While equipment (i.e. a good fuel efficient car) is important - so is good technique. My testimonial of going from around 55 to 115mpg on morning work commutes...more typically the range would be 70 to 95mpg. Yes, that was about a 100% improvement, but anyone here can get 30% better without going to the edge - seriously. If you're not exceeding the EPA or plateauing on fuel economy, two things will help (1) start a thread and let members examine what you are doing, (2) read more on the techniques of hypermiling.
That morning commute is posted at 60mpg most of the way. I did 70-75 and now it's 45-55. I do the trip before rush hour - can't do it when traffic is heavy.
My hypermiling is not just technique or mods, but a
steady change in attitudes and behavior. What I've found it the more a person feels they must keep up with the pack (in general: speed with the rest), the harder they find hypermiling and sometimes the more they dislike hypermiling. A number of speeders are trying to intimidate. Yesterday, a dump truck was highbeaming and tailgating me. He did not get to me. What do you think is going to happen to his job if he rear ends me?
BTW, dump truck definitely have the worst drivers of big rigs - how do they get their CDL? At least a 100 yards behind me, he saw me tap my emergency flasher - plenty of time to find a chance to pass in one of the two lanes to the left. No, he spends at least 45 seconds attempting to kick my butt before passing like he should have done to start with. In most instances, the really bad tailgaters have some kind of behavioral issues - flagrant speeding, very short attention span, anger....it's not about my driving, but
his driving.
Hypermiling is advanced defensive driving - knowing what's ahead and what to do. It's also not letting bad driver such as that dump truck get to you. Kind of like you're a quarterback and three 350lbs lineman are racing at you. You're going to get hit anyway, so concentrate on completing the pass.