a very attentive driver, but it works, nonetheless.
- EASwanson, on 06/24/2008, -2/+33Technically having a full tank of gas would reduce MPG due to the fact that you're carrying around excess weight in the form of fuel. If you keep extra fuel at home and just keep your tank half full consistently that could on paper atleast save some fuel. Also taking out extra seats and such in the car would reduce weight as well.... And throwing you're friend out the car would increase your MPG about 5%
- DreadPirate, on 06/24/2008, -7/+34Easy if you're spoiled and live in a major metropolitan area with good public transportation. Yellow and his fellow liberals offer no solutions for those millions of Americans who live in much more rural areas and are miles from their job or the nearest grocery store.
- mofw, on 06/25/2008, -2/+26Anyone died from this hypermile thing yet?
- etherreal, on 06/24/2008, -1/+25But throwing your friend out means he drives by himself too, costing twice as much gas overall, contributing to the supply problem. Sacrifice the mileage and carpool!
- stonebone4, on 06/25/2008, -1/+23*****, you're right, it really is that easy. Let me just go ahead and quit my job (ruining my career in the process) and move to the nearest big city, which is about 180 miles away. Of course, I'll burn lots and lots of gas in the process of moving and then be homeless until I find a job and then somewhere to live in that crowded city, but at least I'll be able to take the bus to work in the unlikely event I find a job before I starve to death!!!
- drbadass, on 06/24/2008, -1/+23#8 is a little too general:
"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."
RPMs aren't the only factor that goes into determining fuel economy. If you are cruising up a hill in 5th gear well outside of (below) your powerband, you're making the engine work harder because you're keeping it out of its most efficient operating range. Think about a bicycle -- do you want to cruise around in top gear all the time? - DreadPirate, on 06/24/2008, -0/+22Aasukusuki - I happen to live in a major metropolitan area, and take public transportation as often as I can. However, I happen to have friends and relatives that live in very rural areas. As buba123 pointed out, these are the people that produce the food that you eat every day.
You and Yellow are the hypocrites when your only suggestion to millions of people is to "move to the city". Where would these millions of people live? Where would they work? I hear no realistic solutions from any of you. - buba1243, on 06/24/2008, -1/+22And when all farming stops?
- SPECOPS, on 06/25/2008, -2/+20he also proved gas milage is "how you drive" morso than the car it self - Prius vs BMW M3, around the track 10 times, the BMW got better gas milage - reason? They maxed the Prius out going aroudn the track.
Ref: Top Gear show, and http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/03/bmw_beats_pri ... - EvilSibe, on 06/25/2008, -3/+21 1. Use Lighter Grade Engine Oil
imageUsing 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 (like your girlfriend) 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
image 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 breaks 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
imageMost 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!
imageStop 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. - cptshamrock, on 06/25/2008, -0/+17Does digg need another article on how to hypermile? Especially considering this offers the same tips as every other one.
- FHIwindows, on 06/24/2008, -1/+17For those of us that do not have the option of going without a car/truck the blog has some great tips!
- hootpie, on 06/25/2008, -0/+16What is this...the 15th time something exactly like this has hit the front page?
- schroeder, on 06/25/2008, -0/+16I would think that crowding cities with even greater numbers of people would cause other problems.
- DeskFlyer, on 06/24/2008, -2/+18Put the car in neutral while idling if you have an automatic, don't shut it off...you will still save a save a little fuel by taking the load of the torque converter off the engine. The clutches and bands inside the transmission are much more forgiving to wear and tear than the starter and other engine components.
- inactive, on 06/24/2008, -0/+15aasukisuki - A 28 year-old male from West Des Moines, Ia. Doesn't that make you a country bumpkin.
- orangefly, on 06/25/2008, -1/+15depends on how fast you're driving at the time....
- itspuddingtime, on 06/25/2008, -0/+14the neutral thing just isn't that great. Besides being illegal (and for good reason), modern cars use more fuel in neutral than they do if you leave the trans. in gear and use a bit of engine braking. The fuel supply is actually cut off during engine braking (the wheels provide the power to keep the engine turning vs. neutral where the engine requires fuel input to keep it from stalling).
edit: two people beat me to it, but I'm not deleting my post cuz I like my explanation - pondlife, on 06/24/2008, -0/+13Nice funny and informative article - some other good articles on the site too. I particularly like the 'clever' vehicle project :)
- inactive, on 06/25/2008, -2/+15dugg but unnecessary. i just fly everywhere
- neonfunk, on 06/25/2008, -0/+126 -- use what your car is designed for. premium won't really help you in a car designed for regular, but using regular in a car designed for premium can reduce both efficiency and power. your owner's manual / gas cap should tell you. higher octane gas can be compressed more than regular, and adds power to a car designed for it. but use regular in a car designed for premium, and the engine will compress it too much, causing it to prematurely ignite. because modern engines can detect this, the engine compensates, mitigating damage ("knocking"), but at at a hit to efficiency and power because the piston is not in its ideal location.
- MrMongoose, on 06/25/2008, -0/+12Actually, you want to go downhill with the car in gear, that way you will be using ZERO gas. The reason for this is that fuel-injection computers shut off the injectors when the trottle plate is closed above a certain RPM. Verified this with my wideband O2 sensor.
- dbalaski, on 06/25/2008, -2/+14Mostly good -- except the following two points;
1. Use Lighter Grade Engine Oil -- No -- use the proper oil for your car using an oil too light can cause problems just as much as using too thick of an oil.
6. Skip the Premium Octane
Only if your car doesn't use premium -- Modern cars have an anti-knock sensor that will retard the timing/spark to prevent knocking -- of course doing this will in a car that requires premium will lower your mileage and performance . Like oil -- read the MANUAL and use the proper octane designated for your car.
Side: note: 3. Idling is Negative MPG -- turning off your car is good -- do it wisely --
such as: At the drive thru line -- okay -- no big issue
at the Red Traffic light NOT GOOD and safety issue . - gojirakubuntu, on 06/25/2008, -0/+11Yea nevermind all the money I'll lose when I sell my house for far less than I owe on it since I just bought it 2 years ago before the market tanked. It's not a big expensive house either.
In short. ***** you. you have not grasp on the reality normal people have to deal with. - deiselovin, on 06/25/2008, -0/+10Not true. It also depends on the load on the engine
- NathanLoehlein, on 07/27/2009, -0/+10Quit letting her drive?
- rpong1981, on 06/25/2008, -0/+8Man up?
- LukeBeaumont, on 06/25/2008, -0/+8I don't know about America, but in Australia it is illegal to turn your engine off at the traffic lights, incase an emergency vehicle needs to pass you.
- BigglesPiP, on 06/25/2008, -0/+8Low RPM != low fuel consumption.
4th gear and tickling the throttle is better than 5th a lot of throttle.
Accelerate between 2000 and 4000 RPM where your engine is efficient, using a little bit of throttle. - digggggggggg, on 06/25/2008, -0/+71 - Use whatever oil that the manufacturer recommends. Although some may think that running a heavier oil is better during the summer, it really makes little to no difference.
3 - Longer stoplights, maybe. But yeah, stopping the engine all the time will wear out your starter motor much faster.
6 - That's not necessarily true. Some cars have higher compression ratios, so they will need a higher octane fuel to prevent engine knocking from premature detonation. Although modern cars have excellent EFI systems that will be able to compensate if you give it less than the recommended octane, it wastes more gas in the process. I will agree with you that running premium in an engine designed to run standard 87 octane is unnecessary and won't result in any savings.
8 - Don't know why you mentioned 12 cylinders so specifically, but yeah, the ECU will inject as much fuel as needed in order to keep the engine going, so your revs aren't necessarily an indication of how much fuel is being used. If you ran too high a gear on a carbureated engine, it will stall out much faster because there's no computer that helps compensate.
9 - Well, it's not a perfect way to prevent tickets tho - gotta watch those downhills. - aspec, on 06/25/2008, -0/+7I think, actually, his not getting out of the house is the reason you're listening to his "whiny *****".
- cdawzrd, on 06/25/2008, -0/+7If there is no sign preventing it, you can turn right at a stopsign / street intersection / red light, with oncoming traffic, providing you look left to see that there isn't any actual oncoming traffic at the time you pull out...
- digggggggggg, on 06/25/2008, -0/+7... Care to read the original comment a bit more carefully?
- dusanmal, on 06/25/2008, -0/+7With more than a decade of driving long miles of commute in NYC and surrounding areas I must say that congestion wave simply can't work in such places where the number of aggressive drivers vastly outnumbers everyone else. What happens in such situations? Everyone pours in the space in front of the smoothly/slowly moving car. Every single time I tried this in the vicinity of NYC, results were repeated near misses of aggressive drivers directly in front of me as both other lines of traffic "exploded" in attempt to be first to grab a little open space. No smooth driving is possible in such situations.
- sparrowkc, on 06/25/2008, -1/+8No, you still have to stop. It's like a stop sign.
- inactive, on 06/24/2008, -0/+6My wife will haul ass towards any light that isnt green, even stop signs! But she won't listen =(
- nico623, on 06/25/2008, -1/+7Bikes ?
- silent7seven, on 06/25/2008, -0/+6Agreed. There are a number of "Hypermiling" techniques that are reckless and unsafe.
- SpongeBad, on 06/25/2008, -0/+6I've been applying the congestion wave tips on my (very congested) commute home for the past few weeks. It makes a massive difference, not only in gas mileage, but also in aggravation.
Skip this article, though, and go straight to the congestion wave experiments site: http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/trafexp.html - BooostedAWD, on 06/25/2008, -0/+6Lets just imagine for a moment that you're behind the wheel of an internal combustion engine, stopped at a red-light.
While you're sitting there, you notice an out of control car careening directly towards your general vicinity.
In a situation like this, it can be quite possible to quickly drive out of the way. If you're vehicle is off, that's precious time wasted in cranking the engine to get the hell out of the path of this speeding, multi-ton, hunk of steel.
This also applies to the possibility of being rear-ended at a stop-light, yielding to emergency vehicles, car-jackings... the list goes on.
It really is a safety hazard to turn your vehicle off at a light. - LastDitchHero, on 06/25/2008, -1/+7I guess all those dead hookers in my trunk will have to go
- MasterChi, on 06/25/2008, -1/+7Since your so rich can I borrow 28 thousand please?
- trogdoor, on 06/25/2008, -0/+6There are two things to consider, revolutions per mile ( not minute ) and gallons per revolution ( or whatever more convenient units you would like ).
Higher gear = lower revolutions per mile but gas per revolution can range in an order of magnitude so while staying in the highest gear on level is almost always ideal that is not true of all situations. - TheLoneHoot, on 06/25/2008, -0/+5tell me how to get my two daughters to their schools which are halfway across what is effectively the largest municipal footprint in the US, on a bicycle. The closest of my daughters' schools --deemed our "neighborhood" school for her-- is almost 10 miles away and I don't live in the country. The earliest she can be dropped off is 8:45am and I have to be at work by 9:30 in a city fraught with heavy traffic rush hours. Tell me how to accomplish that on a bike. And no, I will not have my daughter bike 10 miles to school amid all that traffic.
- cowsgonemadd3, on 06/25/2008, -0/+5Its not all the oil co's....go after the speculators. It has been said 50% of current gas prices could be speculation driven. Its time to pop that bubble!
- EASwanson, on 06/25/2008, -0/+5nothing faster then 55mph because driving any faster wouldn't be ideal for your gas mileage.
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