"Hypermiling Is Awful And I Sort Of Hate It" (Jalopnik in Audi MPG competition)

[MetroMPG]

Jalopnik is right now doing an Audi-sponsored fuel economy PR stunt, where they're trying to squeeze something like 62 mpg US from an A3 diesel that's EPA-rated for 43 mpg on the highway.

I wouldn't exactly say they're enjoying themselves:

Think about it like this: do you like long road trips, but wish there was some way you could combine them with a medieval sense of self-punishment? If so, you need to try some hypermiling. It manages to combine motorsports, math, pleasure denial, and sweating with the tension and excitement of getting stranded somewhere.

Despite the whining, they're currently in 3rd place.

If anyone runs out of fuel, they're forced to complete the drive in...



I love Jalopnik ... even though it often trashes fuel saving! It's an entertaining gearhead site with good writers who seem to have a lot of fun. Much of the fun happens in the comments beneath each post.

Part 1: I'm Trying To Go 834 Miles On One Tank Of Diesel And It's Gonna Suck

Part 1.5: [Jason decided to modify his Audi A3 TDI to get maximum fuel mileage. Nobody else stands a chance.] (In which I was pleased to see a pic of the Firefly with cardboard tail cone show up in the comments.)

Part 2: Hypermiling Is Awful And I Sort Of Hate It

Part 2.5: They won!

Part 3: How To Squeeze 830 Miles Out Of One Tank Of Fuel And Remain Sane...ish

More to come, obviously!

[Insight for life]

Thanks for posting, they are very comical. *Cant get part 1.5 link to work tho!*

[dirtydave]

It seems like every hypermiling blog post the comments are always a debate about DFCO.

[MetroMPG]

Yeah, a lot of bandwidth goes to that topic, everywhere!

I fixed the link, Insight for life.

[Frank Lee]

I imagined going carless and only having a moped; would going 40 mph on long trips drive me insane or not? I didn't have to get a moped to test my theory; I merely took the trips in the car at low speeds. Also tried P&G, and whatnot.

I can handle slow cruising just fine. As a flatlander, though, P&G out on the open road was a bit too much. I'd do it if there were hills to coast down.

[PaleMelanesian]

I've done it. And we managed to get the required 63 mpg, not in an Audi TDI, but in a Fiesta hatchback. Coast to coast.

Woah boy was it tedious, though. Rough estimate 2500 miles, ~4 P&G cycles per mile = 10,000 P&G cycles, and 20,000 clutch applications (not counting normal shifting).

Mostly 40-60 mph p&g cycles.

[Fat Charlie]

...and calves the size of cantaloupes.

[dirtydave]

Did you do that trip without a kill switch?

[PaleMelanesian]

Yes indeed. It was a loaner car from Ford, tagging along with cmpg's F150 ecobbost (32 mpg coast to coast).

[redpoint5]

I like driving; I like challenges; and I like punishment, both physical and mental. Seems I should have been a hypermiling endurance driver.