What Is Hypermiling? Hypermiling is a driving practice that can help you maximize or even exceed your car’s estimated fuel economy. Wayne Gerdes, a car care expert form CleanMPG.com coined this term. He is famous for making his manual Honda Insight average 90 miles per gallon for a year through this driving practice.Hypermiling is a safe way to maximize your fuel economy if done correctly.
Here are some safe hypermiling practices:
- Go the speed limit. Traveling at higher speed kills your fuel economy. Try slowing down to the posted speed to conserve fuel.
- Go easy on the brakes. Braking and accelerating or “stop and go” traffic are killers on your fuel economy. Try to maintain your speed longer by coasting to a stop where possible.
- Check your tire pressure often. Some hypermilers over inflate their tires, but experts say this is dangerous because you diminish tracking. Follow the maintenance guidelines for your tires to maximize your gas mileage safely.
- Keep up with oil changes. Oil thickens as it ages. Regular oil changes will keep it thin and lessen the workload on your engine.
- Use your cruise control wisely. Using your cruise control in your everyday driving is a good habit for hypermiling because it causes your car to accelerate more slowly by half a mile to one mile per hour. You can control acceleration with the accelerate button and use coast to slow down. Be prepared to break, and know when to use cruise control safely. Getting on a busy highway is not the time to cruise.
Sources: WashingtonPost.com, Hypermiling.com
No comments:
Post a Comment