Hypermiling techniques that are invalid (potential mechanical wear/cost)

[RandomFact314]

Yeah it may cause a little extra wear on some parts of the car but you know the engine is doing great driving so smoothly all the time. I don't think that hypermiling is all that bad because people are still doing it.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

John, a straw man, is a badly misinformed hypermiler practicing a few bad and a few good techniques. He pays too much for car repair, ignoring options like his neighbor the backyard mechanic who can install a junkyard tranny for $500. He has the worst of luck with cars, and his experiences do not reflect those of the ecomodder community as a whole. On the balance, Ecomodding is rewarding, both financially and in less tangible ways.

+1!

Iono if it's just me, but $600 for tires that only last 10k miles, and the like, is John's problem, not attempting to drive efficiently. For that price and can get a ~50k mile treadlife set installed on all three autos I own.

[Snax]

Yeah well, those of us silly enough to buy cars that require a low profile tire don't always have it that good. :P

At 24k miles, the tires on our Mazda5 mini-minivan are on their last legs with excessive inner shoulder wear despite being inflated to the max most of their life. Oh well, it doesn't handle like a minivan either, so I won't ***** too much.

[chuckm]

Inflated to sidewall max, my tires have been holding up like champs. Tread centers look fine.
I'm not having any auto tranny problems (engine on, tranny neutral coasting).

Snax, you may want to get your alignment checked.

[Daox]

Originally Posted by chuckm

Snax, you may want to get your alignment checked.

Ditto.

[MazdaMatt]

ditta on alignment... inner edge wear is NOT a normal thing.

To save your synchros, don't jam it into gear when you're about to start. Press gently and let them come up to speed. Rev-match always between gear shifts. Also, low-viscocity transmission fluids are well known in the racing community to reduce the life of your synchros.

Bump starting does not have to be hard on your engine. Even the term "bump start" makes it sound like the wrong technique. When i bump start there is NO thrashing of the engine or the occupants of the car. Put it in fifth, let the clutch half way out quickly and push it back down quickly. This will get it turning with the least friction. Tap the gas peddle to bring the revs up while it is starting itself and then let the clutch out again. Easy, smooth, friendly on your clutch and engine.

High speed turns are also good for FE and bad for tires. Personally, i use low-profile 16" tires with a fairly low UTQG and an aggressive rain tread. Not the best for longevity or rolling resistance... hard turning resuts in more shoulder wear on my tires.

[Christ]

I've run overinflated tires for years... I mean seriously over inflated... and probably over loaded, as well. Still haven't had problems with uneven wear, and I've got like 15-20 cars under my belt.

(I swap tires between cars)

[chipsndukes]

Originally Posted by robchalmers

I'd agree bump starting each time will do damage - check engine mounts too as they take a kickin.

I agree. I've been working on different techniques that don't slap the engine around as much, maybe someone can give some input...

Originally Posted by robchalmers

As above riding a clutch is just bad technique. if you want to save the clutch, just straight shift without the clutch on upshifts by matching revs.

So the only way to do a high speed pulse and glide without wrecking the synchros or throwout bearing is to leave the engine on, and match engine speed when going back into top gear?

Thanks,
Chipsndukes

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by MazdaMatt

Bump starting does not have to be hard on your engine. Even the term "bump start" makes it sound like the wrong technique. When i bump start there is NO thrashing of the engine or the occupants of the car. Put it in fifth, let the clutch half way out quickly and push it back down quickly. This will get it turning with the least friction. Tap the gas peddle to bring the revs up while it is starting itself and then let the clutch out again. Easy, smooth, friendly on your clutch and engine.

Exactly! Just let the clutch and flywheel kiss to get the engine spinning. Shouldn't be any harder/rougher than any other shift if done properly.

[PaleMelanesian]

'zactly. I can do bump-starts that my passengers don't even notice.