Hypermilers: How NOT to drive, from msn news Options

[saleeka]

"Drafting"? You mean tailgating dangerously close?

Shutting your car off while in motion? Are they really serious?


I'm all for increasing fuel milage, but driving habits like these are insanely dangerous to other motorists, let alone yourself...

Click here for the full story.

This post has been edited by saleeka: May 29, 2007 - 6:35 PM

[devilsden97]

honestly where is the fun in that? if ur stressing out about your 87mpg....ur obviously not driving safely...or enjoying the ride.

[Hanyo]

I'm adopting a new policy.. See if you can get the hybrid to go below the 30mpg marker.

[devilsden97]

I'm adopting a new policy.. See if you can get the hybrid to go below the 30mpg marker.

LOL! that would be a REAL test.

[goferris]

how about getting the hybrid above 100 mph!!! now that's a test.
i think that they are pointless. they really don't save you much money if you think about it. you spend several thousand$ more for one, and then every few years you have to put another couple thousand into a new battery just to save some gas.

[devilsden97]

ok so today a guy i work with that is into RX-7's comes over to me and askes me what the standard MPG for a Supra TT...city and highway...

I really have no idea so i told him so.

Then he says he read a thread on a forum where some guy got 22mpg on his Supra Twin-Turbo...

I responded with, "it seems possible if u lay off boost and your just cruising on the highway..."

No sooner did I finish that sentence he responded with, "but the car has 1300RWHP."


Take the hypermilers...1300RWHP supra TT just pwnd your 75+ mpg...id much rather rock that 1300hp supra and get 22mpg then a prius and get 75mpg.

[spolski07]

ok so today a guy i work with that is into RX-7's comes over to me and askes me what the standard MPG for a Supra TT...city and highway...

I really have no idea so i told him so.

Then he says he read a thread on a forum where some guy got 22mpg on his Supra Twin-Turbo...

I responded with, "it seems possible if u lay off boost and your just cruising on the highway..."

No sooner did I finish that sentence he responded with, "but the car has 1300RWHP."


Take the hypermilers...1300RWHP supra TT just pwnd your 75+ mpg...id much rather rock that 1300hp supra and get 22mpg then a prius and get 75mpg.

x987468601461089462623897463789461986

im the type of guy who enjoys driving his car and im not gonna shut my car off or draft people
i dont speed (to much) lmao
but i do enjoy driving

[hurley97]

Parking on the highest point of a lot, facing toward the exit, in order to let gravity do the work of getting the car moving.

wow. these people are crazy... sounds like my mom

[95CelicaST]

If gas mileage is such a big deal to them they should walk... save you money on gas.

If I ever saw one of these people I just might slap them.

[JoKeRkId613]

^

[illneversellmyce...]

yeah i've bee nseeing this crap on the news....the nerv of the gov and the world,,...they expect us to change our driving habits...hello people have to work...... they have no right to tell us to draft and coast, etc...when they have tthe power to regulate the prices and keep the oil companies from raping us...just the rich getting richer and we pay for it

[Hanyo]

no to complain or anything, but our gas prices are pretty low compared to the rest of the world.

i would still get a prius because who would want to wear out their swaped engines?

[Racer_J]

yeah i've bee nseeing this crap on the news....the nerv of the gov and the world,,...they expect us to change our driving habits...hello people have to work...... they have no right to tell us to draft and coast, etc...when they have tthe power to regulate the prices and keep the oil companies from raping us...just the rich getting richer and we pay for it

Bureaucrats make me puke. Over here, almost 90% of what we pay at the pumps is tax. On top of that, we pay annual road tax of £200 for a 2.0L Celica, now Blair and his mob of thieves want us to pay per mile! (and we're talking £1.50 a mile here folks) on top of all the other tax. I've worked this out, it's gonna cost me something like £1300 a month to get to work!! Oh and there's next to no public transport to get me there so I've got no choice. It's either that or the dole queue! Good eh?

[laff09]

I love how ethanol is corrosive.. SO the money you save on your gas can go to buy you a new engine and fuel carrying equipment eventually..

[x_itchy_b_x]

i'm in the process of making my car run off of urine.

[dustin15brown]

i'm in the process of making my car run off of urine.

I like ur style John..

[Celicav]

These hypermilers are not going to slow global warming. They will just kill themselves first.

[6strngs]

These hypermilers are not going to slow global warming. They will just kill themselves first.

good!

I can't stand when people drive below the speed limit. especially on a one lane road and they are holding up multiple people behind them.

When I hear that an increasing number of hybrids are rear-ending tractor trailers, I'm gonna laugh!

[unknown_Epiphany]

Hello All, I am a new member who has been lurking a long time time. I am currently saving up for a 6th gen GT and own an 07 Toyota Yaris. I consistently get 41-45 MPG in the car and thats the reason I got the car. The Celica would be my fun car and I would not worry about MPG as much. However, people who want increased mpg are not the people to dislike. Think about it, if some people get great mileage, some average, and some poor then it averages out. The hypermilers who get extreme mpg help keep our gas prices realitvey low. It is all about supply and demand.

My 2 cents.

[devilsden97]

Hello All, I am a new member who has been lurking a long time time. I am currently saving up for a 6th gen GT and own an 07 Toyota Yaris. I consistently get 41-45 MPG in the car and thats the reason I got the car. The Celica would be my fun car and I would not worry about MPG as much. However, people who want increased mpg are not the people to dislike. Think about it, if some people get great mileage, some average, and some poor then it averages out. The hypermilers who get extreme mpg help keep our gas prices realitvey low. It is all about supply and demand.

My 2 cents.

oh dude, were just joking around. thats all.

BTW...Welcome.

Back to the topic.

[unknown_Epiphany]

Thanks for the welcome. Can't wait to get a 6th gen.

[coldbluesteel]

How Lame! Just for people like that, I'm going to remove my fuel efficient 4 cylinder and shove a gas guzzling v8 in there! Then I'm gonna roast my tires from light to light! That will show them!

Wait a minute, I was gonna do that before I even read that article.

[6strngs]

I don't have a problem with people wanting to get better gas milage. but don't make everybody else on the road drive 5-10 mph below the speed limit so you can get half a mile extra to the gallon. if you are gonna drive slow on a one laned road, at least pull over from time to time to let people pass. of course (god forbid) that would require you to use your brakes and then have to accellerate again! ruining all that gas milage you saved from driving slow. lol

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Jun 11, 2007 - 12:37 AM

[unknown_Epiphany]

I laugh at people who get angry at me. I have only ever had to get out of the car. One look at me and the guy drove away.

[CAMAricer]

OMG, I can't believe how employing these techniques can increase your MPG so significantly...

I drove conservatively and I was averaging 23MPG on my V8. After reading this article, I decided to take that challenge upon myself and see just how much MPG I can squeeze out of my V8.

Well, it's only been 1/3 of my tank (5 gallons) and I'm already averaging 35MPG! It's INSANE!

With gas prices the way they are, being a hypermiler isn't such a crazy idea anymore. Of course I don't do the dangerous stuff, but rolling to stop signs, accelerating slowly, keeping it under 65mph, and keeping the trunk/car free of crap adds up quickly. And I could care less if someone flips me off on the freeway, I'll enjoy the $$$ that's staying in my pocket



EDIT*

I bet those people who were making fun of hypermilers a year ago are eating their words now...it's $4.69 (regular) a gallon up here in SF. So unless you're getting paid mad money (like me ) , $60-75 for weekly fill-ups hurt no matter how much you try to say it doesn't.

EDIT**

Mythbusters did a show where they tested up much gas you could save by drafting. The results astounded me. At 200 feet (behind a big rig), you save about 5% (not much). At 100, it climbs to 10%. At 50, it goes up again to ~20%. Then at 25, it jumps nearly to 30%! That's not chump change, people! And following a big rig at a distance of 25 feet is not that too far off what people normally do anyways! Seriously, how often to you follow that close being other cars, keeping in mind 25 feet is like 2 car-lengths. And it's not like big rigs SLAM on their brakes or break often. If anything, they are the safest cars to follow b/c they are a) slow, b) have heavy (can't suddenly break), and c) have way better views of what is ahead of them (so they can anticipate dangers better than normal sedans can, which translate to less gas->break->gas>break speeds).

This post has been edited by CAMAricer: Jun 13, 2008 - 3:12 AM

[saleeka]

Mythbusters did a show where they tested up much gas you could save by drafting. The results astounded me. At 200 feet (behind a big rig), you save about 5% (not much). At 100, it climbs to 10%. At 50, it goes up again to ~20%. Then at 25, it jumps nearly to 30% That's not chump change, people! And following a big rig at a distance of 25 feet is not that too far off what people normally do anyways!

Traveling at 55 MPH you move approximately 80 feet per second. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel comfortable being 25 feet behind a semi at that speed. I'd love to ring and extra 5-10 MPG average out of my car, but I’m not going to risk my life to do it.

[D-Man]

First; these people are not so righteous. IMO, they're sad.... But that's what people would say about street racers..... Too Dangerous... Now we see the extremities of both... (although i Never though i'd live to see such a dedicated people, opposite of racers though )
(NOT endorsing street racing, the true path of righteousness lays in the middle of both )

Bureaucrats make me puke. Over here, almost 90% of what we pay at the pumps is tax. On top of that, we pay annual road tax of £200 for a 2.0L Celica, now Blair and his mob of thieves want us to pay per mile! (and we're talking £1.50 a mile here folks) on top of all the other tax. I've worked this out, it's gonna cost me something like £1300 a month to get to work!! Oh and there's next to no public transport to get me there so I've got no choice. It's either that or the dole queue! Good eh?

That's Fcuked up!! you gotta have a second job to make a profit BS!!

i'm in the process of making my car run off of urine.

I'm trying to get mine to run on booze, so then my celi and I can sit out in the parking lot and get Loaded until we're both "Driving on a full tank "

[playr158]

Mythbusters did a show where they tested up much gas you could save by drafting. The results astounded me. At 200 feet (behind a big rig), you save about 5% (not much). At 100, it climbs to 10%. At 50, it goes up again to ~20%. Then at 25, it jumps nearly to 30% That's not chump change, people! And following a big rig at a distance of 25 feet is not that too far off what people normally do anyways!

Traveling at 55 MPH you move approximately 80 feet per second. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel comfortable being 25 feet behind a semi at that speed. I'd love to ring and extra 5-10 MPG average out of my car, but I’m not going to risk my life to do it.

I chill behind 18 wheelers when i'm on my bike occassionally...its so quiet and zero wind back there....i go from 45mpg to 60mpg
aerodynamics ftw

[CAMAricer]

But people normally drive 15-25 feet behind other people's are in the freeway while doing 80-85 MPH (at least here in LA). That, IMHO, is way more dangerous than following a semi. Like I said, a semi cannot go 65 to 0 as fast as a car going 65 to 0, which would make driving behind a semi actually "safer". It's your driving style that ultimate determines how dangerous these "maneuvers" can be.

People risk their lives everyday doing even riskier things that have no real benefits to it, like talking on the cell phone (come on, you know you all do it!), running yellow lights, eating a burger or other food while driving, driving home after a beer or two, driving at 3AM when you are practically falling asleep at the wheel, or driving way over 65MPH (which has been shown to exponentially increase your chances of death or severe injuries). And let's do some simple math:

If you commute 60 miles to work every day and go 60 MPH (average), you'll get there in 60 minutes.
If you commute the same distance by going 90 MPH (+50% speed), you'll get there in 45 minutes but at the cost of life and limb (besides terrible MPG). Yet people do it anyways and just shrug it off.

So it all boils down to your driving style...for me, saving a few minutes here and there isn't too important to me. Driving at a nice leisurely pace, saving my gas, and enjoying the ride in my car is infinitely better than racing to every stop light, slamming my brakes behind every "slow" driver, getting mad, cursing and yelling at rush-hour traffic, and possibly getting a hernia or stroke in the process.

As an interesting observation:

Cruising on the freeway at 65MPH in my Celica gets me a lot of angry stares/looks from other drivers...
Cruising on the same freeway at the same speed in my Lexus hardly ever gets me any looks (some people actually form a line behind me!).

Traveling at 55 MPH you move approximately 80 feet per second. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel comfortable being 25 feet behind a semi at that speed. I'd love to ring and extra 5-10 MPG average out of my car, but I’m not going to risk my life to do it.

This post has been edited by CAMAricer: Jun 13, 2008 - 12:09 PM

[_mikeE]

OK guys i didn't actually read the article but I read all your posts from page 1, and I laughed when I read about the parking lot thing and letting gravity take it's course. You're gonna run out of backspace, but please do it so us gas guzzlers can get from row parking spots hehe..
And about rolling stops to a stop sign--yeah I do these, but I did also one time when I was on an hour of sleep and didn't see a cop hiding on the side behind a bush then bam, got a pretty hefty ticket for that, and it wasn't anything as if I just coasted through, just slowed down and made sure no one was coming from the sides then went. Good thing I got this ticket fought off...

But other than that, I just drive normally and slowly...slow idle to go at a light, shift at 2k rpm, stay at speed limits and downshift when coming to a stop or a turn (my brakes are going anyway so i need to make sure it'll last until i get enoguh money for new rotors and pads).

This post has been edited by _mikeE: Jun 13, 2008 - 12:55 PM

[xs94st]

i'm in the process of making my car run off of urine.

I'm trying to get mine to run on booze, so then my celi and I can sit out in the parking lot and get Loaded until we're both "Driving on a full tank "

haha i like that runnin on a full tank

happy hour, bringin your car to the back n fillin' her up..people raiding your party stealing your kegs..lol, what a world that would be

This post has been edited by xs94st: Jun 13, 2008 - 3:51 PM

[D-Man]

Bar Conversation's:

Guy:"Dude, Who's fine ass is that? the one funneling the beers?"
Me: "Oh, She's mine"
Guy: "The Red-head?"
Me: "Na, the Celica"

[xs94st]

hahahahaha i pretty much choked on my water haha

[GriffGirl]

If gas mileage is such a big deal to them they should walk... save you money on gas.

If I ever saw one of these people I just might slap them.

I'd skip the slapping and siphon their gas since they seem to have so much!

[bizzerk]

jesus christ why not just go with a motorcycle or ride a damn bike.