Hypermiling stories thread

[Fat Charlie]

I stopped for a light that I could have made it through last night. There's a pair of lights that are badly synched- sometimes I make it through both in the morning, but I've never been able to roll through both going the other way. I was EOCing my way in and pretty certain I'd make the first light. Not really an Earth shattering accomplishment, but still pretty special. As I got closer to the second light I realized I was going to make that, too. Then I saw that I'd end up getting caught in the stack of cars trying to get into the traffic circle up ahead! I braked and got stopped by the red light. While I was sitting there the line of cars ahead cleared out.

I took an engine on stop & go one car length at a time and turned it into an engine off wait for the green and a smooth approach and merge at the circle.

Sometimes making the green isn't a good thing.

[Fat Charlie]

Subaru sandwich with box truck bread.

I had an awesome draft last night. I was puttering along behind a couple cars that were doing a little over 50 when a box truck passed us. I stayed with him and a couple miles later we passed another box truck that decided to stay with us. Going up hills where I'm happy to have instant mpg in the high teens between 60 and 65, I was getting in the mid to high 30s between 65 and 70! I only had the lead truck for about 10 miles and the rear truck for 6 or 7, but it was a great commute.

[wmjinman]

Well, I can admit to a real "bonehead" hypermiling story... I was heading out of town with my girlfriend and popped into the Post Office to mail an envelope & check the mail. As a new, enthusiastic, budding hypermiler, I smugly turned off the engine and started the turn to diagonal park on the OPPOSITE side of the drive, requiring more than a 90* turn to the left. I was shooting for an open space with cars on each side. I swear I've done this "move" before, but for some unknown reason, I didn't manage to make the turn tight enough. The girlfriend started screaming "YOU'RE GOING TO HIT HIM!!", and I'm thinking "yeah - watch this" (famous last words of a redneck before he dies, right?).

But then I realize I'm actually NOT going to make the turn. At about that point she starts screaming "STOP!". This time, I decide I agree with her, and hit the brakes. For some reason, the power brake reservoir must have been empty (I really don't remember already using them once after turning the engine off, but I guess I must have). So, the brakes didn't respond the way I was expecting, and before I could mash the pedel down enough to do the job, CRUNCH. Yup, I actually hit him. Durrrrr.....

My insurance company said his repairs were around $700. It must have just been a re-painted bumper, because all I did was scratch it, but the girlfriend had a good time trying to get me to calculate how much I would have saved had it been a "flawless power-off park" versus the cost to repair the car I hit.

So I guess John Wayne's quote definitely applies to me here: "Life's hard - even harder when you're stupid"

[JRMichler]

The office speed demon found himself stuck behind me during my EOC into work. This is a coastdown from 45 MPH (in a 35 limit) to a left turn to a right turn into the parking lot to a 180 into my usual parking space. He made a mild complaint about being held up, so I asked how much he thought he was delayed. He figured about 30 seconds. Then we sat down and calculated. Turned out the real delay was four seconds. He hasn't complained since.

[wmjinman]

Yeah, wow - 30 seconds would've been OBSCENE, though!!! (NOT)

Years ago, early in my quest to find "economical driving techniques" to try, I remember reading that turning off the engine at a "stop" wouldn't be worthwhile unless it was under a MINUTE. Well, I thought, some of these blasted "slow lights" around here were undoubtely MANY minutes. So I'd start experimenting, turning off my engine & then hitting the stopwatch to see how much I might expect to save (which would be the amount in excess of that one minute threshhold, right?)

Well, imagine my shock when I discovered even the most tortuously slow stoplights in town were SELDOM over a minute!!! I mean, if I was stopped a minute & 15 seconds, that was VERY unusual. But it sure seems like an eternity if you want to go, and are forced to just sit there & wait "for nothing". I expect that's what your office speed demon was feeling, even though it was only 4 seconds!!

Nowadays, if I understand right, for "modern" fuel injected cars that start easily, 10 seconds is the new "break even point". I must confess I'm STILL a bit surprised at how little over 10 seconds some of these "long lights" are, even so.

.... funny how perceptions vs. reality can be, huh? ...

[D.O.G.]

I took my Mazda for its annual registration inspection today.

While it was up on the hoist, my mechanic tracked down an annoying rattle the car has had since I bought it and still only changed the normal inspection fee.

Any "normal" person would be pleased by this. But me? Oh no, all I could think of was how idling for 20 minutes while it was on the hoist was going to hurt my average for this tank.

There's just no pleasing some people.

[LeZX2]

A few months ago i put my car into neutral while moving for the first time. I was always taught to not do this, but after trying to find a reason that it would be bad for the car and coming up short i decided that i would try it at my next opportunity. I was driving along a country road and saw that there was nobody in sight behind me so i popped it into neutral and to my surprise i had not lost any speed according to the speedometer during the "glide". i had not realized that the road was slightly downhill and that my car coasts so much better without any engine braking. After this i was in love with the smooth feeling of coasting with only wind and rolling resistance to slow me down. This was the experience turned me on to hypermiling

[serialk11r]

Well earlier this week I put tufts on the back of my car, and an interesting phenomenon happened...
Instead of tailgating me and then zooming off (passing on the right, you didn't think people here follow rules did you?), all the other cars on the road slowed down (to the speed limit, which is how fast I was going) to get a better look at my tufts!

If everyone on ecomodder does this, imagine how much of OTHER people's fuel we'll save like this.

[freebeard]

I wasn't going to mention this; but maybe it will save another forum member some trouble.

Divided 4-lane, 30-35mph limit. I was in the right lane beside a platinum Honda. When I saw the light turn red, I dropped 5-10mph and expected to hit the light green doing about 20, past the Honda that ran on up and braked at the light.

When I saw the car behind me speed up and change lanes, I picked up the pace up, but not so much he couldn't pass me, to show my displeasure. He pulled in front of me and laid on the brakes, but the light changed and he took off again.

As I rolled past the Honda in the left lane, I was going to merge left and let him run on down the road. But I had rolled up on him, loathe to use my brake. He must have decided I was a tail-gater and about 40 feet past the intersection he jammed his brakes and dropped to about 5mph.

I think if I hadn't been scoping the lane change, I could have dodged him. As it was, after contact he rolled away from me before we both stopped so it was probably a matter of feet.

We got out to compare notes, but as soon as I asked he include an insurance number; he bolted, leaving me with a first name and phone number.

The repair will be inexpensive, less matching the existing paint, which I was going to spot and clearcoat when the car's paid off, anyway. In the interim, the hood will be gray primer with [REVERSE]DASH CAM[/REVERSE] painted on the front.

I've already picked one out. It was just announced at CES and will be available on Amazon real soon now:
Looxcie Announces Vidcie Tough/

Next time I will step out and say "I have your license plate on video. We will need to talk to your attorney."

[Fat Charlie]

I deserve a cookie. Unfortunately, some people just won't be helped.

Monday night was a wet, snowy mess on the roads. After several miles in first and second gear, we finally got it up to 40. Later on when traffic dropped off and I could go faster, I kept it at 40- the night had already sucked badly enough and I wasn't going to cap it off by destroying all FE by racing through the slop in an effort to get home not quite as late.

Things went smoothly, and then the road narrowed. I picked up a small following which I didn't feel bad about- there are plenty of passing opportunities there, and if nobody's going to take them then they can just shut the hell up about my speed. For the particularly dense there's a 2 mile long climbing lane after a while, anyway.

Then we got to the hill. I figured the right lane would be clear, leaving a double helping of slop for the folks to pass in, which I still wouldn't feel bad about- you've got 2 miles to make the pass, so do it already! Except the left lane was the one that was clear. I moved into the slop and 5 cars soon passed me. I moved back left and watched a sixth car slowly gaining on me. When he was a reasonable distance behind me I moved back into the slop and he continued to close, but then held off and matched my speed a few lengths behind me. Meanwhile, I'm trudging through the slop trying to be a nice guy. Eventually I moved over and held him up for 10 miles until my turn. Chump don' wan' no help, chump don' git no help. Jive ass dude don' got no brains anyhow.