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There are lots of things you can do to get better gas mileage (and put some cash back in your pocket) when you drive; check out our previous list of tips for some ideas on how to help your car sip gas. To really get the most from every gallon of gas, however, you can become what's known as a "hypermiler."
Hypermilers really go the extra mile (ha-ha) to make sure their cars get the best mileage. While some of the steps are a little much even for us, there's good info to be gleaned from a hypermiler's best practices. From Toyota's Open Road Blog, here are some of the best.
1. Don't feel the need for speed: The amount of drag your vehicle generates increases exponentially with each increase in speed; that is, driving a little faster generates a lot more drag, which requires more gas to overcome. So if you typically do 65 miles per hour (mph), throttle back to 60mph, and take the savings to the bank.
2. Use the cruise: Once you're out on the highway at cruising speed and traffic permits, use your vehicle's cruise control. You'll burn less fuel than if you're on the gas, then on the brake, then on the gas again.3. Ease off the gas on hills: Maintaining your speed up a hill means opening your vehicle's throttle. A larger throttle opening means burning more gas. So you might want to think about backing down by a few miles per hour-maybe even 5 or 10-for climbs.
Don't increase your speed until you get to the very top of any hill you climb this way. In fact, if there's a downgrade at the top of the hill, use that downgrade to help you increase your speed-let gravity help you to better fuel economy.
4. Connect your gas pedal to your brain: This one may seem to go without saying, but it's amazing the difference it'll make to really think about the gas (and the dollars) getting sucked into your car's engine when you put the pedal to the metal. Every time you accelerate, think, "Hmm, that just cost me some gas (and some money)." Do that, and you'll soon rethink this business of acceleration. You'll start accelerating only when you have to, and only as much as you need to.
5. Anticipate changes in traffic, and where you have to stop: When it's time to slow down or stop, get off of the gas as soon as you can. If you have to climb onto the brakes, that could mean that you've stayed on the gas longer than you needed to. Use your brakes when you need to, but allow aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, and all the other forces working on your vehicle help you slow down.
There's the basics of being a hypermiler; if you can remember to just take it easy on the road, be mindful of your foot on both pedals, and recognize when you have to slow down or stop, you're well on your way. Hypermiling experts pushed their Prius above 100 miles per gallon; how high can you go? ::Toyota Open Road Blog
Difficulty level: Moderate
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