[briank]

Most drivers don't get why good braking techniques can be the biggest contributor to improved fuel economy when driving in varying speed situations, so rather than explain the physics of it, I thought giving examples of how to implement the technique will work better for those who might happen to stumble on this page after a web search. These tips assume flat, open road conditions. Always prioritize safety first.

Tips

- Driving 45 mph and light turns yellow 500 yards ahead, immediately take you foot off the gas. Maintaining the same speed and then stopping in the last 100 yards (as most people do) doesn't get you there any faster, but burns extra gas (to maintain your speed) for no good reason. Light may more likely turn green when you get there as it took longer to reach the light. Same principle applies when you see stopped traffic a half mile ahead on a freeway.

- Driving 45 mph and you have to turn in 500 yards, immediately take you foot off the gas. When you get to the corner, and say your speed is still 20 mph, go around the corner at 20 mph even if that means enduring some more sideways g forces. Know your cars cornering ability particularly in slippery conditions. You will consume less gas to get up to speed once you are around the corner as you are already moving at nearly 20 mph.

- Accelerate Quicker: Don't accelerate slowly if the road is open ahead and you don't anticipate any reason to brake. Most modern cars are most efficient at producing acceleration in the 2000 to 3000 rpm range. It is a mistake to think accelerating slowly and then "slowing down" with the brakes is best for mpg. "Slowing down" in mpg speak, means driving at 55 mph instead of 75 mph, where air drag consumes 75%+ of your fuel, and doesn't mean using the brakes to slow down.

- In slowing moving traffic that is speeding up and slowing and stopping, keep a distance such that you will seldom have to use your brakes, in this case accelerate just to the amount of speed that will allow you to not have to slow using the brakes. The distance from the car ahead of you will likely "accordian" back and forth. But all the traffic following you on your lane (for a significant distance back) will be saving fuel as you will be smoothing the traffic flow. In fact many hybrids get their best mileage in such conditions.

- If you have a manual transmission car, lay into the gas pedal (~75% travel) after up-shifting at or below about 2000 rpm. When you have to slow down (unanticipated) use the gears to slow you down because this will cut off fuel to the engine while your slowing by engine compression. Neutral coasting can save you more fuel, but as these tips are for normal drivers, for safety's sake I will not go into this. Hybrid drivers can glide (engine off, no re-gen drag).

- At drive-thrus or extremely slow traffic, just let the engine idle speed power your movements, revving and then braking to move a few yards, is almost the most inefficient one can be to move a given distance. But almost 99% of people do it.

Remember Braking is to compensate for the excessive acceleration one did just prior to braking. What supplied energy for that excessive acceleration? That's right excessive gas. Be single-minded and don't follow the crowd, because the crowd are often wrong.
If one did an analysis of brake pad wear between 2 identical conventional cars that did the same city commute, but one driver had almost no wear and the other was half worn in the same number of miles, I would almost guarantee you the driver will the least worn brakes would have significantly better mpg than the other. If cars computers figured a displayed economy score based on the amount of cumulative deceleration, people might start to see the correlation to mpg.