hypermiling? (OT?)

[paul bruesch]

I've been an advocate for better gas mileage cars for, well, forever since
my first car (1966 VW Beetle) which I bought when I was stationed in Germany
in the early 1970's. Shortly after my return the the US, we experienced the
Great Arab Oil Embargo. I bought another VW Beetle (1969 model). The most
inefficient car I've ever bought was a 1991 Volvo 940 wagon, but it still
got a respectable (considering its size) 24mpg.

Driving conservatively can save LOTS of mpg.  However, drafting on semi's,
coasting down hills (clutch disengaged) and such is dangerous and illegal in
most places. Just don't go screaming up to the stop sign, don't peel away
from it... if you're approaching a red light which has been red awhile, slow
down and hope for it to turn green before you get there. It amounts to less
acceleration, again saving mpg.

This is a generally good column in my local paper from a couple weeks ago.
I'm not sure how much longer it will be available for free... so if you miss
it, well, it was pretty interesting!

Paul Bruesch
Stillwater, MN

On Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 1:08 PM, holly quigley <hollyquigley at gmail.com>
wrote:

> So has anyone tried "hypermiling" yet? I figure with all the time we spend
> on the road in our profession, it might be of interest here. I can't afford
> the downpayment on a Prius just now, and unfortunately my better half is too
> worried to agree to entertain the thought of a motorcycle for work. I drive
> a manual transmission PT Cruiser, and with gas prices the way they're going,
> the topic of hypermiling was quite interesting. So far I'm getting 31mpg in
> the city now, just by doing a bunch of coasting and slower thoughtful
> driving. Given that I'm due for an oil change, a tuneup, tire rotation and
> who knows what else, I was impressed. The perk on top of that is a big
> reduction in stress, not to mention the increased safety. I guess I didn't
> realize how much stress I put on myself by rushing around driving fast! Does
> anyone want to discuss?
>
> -Holly Quigley
> Ticking off Drivers in the Fast and Furious City of Atlanta
>
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