Motor Mouth: Hypermiling is a fool’s gold

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I find dinosaurs interesting!

"Earl Sinclair" applauds you!

[user removed]

Been there, to the tune of 100 gallons a week in a 2800 pound Barracuda with a 383 at 10 MPG. As Metro said I was a Dinosaur, but in my defense gas was 32 cents a gallon and I made enough money a week to buy close to a 1000 gallons with a weeks pay. It was fun at the time, but to me at least, unthinkable today.

Unlike some, I don't follow those who write for auto rags anymore. Nothing for me to learn from them anymore. Even my 42 year old motorcycle, made when I was 20 years old can manage 55 MPG on ancient technology. Had we been collectively aware of the consequences back them we could be swimming in oil today, if you consider 55 versus 10MPG. Not saying that is practical but it certainly is much more appealing to me than driving a fuel sucking pig because some Moron who prefers living in the past, has convinced me that would be a smart move.

regards
Mech

[War_Wagon]

I love my V8s. I have always, and will always like old cars, and even some of the newer generations of muscle. A friend has a 2006 Z06, if you go for a ride in something like that, it's hard to wipe the smile off of your face. But good grief, not for everyday use! "Experts" like the guy that wrote that tripe (he must be an expert, it said right in the article that he spent a whole two days looking up hypermiling on the internet! Heaven forfend that he actually, oh I don't know, maybe talk to someone that knows something about it in person! Though then he'd have to actually do more work, and wouldn't be able to use copy/paste to pad out his article), telling people how great a new SUV is when a Civic would be just fine for their use is just letting him keep his job, and not doing the rest of us any good.

[razor02097]

There are people that IMO take hypermiling too far. But that guy is knocking the whole idea. I guess we should all ride the brakes and apply full throttle from a dead stop huh? If you want better fuel economy just buy a new car...

He fails to see the DWB concept... it isn't about not using your brakes ever and crashing into things... it is about anticipating or avoiding stops (by timing traffic and lights) and let off the throttle sooner so you aren't converting fuel into brake dust and heat.

[slowmover]

You all read like someone who's bothered to keep themselves abreast of what is happening in the world (plus extrapolations) and have enough reading of history and human nature to understand (especially) that television news is nothing more than theater. In the immortal words of Joe Bageant, "living in a hologram". The man is an entertainer using a well-worn script.

I'd like to get the most from a gallon of fuel. If it is nothing more than practice for the day it becomes unaffordable (and not just to me, individually) then it has been worth the effort. In the meantime -- and the reason I participate here -- I consider lowest fuel burn to accomplish the same work as being consistent with longest drivetrain (thus vehicle) life. A few extra years before replacement more than covers things.

FE is consistent with safe driving, IMO. Some techniques are outside of that, so I don't bother with them.

For someone who is driving their vehicle single-occupant, then a more reasonable goal to achieve is to load it to full capacity with a trailer of appropriate size. Move family and belongings (in the event of bad luck & circumstances) and see what it will do. That is, if you want to separate the men from the boys . . . .

What can be done to improve things, and to establish the baseline that one can predict fuel burn under maximum demand? THAT is fuel economy in a nutshell: when it really matters.

"When it really matters" is a context that takes into account the worst of times, not just the best (of which we are still within). If there is to be any reaction to an entertainers words (Bill Maher or Bill McKibben or the linked comments) then it is in knowing ones limits. Playing off of designed responses is hardly worthy of a thinking individual.

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