Still Hypermiling

Well, hot damn! Hypermiling efforts this week squeezed out 42.09 mpg! I drove 9 days between fill ups, some highway, some not, and traveled 424 miles. I achieved 43 mpg twice last year, and with one tank of gold a few weeks ago that surpassed 46 mpg. To be fair though, that was all highway on my way home from New York. My last 6 fill ups average 41.63 mpg.

Not a big deal, considering some non-hybrid users are getting between 50 and 60 mpg, but seeing my efforts bear fruit make me happy.

I still haven’t changed my oil to the lighter grade nor have I checked my tire’s psi gauge. So I may have a little more room for improvement.

Hypermiling Part *&!@#$

WTF? What am I doing wrong? I’m driving at the posted speed limits (ticking off everyone around me); I’m coasting to stop lights. I’m cavorting around 90 degree Northern Virginia with no air conditioning, which believe me, is no fun when it starts to rain and you have to close your windows. Last night I even shut my engine off at a light that I clocked at 4 minutes long.

I’m a bit disappointed. Better than that; I’m bordering on bitter. I achieved 40.07263 mpg this week. My first focused week utilizing hypermiling techniques and I’ve clocked a loss! I wasn’t even trying last week and got 40.58797. This week’s numbers represent a decrease of 1.27%. Unacceptable. If I’m not going to see an improvement, I’m going back to zipping up to lights and passing people because I’ll tell you right now, this whole coasting thing is just irritating the junk out of me.

I know, I know. Getting 40+ mpg driving a run of the mill Honda Civic, in suburban road conditions and in nightmare commuter traffic second only to Los Angeles shouldn’t rouse feelings of hostility. I should be proud of what I have achieved. :P Eff that. Whatever. I want more. And I want it now.

Unwilling yet to throw the baby out with the bathwater, I will see if I can get my car in and change the oil, and I will definitely check the psi in my tires. Soon, very soon, I will be enlisting the assistance of my mathy-brained brother-in-law who will calculate how much money I’m actually saving through my efforts. If its not significant, stick a fork in me Lefty Tree Huggin' Folk, I’m done.

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In case you are interested; here are some of the techniques I've been using (colored green for the money I want in my pocket, not for some eco-carbon-footprint-decrease-PR-junkhead-poo):

• Drive slooooooowly - drive at the minimum allowed speed limit
• Never accelerate from a stop - always allow your car to start rolling on it’s own and accelerate as slowly as possible
• Avoid traffic if at all possible
• Learn to read stoplights so you can try to make it through all green lights
• Learn to use your cruise control as much as possible - not just for highway driving
• Learn to use the cruise control instead of your foot
• Keep your foot off the gas
• Keep your foot off the brake
• Learn how to make turns without braking
• No sleeping at the wheel - this will take conscious effort and you need to stay alert
• Ridding your trunk of junk
• Keep constant track of your mpg with every fill-up

Hypermiling

I mentioned the other day that I started hypermiling. I’ve visited sites like Hypermiling and Cleanmpg to understand more. Good information, you just have to dig to find it.

I have coveted Brain Tail’s Prius for several years. I considered purchasing a hybrid vehicle four years ago, but was talked off the wall by the Honda dealer – assuring me it would take me longer to make up the difference in the cost of the car than it would be worth. Gasoline has increased 128.49% since then Honda man. You let me down. I am forced to gain miles per gallon utilizing more eccentric methods.

However, let me be clear. I am not hypermiling in an effort to be "green". I'm doing it because I'm cheap and I want to see how much I can squeeze out of my gas tank. The only reason I would purchase a hybrid vehicle now is so I can drive in the HOV lanes, so I can get home faster. Greenerificness is a by-product. Damn me as you will.

I have two things working in my favor; 1) I am positively anal about documenting my mileage, 2) I have a manual transmission and this next is a big one - 3) the air conditioning unit in my car isn’t working. I cannot be tempted to use it and as hot as it has been in Northern Virginia the last few days, I’d be usin’ it. Let me assure you, you can get used to driving in 90+ heat without the air conditioning. No, it's not fun, but baby, I can taste the cash and cash tastes like chocolate covered pretzles.

I get very good mileage on my 2004 Honda Civic already, averaging 36.31 mpg annually (data collected from April 2004 – July 2008). I’m starting slowly. This week, I implemented the hypermiling technique “driving like I have no brakes” ~ a good piece of advice ~ since coasting up to a light or intersection saves both on brakes and on the gasoline being expended. It takes more gasoline to begin movement from a standing position than it does to accelerate from a slowed one. I also started leaving earlier for work to avoid the more heavily trafficked commuter times.

It’s not easy and comes antithetical to my nature. For all my driving years I’ve been what I now consider a semi-aggressive driver. I accelerate to win, I pass cars with ease, I move in and out of traffic lanes with dexterity. Thing of beauty, that. I considered the space between two cars a waste and it was up to me to fill it up and right quick. I feel guilty driving at the speed limit, like a loser, leaving several car lengths in between me and the car ahead. I HATE watching cars pass me. It rankles.

But I’m working the program. When possible, I coast up to a light or intersection. I’m more aware of my acceleration. Soon, I will have my oil changed using the thinnest manufacturer recommended oil and I will inflate my tires to the manufacturer recommended PSI or whatever the measurement is. I may begin to shut my car off when I hit a particularly long red light. I’ll walk to the grocery store when I’m off to buy just a couple of things.

Will I buy a bicycle? Will I purchase a device that will give me real time data on my mpg? Maybe, maybe. It will depend on how obsessed I get. Filling up tomorrow and I will let you know if I see any improvement in my mpg from last week’s 40.59 mpg.