[Smile-n-Nod]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and new to hypermiling. My local newspaper ran an article recently about hypermiling and I've been putting some of its tips into practice. So far, I think I've boosted my FE about 20%.

Unfortunately, I drive a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with 130,000 miles, in which I used to average about 18 to 20 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. Since I started hypermiling, I get about 22 on city streets and about 28 on the highway. My next tankful of gas will be my first while driving full-time using hypermiling techniques.

So far, I've inflated my tires to max sidewall pressure, started using Mobil One, and removed the roof rack. Tomorrow I plan to remove the seldom-used rear bench seat. I've been driving 55 mph in the right lane, timing stop lights, and accelerating slowly, but I know there's a lot more for me to learn. I'm looking forward to the challenge (and budgetary rewards) of squeezing a couple extra mpg out of my old clunker while I dream about a Prius.