"Hypermiling" To Much Better Mileage

Car Expert Wayne Gerdes Gets Specific About How; Drove Chicago-To-N.Y. On Less Than Tank Of Gas

(CBS)  As gas prices continue to climb, so does concern about getting the most miles for your bucks.

And that's where "hypermiling" kicks into gear.

It's a term coined by Wayne Gerdes of CleanMPG.com, who says hypermiling can as much as double your mileage.

Gerdes and his team hold the world record - 2,250 miles in a single tank, which worked out to 164 miles per gallon.

Earlier this week, The Early Show reported on his drive from Chicago to New York in a hybrid Toyota Prius. He made the 800 mile trip in 17 hours - on 8.9 gallons, for an average of 71 mpg. His tank held 12 gallons, so he had a quarter of a tank left over!

We got such a huge viewer response to the story, we brought Wayne back Saturday to go over the techniques again.

Here they are, in detail:

Don't use quick accelerations, or brake heavily or frequently: They reduce fuel economy by as much as one-third at highway speeds and five percent around town. Environmental Protection Agency tests don't account for that kind of vigorous driving. Drive more slowly. Follow speed limits or go five m.p.h. below them. It will save you money. (And it's the law!) Higher speeds increase aerodynamic drag (wind resistance) and mechanical friction, which reduces fuel economy (FE). EPA tests account for aerodynamic drag up to highway speeds of 60 mph, but drivers frequently exceed that. Brake less: Slow down earlier, so you don't have to stop. Any miles per hour is better than zero, from which you then have to start moving again.

Don't idle excessively: It decreases average FE. The EPA city test includes idling, but drivers who experience more idling experience lower MPG.

Cold weather and frequent short trips reduce fuel economy: That's because your engine doesn't operate efficiently until it's warmed up. In colder weather, it takes longer for your engine to warm, and on short trips, your vehicle operates a smaller percentage of time at the desired temperature. And having your car idle to warm up doesn't help your fuel economy, it actually uses more fuel, and creates more pollution. Drive to your furthest destination, then, as you head home, stop at the closer destinations in order from furthest to closest, with the car warmed up for longer portions of your drive.

Remove cargo and cargo racks: Cargo and/or racks on top of your vehicle (cargo boxes, canoes, etc.) increase aerodynamic drag and lower FE. Vehicles aren't tested with additional cargo on the exterior. Remove the load in your car. Don't carry golf clubs all week. Don't carry books or exercise equipment. And it's not just in the car ...

Don't tow unless absolutely necessary: Towing a trailer or carrying excessive weight decreases fuel economy. Vehicles are assumed to carry 300 pounds of passengers and cargo in the EPA test cycles.

Minimize running mechanical and electrical accessories: Running mechanical and electrical accessories (such as the air conditioner) decreases fuel economy. Operating the air conditioner on "Maximum" can reduce MPG by roughly five to 25 percent, compared to not using it.

Avoid driving on hilly or mountainous terrain if possible: Driving hilly or mountainous terrain or on unpaved roads reduces fuel economy most of the time. The EPA tests assume vehicles operate over flat ground.

Don't use four-wheel drive if it's not needed: Four-wheel drive reduces fuel economy. Four-wheel drive vehicles are tested in two-wheel drive. Engaging all four wheels makes the engine work harder and increases crankcase losses.

Maintain your vehicle: A poorly-tuned engine burns more fuel, so fuel economy will suffer if it's not in tune. Improperly aligned or under-inflated tires can lower fuel economy, as can a dirty air filter or brake drag.

Try to purchase high BTU-content gasoline if available: Fuels vary in energy content, and some fuels contain less energy than others. Using oxygenated fuels or reformulated gasoline (RFG) can cause a small decrease (one-to-three percent) in fuel economy. In addition, the energy content of gasoline varies from season-to-season. Typical summer conventional gasoline contains about 1.7 percent more energy than typical winter conventional gasoline.

Inherent Variations in Vehicles: Small variations in the way vehicles are manufactured and assembled can cause MPG variations among vehicles of the same make and model. Usually, differences are small, but a few drivers will see a marked deviation from the EPA estimates.

Engine Break-In: New vehicles won't obtain their optimal fuel economy until the engine has "broken in." That may take three-to-five thousand miles.

Tire Pressure: This is a very important key to higher fuel economy. The higher the pressure, the lower the rolling resistance, the higher the fuel economy. The absolute minimum you should use is the driver's side door or owners manual recommended tire inflation criteria. That's what the EPA and your car manufacturer sets tire pressures to during the EPA city/highway testing. MAX sidewall is what Gerdes recommends for most, as it is well within the safety limits of your car and tire and it enables better FE than the pressure listed in the driver's side door.

Oil types and amounts are another important key to higher FE: We recommend a lightweight synthetic. You should double your oil change intervals. If you change every 5,000 miles now, you can do it every 10,000 miles. Use oil with a viscosity that is within the band of your automobiles lubrication requirements. That being said, not all oils are the same. If your automobile allows a 5W-20, you should be OK using a high quality Synthetic 0W-20. Mobil1 0W-20 has the lowest kinematic viscosity as well as superior wear and breakdown properties compated to ANY non-synthetic I know of. I recommend that, instead of filling the case up to the high level mark, you use just enough oil to bring the level up to between the high and low marks. You lose capacity in case of a leak and have a very slight increase in oil temps, but gain a slight amount of FE.

Install a fuel consumption display, such as a scan gauge: They can go on any 1996 or newer vehicle. It provides fuel economy feedback so you always know how you're driving. They cost $150-$170 dollars. They could save you 10-15 percent of your fuel consumption.

Even the way you park matters!: Never pull into a parking spot where you're nose-to-nose with another car, because that means you have to back out of it. You want to pull out directly. Always park on the highest point. Let the hill you are climbing slow you down, and you can coast down it.

[tessener]

Just some FYI. It may make for a little extra MPG but it is VERY VERY dangerous and will cost more money in the long run to fill your tires up to Max Capacity stated on the actuall tire wall. The pressure given inside the door accounts for size and weight of the car or truck, and allows for the air inside the tire and the tire itself to expand when it heats up. If you fill it to the max it will hold, it will have no room to expand and will wear down faster and cause more blow outs. Just some info incase you are more interested in being safe than saving money.

[tessener]

Just to add to my preivious comment. If you inflate to max pressure you will have less traction, take longer to stop if braking hard, but the guy is right on one thing and ONE thing only, it will save you money on gas but at the cost of your safety and the safety of your family. This TV show should have looked into this info he gave EVERYONE who watches the show WRONG and DANGEROUS information.

[jennasmith2]

I wish these slow-pokes would get out of my way!
The left lane is for the *faster* moving traffic, dim-wits!

[Scooter68]

Duh ! ! ! Their is nothing new or special about any of these "tips." Many of these things are beyond the drivers control. In heavy traffic, which cannot be avoided in some areas, one doesn''t have a choice when the traffic suddenly stops, and slowing down in anticipation will only create aggravation as you impede traffic behind you and become an problem other drivers will have to manuever around. As for lower oil levels, that''s risky business with a EXTREMELY high price tag if you make a mistake. Oh and by the way, oil changes aren''t free so whatever savings you MIGHT make by changing more often will be eaten up in oil change charges. Tire pressure recommendations are carefully calculated based on safety, ride and economy factors - why mess with them simply to gain a may 50 cents or a couple of dollars a tankful.

ALL IN ALL this story is a waste of time and web space. People on coutry roads don''t choose to drive of dirt over paved roads, we don''t choose to get stuck in traffic, nor do we set the the daily temperatures we have to drive in.
Come on CBS if you can''t do better than this don''t try, find something worth publishing.

[hotwitch]

Right, It would also help if we just all drive down hill with the wind behind us all the time.

[fabrat1]

That just sounds like a lot of work.

[tmittelstaed]

Sorry folks, but Wayne Gerde cheats. The reason he only publishes rediculous MPG figures from long-distance driving is because his main fuel saving trick is an illegal practice known as "drafting" What he does is find a large semi-truck on the highway and drive right up within a few feet of it''s rear bumper, then he switches off his engine. The vacuum of the truck''s wake simply drags his car along. Naturally, if the semi-truck were to stop suddenly he would be killed, but semi-trucks have a huge amount of inertia and simply don''t stop suddenly. He also does a lot of driving at night - when cops and truckers can''t easily see him drafting, and when traffic on the road is much thinner and flow is more consistent.
None of the reputable media outlets discuss Wayne''s illegal fuel economy tricks, that is why you read these poof-pieces on fuel economy. You will also note that Wayne doesen''t publish HOW MUCH fuel is saved by some of these tricks - like not filling up the crankcase completely - even though such a thing would be very easy to measure - because they simply don''t save enough fuel to make any difference.
The biggest thing that -normal- drivers can do to save fuel with their tuned-up car is to inflate tires to max pressure printed on the tire sidewall (the actual real max pressure on the tire is far greater, it''s not printed on the sidewall due to liability concerns by the tire manufacturers) and to drive slower.

[nownthen-2009]

It is my observation that we do not care about gas mileage very much we just want to be able to buy gas at $1 a gallon. If we really cared about fuel usage we would drive smaller/lighter vehicles at a much slower speed. So pedal to the metal and pray to the arabs!

[nownthen-2009]

And more, the slower speeds would save many lives and injuries. Ship by rail and you would save fuel and billions of $ on road repair. Does anybody really want to save fuel?

[buttonjockey]

Most of the techniques here save very small percentages of fuel. Also, many of these are about getting your mileage back up to EPA testing standards, not exceeding them. I use most of the methods already and have stretched my mileage by about 15% at very best. This article is NOT telling the biggest secrets to boosting MPG!

Hypermilers are using much more aggressive techniques and it''s all about reducing wind resistance.

Wind resistance is by far the biggest problem because it increases on an exponential scale as speed increases. "Drafting" saves a lot of gas but is illegal and that''s why it does not get mentioned here. Killing your engine and coasting on downhill grades is another effective practice but is often illegal too.

But you can benefit from two wind reducing techniques. First, go ahead and follow a big truck but stay at a safe distance. It doesn''t save as much gas as drafting but the wake from the truck extends quite a distance and can help. Or just slow down! Many of these hypermilers are traveling at only about 45mph.

[buttonjockey]

tessener, study your physics.

"If you inflate to max pressure you will have less traction, take longer to stop if braking hard..."

That''s not right. When you increase pressure, you decrease the surface area of the part of the tire that is in contact with the road but you are also increasing the pressure per square inch that the tire exerts on the road. That presents more friction per square inch on the road.

The tire''s grip on the road is a function of PSI (tire-to-road, not tire air pressure, even though they work out to be the same), contact area and the coefficient of friction between rubber and asphalt (which remains constant in this instance).

Friction = CF * Area * PSI

Interestingly, the grip is exactly the same no matter how much you inflate your tire because as you increase PSI, you decrease area of contact proportionally, yielding the same result (because your rubber to asphalt coefficient of friction stays the same). Put another way, since the area of contact (in inches) is ALWAYS the weight of the vehicle divided by the PSI in your tires, the Area*PSI portion will always be constant for your vehicle if all you''re changing is tire pressure.

Also interesting is the fact that you are slightly LESS likely to hydroplane on wet roads with higher tire pressure. That''s because higher tire to road pressure requires more lifting force per square inch to separate the tire from the road. This is why airplanes have very large wing area.

[shanev137]

I don''t know about the doubling of oil change intervals part. That doesn''t sound right to me.

[waynegerdes]

Hi JennaSmith:

___Hypermiliers will never be found in the left lanes of the Interstate but they will be found in the right lanes between the speed limits and receiving tremendous FE. I hope you can try it some time ;)

___GScotth, watch the vid of Bianca in %u201CHeavy Traffic%u201D and than you can tell me what is and is not available. Heavy traffic is where the best FE comes from. Also, you have a list and you can pick and choose what you want to use. TBN analysis of oil is a start for synthetic at double the intervals. Half up the stick allows for a 2 to 3 degree increase in temps, less wear and more FE. Tire pressures %u2026 Do the math on what it can save and what it cannot. More than a few cents I can assure you :) For more information, please review the following : http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281

___Hi Tmittelstaed, with an average on road speed of between 51 and 52 mph from NY to Chicago, do you really think there was all of 25 minutes of vehicles traveling at that speed anywhere along I-80 to draft? If you are ever in the Chicago area, by all means come on over for a clinic and see how this is achieved. If that is the only way you will be convinced, by all means, let%u2019s go for a ride as hundreds of others have done in the past :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne Gerdes %u2013 Owner/Admin %u2013 CleanMPG.com

[cyberdjs4]

It seems to me that it is better to buy a car with a good MPG rating and then curtailing your overall driving; than it is to follow MOST of these tips.

Some of the tips are no-brianers; like using the cruise control, maintaining tire pressure, keeping the car in shape.

However, there are some things that can''t be easily changed; like DRLs [Day-time Running Lights], All-Wheel Drive, weather and terrain.

Like everything in life, there is no Silver Bullet here. Different things are going to work for different people.

[golfergal4]

Your math doesn''t add up on the trip from Chicago to NYC. At 71 miles to the gallon, 8.9 gallons would only take you 631.9 miles, which means Wayne Gerdes didn''t make it out of Pennsylvania. If he tryly did travel 800 miles on 8.9 gallons, he got 90 miles to the gallon - a much better story. If her really averaged 71 miles to the gallon, he would have used 11.267 gallons, meaning he made it to NY with less than a gallon to spare. By going 800 miles in 17 hours, he averaged 47 miles per hour. That sounds about right. How many people remember that the reason the national speed limit was set at 55 mph back in the 70''s was to save gas?

[tessener]

( buttonjockey )



well thats besides the point I''ve changed tires for over 15 years. If you fill thet tire to the max capacity that it says on the sidewall you are prone to more blowouts and uneven wear on the tire which in turn will cost you more money than you saved by filling the tire to max capacity. Like i said before " save a couple of bucks or the safety of your family" which is more important to you?

[waynegerdes]

Hi GolferGal:

I actually used a touch less than 10.9 gallons of fuel arriving into New York w/ 1.1 gallons of fuel to spare. The normal day-time producers were up all night the night before getting the piece ready and up all night again before the second live airing. I hope now you can understand how the 8.9 was aired vs. the 10.9 actually consumed. The 17 hours was actually 16 but I was pulled off the road just before the George Washington Bridge for over an hour waiting for a film crew to arrive so they could film the arrival into Manhattan. I had 4 stops in total. Two uhhmmm breaks ;-) and a stop to pick up a film crew on the road in PA and again to drop them back off about 50 miles later. The producers and reporters were pushed to the limit and I was surprised that the piece went as smoothly as it did.

Button Jockey, blowouts and uneven wear? Absolutely not. Burst pressures are many times max sidewall. Higher pressures will even out wear across the tread, shorten braking distances in all but snow and save fuel. My own 05 Accord has over 100,000 miles on the original Michelin MXV4 Plus%u2019 w/ 3/32 front and 5/32 still left on the rear. Most other Accord%u2019s of that era have had their Michelin%u2019s replaced at 50K miles.

Good Luck

Wayne
Owner/Admin
CleanMPG.com

[Scooter68]

Oil types and amounts are another important key to higher FE: Run a oil outside of the manufacturers recommendation/ approved viscosities and throw away your warranty.
Install a fuel consumption display, such as a scan gauge: Fine, an idea that will help IF the driver pays attention to it but then most are talking on cell phones and don%u2019t need something else to distract them even more.
Even the way you park matters!: So you think it%u2019s better to take the additional time/gas to back into a spot or drive around the lot looking for that ideal parking location.

Still a weak and essentially wasted article since you want to have us adopt steps that actually risk our lives and property more. The real answer is for people to chose their cars wisely and drive responsibly without putting themselve or others at rish to save gas. And no response to the drafting comment s posted so perhaps that poster was correct. Drafting is a great fuel saver but also a suicidal practice unless you have no doubts about the behaviour of the drivers you are drafting and the police don%u2019t pull you over.

[Scooter68]

Avoid driving on hilly or mountainous terrain if possible: Onceagain as with your other ideas you assume folks choose the hilly routes deliberately or perhaps you think we should ignore overall distance. And you assume they chose dirt roads instead of paved roads.
Don''t use four-wheel drive if it''s not needed: Not an option on many new cars, only a few have the 2/4 wheel drive controls. And you assume folks are so stupid when we talk about mileage, that they would be unaware of this.
Maintain your vehicle: For those who don%u2019t maintain their vehicles the reason is more likely due to budget reasons than by choice.
Try to purchase high BTU-content gasoline if available: So you are suggesting what? Do we have a choice on the gas we buy? NO, in most cases the state determines when the switch is made to oxeginated gas and the consumer has no choice.
Inherent Variations in Vehicles = An your point is what? Trade that car in and try another one for a year?
Engine Break-In: Again what is the point %u2013 Waste gas and hurry up through that break in mileage?
Tire Pressure: Despite the comments to the contrary, Higher air pressures are not recommended by tire companies and car makers for a reason and they don%u2019t want their cars to burn more gas. The higher pressure will put less rubber on the road and therefore will decrease the amount of traction in an emergency situation not a price the average person is willing to pay.

[Scooter68]

Cold weather and frequent short trips reduce fuel economy: Planning your trip in that manner is fine but not always possible and of course if you live within about 15 mins of home your car never warms up completely unless you violate yoiur rule 2 above.
Remove cargo and cargo racks: Talk about stretching it. Sure remove those racks if you don%u2019t need them and I%u2019m sure the average person choses to place cargo on their roof when there is space in the vehicle.
Don''t tow unless absolutely necessary: And why would people run around with a trailer if they don%u2019t NEED to tow something. Another bogus idea.
Minimize running mechanical and electrical accessories: Certainly minimized use is a good thing but other than the A/C what are you talking about? How about some facts here.

[Scooter68]

Don''t use quick accelerations, or brake heavily or frequently: You assume everybody around you will accept you pulling away from a stoplight at a crawl. In big cities that%u2019s a good way to become a traffic obstacle %u2013 one that causes headaches for others as they try to move around you in heavy traffic. Again %u2013 You as a driver don%u2019t control when somebody ahead suddenly slams on the brakes for any reason. Leaving a large space between your car and the one in front is not possible in heavy traffic as that space will be constantly filled by other cars.
Don''t idle excessively: - And your point is? Are you assuming folks just sit in their cars with in engine idling frequently? Not likely.

[Scooter68]

Well I just looked over several of the CleanMPG crews recommendations and I must say they spend an enormous amount of time working out the ways they can exploit hybrid vehicles capabilities. That''s fine for them but they do recommend drafting - and in reality even distant drafting is risky business and will most likely irritate many truck drivers who cannot see you cruising behind them with their mirrors. Along with coasting, another bit of dangerous behavior that leaves you with potentially limited braking power and steering assist I can see that their approach is to not just push the limits but ignore the law in many cases, despite their warnings about local laws. Drivers who attempt to follow their recommendations are also ignoring the impact on other drivers as they cruise well below speed limits and add to traffic congestion in city traffic. As a Prius owner I am all for saving gas and getting the gas hogs off the roads but this groups recommendations are fool hardy at best and could be downright deadly behaviour in some areas and situations. NO Thanks I''ll settle for the 50 mpg our Prius gets around town and making reseasonable decisions on saving gas that won''t endanger me or make me an obstacle to other drivers.

[waynegerdes]

Hi Gscott:

I think you should read some more of what we recommend and do not. Any time anyone is out on the highway, they are in a draft when other vehicles are around. You just do not know the difference between the (3) safe ones and how to exploit them the unsafe Close-in.

As for safety, following the speed limits vs. exceeding them allows hypermilers time to avoid an incident let alone be a part of one. I for one can assure you that not only is this easy to do but you will become a far safer driver due to you anticipating vs. reacting as most due on today%u2019s highways and byways. Watch Bianca%u2019s piece again for more information.

With an average speed of maybe 52 %u2013 53 mph (on the road speed), there was not much close-in available but what I did use was a Prius specific technique I was involved in discovering late last summer called IG14 in the Prius. This technique allows the ICE to run at 1,200 %u2013 1,350 RPM at 48 %u2013 55 mph while DWL and DWB and allows 70 + mpg%u2019s in the flats. IG14 is a timing advance with a TPS or Throttle position of 18. Lock them in and the FE allowed in a Prius on the highway is stupendous :)

Hypermiling simply gives us a little more time to transition top a more sustainable transportation solution and the simplistic ideas of the twentieth century are not going to make it in the twenty first. Welcome to the twenty first century.

Good Luck

Wayne

[bobc64]

gscotth,

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0405_tire_testing/pressure.html

Less rubber on the road with higher pressures? Look at the picture. I''m pretty sure I''d prefer my tires above 25psi.

"One Michelin driver put it this way, ''It''s far and away safer to be five over than three under.''"

Put your tires "five over" and achieve the benefits seen at the diagram below.

http://www.geocities.com/barrystiretech/rrvspress.gif