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

[Christ]

I use solid mounts most of the time... and I don't care too much about synchro wear.. I don't think I've ever had to replace a clutch due to my own wear and tear, and I've never had to replace a tranny... just several engines. (Used to race alot)

[Ryland]

This is why I tell people to drive normally unless they know what they are doing, or not drive at all unless they know what they are doing.
My current 50,000 mile rated tires have 50,000 miles on them and are doing fine, dead even wear with 50psi for their whole life, higher then side wall recommended but I keep an eye on them, inspect them when I rotate them and would blame no one if something went wrong with them.
my clutch and Tranny only lasted 230,000 miles before the main bearing went out and wore the clutch out, the main bearing went out because the owner before me drove the car for 6+ years without changing the tranny fluid (every other year is recommended).
I think that pulling a trailer or having a car full of people is going to cause more wear on my car then anything else and if I'm not using it in a way that fills it up with stuff or people then why am I driving it?

[blueflame]

It took me months to hypermile correctly.

True the clutch in a manual is used more often and in an auto trans the in and out from N can be a problem if not done correctly. I slow down and rev match prior to engaging D again, and feel no issue with this as I have done this for years with no problems.

HOWEVER, the engine being off and/or used more lightly, must certainly SAVE volumes of wear on neartly all other parts. So this thread and many like it, is really a non issue.

Instead of needing to defend ourselves when these threads pop up, we should just refer the clever poster elsewhere.

I sold my Citroen a couple of weeks ago and taught the new owner some hypermiling.

He wrote it off in the second week, due to a failed bump start that left him stopped in a bad place and hit and run by another vehicle. His name was John.

But going back to the thread topic. I wore my brake rotors down descending mountain ranges without engine braking.

[instarx]

Modern tires don't wear out in the center if "overinflated". The radial steel belts keep the tread flat on the road. Yes, it used to be true, but that was with old rayon or polyester bias ply tires. Old conventional wisdom dies hard.

[Geonerd]

Originally Posted by blueflame

Instead of needing to defend ourselves when these threads pop up, we should just refer the clever poster elsewhere.

Huh? The OP brought up perfectly legitimate points.

[bryogenic]

Originally Posted by blueflame

It took me months to hypermile correctly.
But going back to the thread topic. I wore my brake rotors down descending mountain ranges without engine braking.

From what I read around you shouldn't be trading engine breaking for brakes, so long as you have a fuel injected engine, the fuel will cut off and the engine just spins (0 gas use + braking power). I am just a noob but thats what I read on other threads.

[KJSatz]

Well it isn't a hypermiling thing that you shouldn't ride the brakes, especially if you're descending a mountain. That's why having a MT or even an auto that lets you request a downshift is nice. Though some AT cars will downshift if you tap the brake once.

[Christ]

I always downshift in auto or manual, before I ever use the brake, even on flats. Engine braking is a more efficient way to bleed off some speed. If your engine won't bleed off enough speed fast enough, you use the brakes in addition to the engine.

I specifically make all attempts to only use the brakes while stopping completely, whenever possible. Even then, I slow down as much as I can, for as long as I can, with just the engine's compression.

[blueflame]

Originally Posted by Geonerd

Huh? The OP brought up perfectly legitimate points.

They get brought up every so often by newbies. And the same defensive replies too by the regulars. Just gets a little tedious, thats all.

Overall mechanical wear is less when hypermiled correctly.

My car was a non ecu carby motor re rotor wear, and they were daily descents of a mountain. Sometimes I went for 6 minutes with the engine off!

I know better now.

[MechEngVT]

I inflate my tires to the sidewall max of 44psi even for my typicall unladen truck. One of my tires (the right rear) has worn down in the center. I first discovered the uneven wear when I discovered that I had thrown the balance weight, picked up a nail, and the tire had been riding at 10psi for between 7-14 days. Between the *under* inflation and the imbalance (due to bounce scuffing) they more likely account for the center wear than an over-inflation.

On the inner edge wear on front tires it's possible that static negative camber is causing it, but if you've had your alignment checked this isn't likely the case. Some vehicles that induce negative camber during jounce may over-do it in the interest of dynamic stability causing higher loading of the inner shoulder on the outer tire, and vehicles with high kingpin inclination induce negative camber on the outside tire during steering. An under-Ackermann steering setup would drag/scrub the inner shoulder of the inside tire in a turn as well, especially during higher-g corners where body roll compensates out the inside tire's tendency toward positive camber and dynamic load reduction on the inside front corner reduces the transmittable lateral force for a given slip angle.