are there race style driving techniques for hypermiling?
 

hi,

there are those things such as heel and toe, left foot braking, cadence braking, threshold braking and many others in the racing world. does this have a place in hypermiling?

never touch the brake pedal if you dare!

Actually....if you watch NASCAR you see them doing EOC when they are short on fuel during caution laps.....at their last race a few cars ran out on the last few laps and at least three coasted across the finish line on the last lap!

I thought NASCAR was trying to put a stop to that after Earnhardt Jr did it and won?

there are some vehicles that cannot eoc because of the following:
1 - vacuum is lost, thereby reducing braking force when repeatedly pumped
2 - power steering is lost because oil pump does not recirculate the fluid
3 - some steering columns lock when key is in acc

I'm not an hypermiler, only an beginner ecodriver , and I never raced, so...

IMHO only the way to take curves (with the biggest turning radius) may apply because you can save momentum created by your gas burning. I commonly take roundabouts (France has so many of them...) at 40km/h (25 mph) if nobody is too close to me and I know this roundabout isn't too small for the speed (ie has a big enough radius, or has two lanes).

Denis.

Draft.

They did have a talking to about his method of coasting......he passed the pace car on a few occasions...that is a no no, but they have no specific rule against it....Jr did noy take a victory lap and his car died on the way off the track.

That's a smooth move on his part. Really smart racing. Good for him. I plan on getting into endurance racing in 2 summers. I will have to keep that in mind. There are places on a road course where you could reasonably drive without the engine on for a few seconds at a time without losing much ground. My ignition and starter are on dash switches, so it would be cake.

The only "racing" technique I use hypermiling is choosing the ideal line for a corner. Typically starting wide going tight into the apex and then wide out without getting on the brakes if possible. My rules are no tire squeal and no cutting into other lanes.
I also have a gravel road short cut on my commute with 3 nice 90 degree bends that I can see if anyone is coming. I may occaisionally do some left foot braking with the Neon so I can enter the corner briskly and then put the car a bit sideways if needed to hold my line. Sounds kind of dangerous but I can say I haven't even come close to losing control and it will be only my dumbass in the ditch if things go bad somehow. This mostly for fun though as being on the gas and brake at the same time probably negates my higher entry and exit speeds...

MazdaMatt,
I'm sure there are ways to use less gas while maintaining most of the speed while racing. Probably slow in and fast out, rolling on the throttle instead of mashing it and avoiding big drift angles while accelerating would cover most of it I'd think.

slow-in fast-out is actually a big fuel USER. that is a late-apex technique that applies to big HP cars with less than stellar handling (it was the motto for old ferrari race teams). I have a low HP car, so i try my best to maintain a wide arc through a turn, usually with no gas or breaks for a good portion of it. My smoother line also requires a smooth roll onto the throttle like you suggested. Heck, i race a Honda... i use 20 litres in a whole day of lapping while the V8 guys use 20L in a single half-hour session. I laugh every time I see them reaching for the fuel can :)

Try a Bike
 

If you want to really expeience the energy used or wasted in a turn, ride a bicycle through it. Using 1/2 hp or so you can really feel the most economic path through a turn. My general observation-- the straightest line, no braking. This varies with road surface etc, your results may vary.

For a racer to ecodrive on the street my favorite technique is high-g cornering. Basically just don't slow down for a turn any more than you have to as it minimizes fuel consumed to resume cruising speed after the turn. I regularly enter marked 25mph uphill cloverleaf exit ramps at 55-60 and let the tires squeal as needed as the turn and the elevation change slow me down to the new road's 45mph limit. There's another ramp that's a 20mph-posted downhill 2-lane S'd exit/entry that I enter and exit at 55 and use a bit of the other lane or shoulder if I can. I like to gain speed on this ramp because it's downhill but dumps you out at the bottom of a hill on the new road.

So yes, passing technique to take advantage of high-g cornering and setting the corner up for a fast/smooth exit are excellent racing techniques to use on the street. I also like drafting but lots of folks (even here) get their panties in a wad over that.