100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics

[thebrad]

Originally Posted by Lazarus

A local church had a save at the pump day where gas was a $1.00 off the posted price. As expected a large crowd showed up. It was reported that there were people that waited in line for over an hour and a half. Now on a 85 degree day how many people do you suppose were sitting there with the car and AC off for the time they waited.

I know I'm probably an exception here, but I generally fill up at the cheapest place in town (Costco) and now that prices are on the rise they are generally subject to 15 minute or more lines. Anyway, I shut off the engine and wait for all cars in front of me to fill up and then I push my car up to the spot and proceed to fill.

[metroschultz]

Originally Posted by thebrad

Seems like a no brainer, but if this list is intended to be distributed amongst unlike minded individuals...
"Never idle!"
This is quite possibly the most annoying habit I see, I'll be walking to class and walk by 10s of cars that are just sitting there running so the owner can use the radio or a/c. Worse yet it's generally always a girl just putting on make up while the car is left running. Saw this yesterday with a lifted Hummer H2, almost lost it. haha.

I must confess, Idling is my biggest pet peeve also.
As I walked through the lot at Big Box Mart one day I saw a Hummer idling, Young Lady behind the wheel, A/C on, drivers window down(for cigarette exhaust), and she was on the phone.
I toyed with the idea of asking her about her fuel resources for a moment (this was after gas went >$3 a gallon here), when I heard her complaining into her phone about the price of gas.
I chose to move on.
I left Big Box Mart and as I walked past again she was still complaining about fuel prices.
I laughed so hard I dropped my stuff.
There are people in this world who are not going to change, they will make you laugh, cry and wonder why we are not allowed to kill our young.
S.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by metroschultz

I saw a Hummer idling, Young Lady behind the wheel, A/C on, drivers window down(for cigarette exhaust), and she was on the phone....I heard her complaining into her phone about the price of gas.

Wow. Yikes!!

I think you should submit that to Webster's as an updated definition of "irony" (among a few other words I can think of ).

[metroschultz]

Metro,
I was probly in the store for 20 - 30 min.
She has to have burned 1/2 gallon of gas.
I laughed so hard I dropped my bags and told everyone that would listen when I got to work.
Originally I wanted to ask her if she owned a gas station, but when I overheard her conversation I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Irony, Stupidity, call it what you will, it was still unnecessarily wasteful.
In retrospect, after hearing her complaint I should have told her it was her fault gas is so high.
But that would only have enraged her and then I would get shot.
too bad, so sad, ur dad,
S.

[Doofus McFancypants]

I had not thought about backing into spots. Sometimes when i get to work later than usual, the good Pull out spots are taken and i had wondered what the best alternate was. Now i know - back into a spot with a warm engine to allow pull out with a cold engine.

as for the young lady in the Hummer.
Irony just does not seem strong enough..
like the commedian who has the "Here's your sign" bit..

Steve

[MetroMPG]

Reversing in has the added advantage of being generally safer, too. And the reason (better visibility when leaving the spot) is yet another contributor to better efficiency: if you can see, you can wait to start up and just go when it's clear, rather than creeping slowly out in reverse until you have a good view & an opening. (Assuming vehicles on either side creating visibility issues.)

Of course it's one of those miniscule differences. But the pennies do stack up.

[PaleMelanesian]

#54 - EOC

I would change it to "turn the key to ACC long enough for then engine to stop running, then return the key to Run." That's much safer, and you'll actually be counting the miles traveled.

[MetroMPG]

Good point - edited. I have a kill switch on my car - the key always stays in "Run". Thus my oversight.

[Harpo]

18, 23, 26, 31, 41 and 44 are the real money makers for me.

I use 44 as my guiding rule. In todays effort home 24.9 miles (49.5mpg) I did not stop once!

[PA32R]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

If you're coasting engine off, doing anything other than rolling to a stop will lower your potential fuel economy. Yes, we're talking about tiny differences.

If you're idling and moving at a low speed, then yes, you should just go ahead and park.

The take-home message is: avoid the brake pedal. Parking is one time you may have the option of rolling to a complete stop because there's no set 'stop line' if you have flexibility on which spot you can choose.

But... unless you can get closer to where you'll be headed when you leave, it does no good.

That's something I've noticed in the short time I've frequented this site and forum. There are tips that recommend, for example, taking a longer route with less stops. That may or may not help - the goal is (or at least is in my case) minimization of fuel consumption consistent with the life one has chosen to live. That's not necessarily the same as maximizing the indicated or calculated m.p.g. For example, if you can get to work by driving a route with stops and it's 15 miles at 30 m.p.g., you'll use 0.5 gallons. If you substitute a route that's 20 miles with less stops and you can get 35 m.p.g., you'll burn 0.57 gallons, or 14% more fuel. This, to me, is the opposite of the way an ecomodder should think.

My $.02...