My Yahoo! Blog

The hypermiling hype!

With gas setting record-setting prices, there’s been a lot of attention given to hypermiling, the art of squeezing out amazing amounts of mileage from every gallon of gas. It’s reported that the king of hypermiling, Wayne Gerdes, averaged more than 90 miles per gallon driving a plain, old Honda.

If you’ve got mileage envy, don’t despair. It actually turns out that anyone can be a hypermiler, even me, an infamous lead-footer. I usually get about 23 mpg, but as of last week, I’ve managed to add 2-3 mpg by following a few easy tips picked-up from the articles in my Yahoo! News hypermiling module.

1. Check your tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure impacts fuel efficiency. Find out the recommended tire pressure for your car, then check the pressure with a quality tire-pressure gauge when the tires are cold.

2. Ease up on the acceleration and braking
I’ve always had lead-foot accelerating and braking, but for the past week, I’ve eased up on both. Instead of accelerating towards a stop light, I let the car coast at a steady speed, while still in ‘drive.’ This has also helped reduced how hard or often I’ve had to brake.

3. Drive the speed limit
There’s a reason for the speed limit. Experts say that as you drive above 38 mph, you’ll lose mileage in most cars. So leave the left lane to the lead-footers and embrace the right-most lane. Slow and steady wins the race.

4. Get rid of any excess baggage
Aside from a few car safety essentials in the trunk, my car is now a model of minimalism. The less weight in your car, the better mileage you’ll get.

To be honest, these tips are nothing new under the sun. Whatever you want to call it– hypermiling or common sense—it’ll ultimately get you towards better gas mileage.

Wish me luck as I try to achieve a lofty 30 mpg. Goodbye lead-foot, hello fewer fill-ups.

Helen
My Yahoo! Editorial