HYPERMILING

[Katahu]

I was quite surprised about how much one can save gas with the technique mentioned in the website. I heard about it on CNN when they were featuring a new story about the rising price of gas here in the US. It was titled "4 BUCKS: What Now?" by CNN. In the news, they featured this one guy who was demonstrating how a driver can start riding his/her car on neutral down the road before even turning on the engine. He also demonstrated an advanced driving technique [not for beginners] in which one can "shut off" the engine before reaching the intended destination. Cool, huh? Of course, I like to have your opinion on this before I go ahead and experiment.

http://www.hypermiling.com/index.html

[H]

Laws differ from state to state. Neutral is considered "out of gear" and is illegal here. Still, many a vehicle has coasted down a hill with the clutch to the floor. Not many officers have stuck their heads inside a moving vehicle to ascertain that a clutch or gearshift was so positioned.

8-)

[Mushroom_Farmer]

Hmm, I seem to remember that a rolling car/truck in neutral is bad for the automatic transmission as while the driveshaft turns the inner components in the trans there isn't any lubrication being pumped to them. I reckon for brief periods it might be ok. :-? I coast at every opportunity and try not to accelerate too quickly. I usually average around 25-27mpg and get 30mpg on a good stretch of highway, and this is in a 1989 Mercury Cougar.

[expat]

demonstrating how a driver can start riding his/her car on neutral down the road before even turning on the engine. He also demonstrated an advanced driving technique [not for beginners] in which one can "shut off" the engine before reaching the intended destination.

Great, but I see two quite significant drawbacks. Firstly, you will have no servo assist on your brakes, making them extremely heavy and increasing the braking distance significantly and secondly, your power steering will also have no function, ensuring that you will have biceps like Arnie in a short time.

Matt

[eno]

The other drawback of coasting is that an engine running in neutral actually uses more fuel than when it's in 1st gear, as it's trying to keep running without assistance.

[Ivan]

Nice tips... dont try this in holland, where we can fit 1,5 times the cars on a road than the simulation software thinks it can.

His trafic jam tactic might work in the states (keep your lane) but will lead to road rage and other agressive behaviour where i live.

And most of those tips apply to automatic gearboxes... while the most economic diesels now react on the clutch like non-diesel engines

[Apex]

It's Deja Vu all over again, back to the future, 1973, when everyone really shoulda paid attention, and did, but only for awhile.

[H]

[quote]I find myself now going easy on the accelerator, slower starts, driving slower, and combining trips.

[a1]

Those are cool little tips. But how many of those are actually scientifically proven? Might be just some myths that the Mythbusters could bust.

[Katahu]

Well, considering that my car is a 2004 Honda Accord [2-door] with an automatic transmission, I now realize that driving on neutral or coasting with the engine off is out of the question for me. However, I am now riding with just a crack of the windows opened and no A/C [where's my waterbottle?] on the highway and turning off my engine on certain red traffic lights [some traffic lights take a while to change]. As a result, the needle on my gas gauge has barely even moved after traveling 21 miles from Homestead to Downtown Miami and then barely moved again on my way back.

I have also praticed the jam-busting techniques on the highway and on the streets and I quickly saw results as noted by the 4-page article.

In regards to the last gas crisis that came before this, I believe this time it will be different because of the improvements made on both hybrids and fully electric cars that you can plug in. Not to mention a long string of other factors that I won't mention here because they are politically related.

[H]

...I am now ...turning off my engine on certain red traffic lights [some traffic lights take a while to change]...

This depends upon the particular vehicle, that is, how much fuel it takes to restart and how well it idles, as well as how long the light takes to change.
Rather like comparing light bulbs -- turn incandescent lamps out when not in use, leave the standard flourescent lamp on if you'll be using it again in 15 minutes (you use more power turning it on than running it in that time).

In regards to the last gas crisis that came before this, I believe this time it will be different because of the improvements made on both hybrids and fully electric cars that you can plug in. Not to mention a long string of other factors that I won't mention here because they are politically related.

In the line of electric vehicle power plants, what applies to motorizing my bicycle applies to other, larger vehicles. The technology is already there to make self-charging vehicles (those running straight off of battery packs), aside from perfecting alternator-run AC motors or DC motors on converted power. There is an extended problem, however, beyond the oil industry's direct interests: all of those gas stations will become defunct, losing their customers; reverting to charging stations isn't a veritable income option, either, since self-charging systems would only require emergency charging.

ouch!


8-)

[Hagar]

Well, considering that my car is a 2004 Honda Accord [2-door] with an automatic transmission, I now realize that driving on neutral or coasting with the engine off is out of the question for me. However, I am now riding with just a crack of the windows opened and no A/C [where's my waterbottle?] on the highway and turning off my engine on certain red traffic lights [some traffic lights take a while to change]. As a result, the needle on my gas gauge has barely even moved after traveling 21 miles from Homestead to Downtown Miami and then barely moved again on my way back.

I have also praticed the jam-busting techniques on the highway and on the streets and I quickly saw results as noted by the 4-page article.

In regards to the last gas crisis that came before this, I believe this time it will be different because of the improvements made on both hybrids and fully electric cars that you can plug in. Not to mention a long string of other factors that I won't mention here because they are politically related.

Hypermiling or whatever fancy names they care to call it now, most of this is common sense. I wouldn't recommend driving in neutral as, apart from the reasons already stated, you won't have full control of the vehicle.

I note you have a Honda auto. You don't say which size engine this has. Most American cars have much larger capacity engines than those used in Europe which tend to be more economical. Whatever the capacity you can improve the fuel consumption considerably by anticipation (slowing down gradually when approaching traffic lights etc.) & driving less aggressively. If you have a heavy right foot you can watch that fuel indicator needle go down very quickly & this doesn't really get you anywhere. How often have you seen someone zoom past you only to draw up alongside him at the next set of traffic lights?

Yesterday I tried an experiment with my new Honda auto. This car is supposed to be capable of over 50 mpg on a long trip so I decided to try it out. I went to an air show at Old Warden which is a round trip of approx 270 miles. By carefully limiting the rpm to below 3,000 I got some amazing results. An average of 52 mpg* for the whole journey which I don't consider bad for a petrol engine. (I have pics to prove it.) It would usually be about 40 or less. The journey actually took about 5 minutes longer each way but by leaving 10 minutes earlier than usual I got there early & less stressed. It also cost me

[Fozzer]

My Honda Motor Bike is amazingly economical the way I ride it.

Like Doug says, I constantly anticipate the conditions around me, increasing my speed slowly, and just closing the Throttle to slow the bike down, and always being in the correct gear for the demands on the engine.... ...!

Its quite fun being aware of economical driving....and saves loads of money, to boot... ...!

Paul....gentle on the Throttle... ...!

[Katahu]

Well Hagar, i have no idea what the size of my engine really is. I have to consult my owner's manual for that information. And as a side note, Honda is a Japanese company.

But anyways, you're right about the whole traffic light thing. I only turn off my engine when I know for certain that I'll be sitting idle for quite a while [normally during rush hour]. And since I am seeing improvement, I'm sticking to it. In fact, I should be passing this on to my mom since she has a VERY heavy foot on the pedal and she has a pretty aggressive car habit.

[Hagar]

And as a side note, Honda is a Japanese company.

I am well aware of that. LOL Models can vary considerably according to country they're sold in. The Accord sold in the UK could be very different from yours.

The 2004 Honda Accord comes with a choice of engines.  I'm amazed you don't know what yours is.
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/accord/review.html