Ferox International Blog

Hypermiling is becoming more popular these days because of the rising cost of fuel.  Although it isn’t the safest technique for saving money on fuel, it is extremely effective.  AAA recommends not using hypermiling techniques due to their dangerous nature.  However, if you are confident in your driving skills, you might want to consider the new fad.  Here are some tips to get you started.

1.  Gas mileage.  If you want to increase your gas mileage, you need to know what it currently is, right?  The key to being an effective hypermiler is to always know your gas mileage.  The best time to calculate your gas mileage is after each trip to the gas station.

2.  Agressive driving.  There are so many things to think about when you drive.  You need to think about your driving etiquette, your opinions of other drivers, how you drive when you are in a hurry, what you do when other drivers drive to close to you, etc.  If you have too much on your mind, hypermiling is not for you.  The average driver applies their brakes 10-25 percent more than they need to.  The key to hypermiling is to allow at least 2 seconds or more room between you and the next car.  Don’t turn your fuel into heat by applying the brakes too often.

3.  Red Light.  Did you know that you get 0 MPG when you are sitting at a red light?  Another hypermiling secret is to minimize the time you spend with your car running but stopped.  Avoid heavy traffic or traffic lights.  Take your foot off the gas pedal the second you see that light turn red.  Coast to a stop and put your car in neutral.  Maximize your gas mileage by minimizing the time you spend sitting at traffic lights or other stopped traffic.

4.  Congestion.  No one likes sitting in traffic, especially hypermilers.  Keep your car moving as much as possible in traffic congestion.  This will not only get you better gas mileage but will cut down on our demand for fossil fuels, the total amount of traffic starts and stops, and the amount of time getting 0 MPG.

5.  Hypermilers are in no race.  They realize that the faster they go, the more fuel they waste.  Slowly accelerate after a stop.  Don’t punch the gas right off the line.  Minimize your fuel consumption by slowly accelerating.

6.  Cruise control.  Cruise control can be your best friend.  If you don’t know how to use your car’s cruise control, figure it out.  Cruise control allows your engine to stay at one constant speed by keeping it from working too hard.  Hypermilers even use cruise control around town and as often as they possibly can.

If you are set out to become a hypermiler, try these tips first.  These are the most basic hypermiling techniques.