Hypermiling is communist horseshit

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
03/26/2014 at 09:59 • Filed to: None

On a tank I will usually go 320 miles of which 80 or so is highway and the rest is 30mph city. My car is rated at 17 city and 27 highway.

One time I decided to do an experiment. Since I drive the exact same amount city/highway every tank I decided to try hypermiling and accelerating super-slow, not braking excessively, etc. It was tedious, heartwrenching, I got honked at a lot, and it made me want to murder babies.

End result? My car's computer reported 25mpg combined, but when I filled up I calculated I actually got more like 23mpg. Ugh.

It is now the next tank, and I've been driving normally. I'm not drag racing from every light, but I'm certainly not gingerly rolling away like I did the previous tank. End result? Car reports 24.5mpg, calculations after filling up say I got 23mpg.

I am so out of fucks to give.

Hilariously enough, I get 35mpg highway, which is higher than the car is supposed to get, with an engine that's got 210,000 miles on it. Must still be running efficiently.

Rant over.

DISCUSSION (30)

Chris Clarke > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:01

You are a great American.

briannutter1 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:03

I think the key to hypermiling isn't slow acceleration but trying your best to maintain higher speed going around slow corners etc. Having to re-accelerate the car up to a speed is what's wasteful. Also keeps the corners interesting.

ncasolowork2 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:05

You save little fuel economy with gentle acceleration. You save massive fuel economy by lifting off and coasting to intersections. I also experimented with hypermiling this past summer. I accelerate at a reasonable rate, but approaching stop signs and traffic lights I'm looking ahead and calculating if it is going to require I stop. If I'm a quarter mile away from a light that went yellow in a 50mph zone I might as well take my foot off the gas. Even if I'm coasting to the red light at 20-25mph there's no rush to arrive at a red light. Even better if I can time it so I don't ever have to come to a stop for the red light because while I was coasting it turned green and I can then use less energy to accelerate.

TL;DR Don't worry about how you accelerate. Worry about how you decelerate and try to spend as little time stopped as possible. As for my change in fuel economy? Improved 6mpg. All city driving.

StoneCold > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:05

I tried for a little under a year to track my LeBaron's milage, and it would be aaaallll over the place. I gave up when I started trying to factor in the month's average temps and precipitation. Too much for too little.
TL;DR I know your pain

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:06

I'm sure some cars respond to it better than others.

But at the end of the day heavier foot = more gas used. How much more? Sometimes not that much apparently, haha.

I think the most benefit is to be had slowing down when climbing hills, taking a few mph off on the highway and a lack of on incessant need to pass anything and everything.

With mostly city driving, I don't think hypermiling techniques have as much of an effect...

Nibbles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:09

You need to install Moonies and a home-built kammback if you want to see any real hypermiling results. Also drive something other than a Buick :)

If yours is a 3800, that 35 highway MPG is not out of the ordinary. I achieved similar results in my L36 Impala. That engine is super thrifty at speed

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > briannutter1
03/26/2014 at 10:09

That might be the problem. I already do that.

That + a car with more body roll that a boat = my sister is terrified to ride with me.

Being fair to her, I sat in the passenger seat of my car once, it's terrifying even if it feels perfectly solid to the driver.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
03/26/2014 at 10:11

The only highway driving I do is nonstop with no hills, very gentle curves, and absolutely nothing I could do to get better than the 32mpg I average when I make that drive, so if I can't save anything in city (aside from going faster around corners than average) then there's not much I can do for my mileage. Yay, scientific proof to my dad I'm not wasting his money with my driving [citation needed].

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:15

Haha, I think city-driving-hypermiling-techniques make you a real asshole. Like taking turns to fast, refusing to brake unless absolutely necessary. Rolling up to stop signs extremely slowly, leaving stop signs/lights extremely slowly.

I've found good maintenance, good tire pressure and things of that nature can really have an effect too.

spanfucker retire bitch > ncasolowork2
03/26/2014 at 10:27

It amazes me the amount of people who rush just to get to a red light. I coast all of the time into red lights and people accelerate right by me in the left lane, only to slam on the brakes like 5 seconds later when they finally realize; "WHOA! The light is red!"

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 10:37

320 miles a tank? I can dream..

puddler > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 11:02

art is communist horseshit. I threw a hammer towards a rock about 15 times and wasn't able to recreate a statue of augustus on his horse.

but I can drive an '07 yaris with traffic and pull 44mpg tank-averages. I did a few gentle tanks through my zx6r and averaged almost 70 mpg. it has to do with conserving momemtum.

briannutter1 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 11:21

Yep. There's always aero things like blocking off grill area etc. Looks kooky, but if you're trying to save on gas..it's an option

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > spanfucker retire bitch
03/26/2014 at 11:33

1000 times this. If a light in front of my turns red and I'm 1/2 mile away or closer I lift off the gas or start braking. There's a good chance it'll turn green again before I get to it, meanwhile the person who went flying by me had to stop and accelerate again as I overtake him, gently accelerating back to speed.

Jeremy Clarkson smug face: engage

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 11:34

My dad's girlfriend has a CRX with the smallest available engine. She gets 60mpg average and goes 600 miles on a tank or so. Completely unfair.

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 11:45

I couldn't even do that sitting at idle. What kind of sorcery is this.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 11:49

Well, it helps that the car weighs hardly anything and takes 20 seconds to hit 60 due to the ridiculously tiny displacement engine. Still some sort of magic propulsion though.

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 11:52

What's the smallest displacement those can have? Isn't around 1.5L or something? I'm not exactly a Honda guy.. haha.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 14:28

According to the all-encompassing Wikipedia, it's a 58hp (!!!!) 1.3l I4.

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 15:11

I need this in my life! That's kinda cool, actually. I bet it would be easy to free up a few ponies though. Stickers and body kits do that quite well I've heard.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 15:13

Cold air intake bro. Rear spoiler bro. Stickerbombing bro. Stance-nation bro. Bro. Brobro

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 15:17

I hate people that do that stuff. Good for you and having a passion, but please don't bastardize decent vehicles. Especially a CRX. Keep it to the sunfires or something.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 15:19

Err, I'm not sure if you're being serious, but I sure wasn't. Sarcasm, bro. Overused RegularCarReviews reference, bro.

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 15:31

Nah. I wasn't being serious, and I got the reference. I just don't like them there ricer folk.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower
03/26/2014 at 15:34

Fast and Furious: The beginning of the end of tasteful cars

Timmy - MINI With a Big Blower > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 15:47

Everything in that movie is real, yo.

Rocketred > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 16:30

Problem is, the person behind you changes lanes, slams on the gas to get around your, and then slams on the brakes to get to the light first. Pole position! I just can't have that.

I've tried to do extreme coasting and other hypermiling stuff., It makes no difference in my consumption in my commute at all. I think the biggest problem is that an automatic doesn't really "coast." It is always engine braking to some extent. I could slap it in neutral to coast, but I'm weird about moving in and out of D when the car is moving (even though I've done it by accident many times).

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Rocketred
03/26/2014 at 18:23

That's the curse of my car; it coasts extremely well. So well that once it's moving you hardly have to give it *ANYTHING* to keep it moving, which makes it extremely easy to speed in.

Merkin Muffley > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/26/2014 at 20:31

Kinja'd!!!

There is an exception to every rule.

mazdaspeed2 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/27/2014 at 20:15

I gained a couple MPGs when I switched my driving style a bit. Biggest things I have found is to use gravity to your advantage when you can, and plan ahead so you don't have to work against it too hard. Also, engine braking when coming to a stop helped mine quite a bit, because you are not using gas if you are in gear, but you are using gas to idle when you are in neutral.