Hypermiling Technique To Save Gas Solar Power Energy Generation Guide
Hypermiling Technique To Save Gas And Get More Mileage Out Of Your Car
By James J Dixon
The hypermiling technique to save gas is a method used
to get more gasoline mileage out of your car, whether
you’re driving hybrid cars or old gas guzzlers.
Many drivers weren’t satisfied with the initial
offering of hybrids that got 30 to 45 MPG and after
making a review of their options, were convinced they
could do better.
However, one beneficial component built into these
new vehicles was the fuel economy gauge, which allowed
drivers to see what drove down their MPG ratings or
picked them up.
Strategies Used By Racing Car Drivers
They began accelerating slower from green lights, coasting
to a stop well before the light and changing their driving
habits to get as much as 100 MPG.
It may surprise you, but many of these same strategies
were first used by professional race car drivers like
Dale Earnhardt Jr, who couldn’t afford to run out of
gas mid-race.
Coasting In A Motor Race
In June 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. caught flack from
critics for coasting past the pace car to hypermile
as much as possible, and making it to the end of his
Lifelock 400 race just in time to run out of gas.
He turned his engine off to coast whenever he could,
knowing that the race would be extended past the scheduled
200 laps. "I didn’t know how much they were going
to worry about it," told news reporters.
Pulsing And Gliding
"All the cars out there are gassing it, shutting
’em off, coasting about a half straightaway, cranking
’em back up, gas it, coast. Everybody’s doing it."
This hypermiling technique is also known as "pulsing
and gliding," which works by making your engine
use fuel when it’s most efficient.
Drivers accelerate with lots of throttle and then glide
or coast in neutral with the engine off. When the speed
begins to drop again, the driver will give the vehicle
another pulse on the gas pedal. Experts say this fuel
economy technique is not recommended in heavy traffic,
but is rather designed for open road driving.
Conserving Fuel To Avoid Refueling
With twenty laps to go, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. determined
that the Number 88 Chevrolet would be just two laps
short of finishing without refueling. Eury told Earnhardt
to conserve as much fuel as possible using the pulse
and glide hypermiling technique to save gas. "We
miss it by one lap, we finish 25th,"
Eury said. "If we pit and put fuel in it we’re
going to finish 25th. So, who cares? Go for it."
Earnhardt said that all the cars out there were "gassing,
shutting ’em off, coasting about a half straightaway,
cranking ’em back up, coast."
Gas It Harder And Coasting
Even though there were no rules regarding this gas
mileage conserving technique, Earnhardt admits, "I
was getting a little greedy... I wanted to coast farther,
so I’d gas it harder and coast past the pace car and
just let him come on and catch back up, and that way
I could keep my motor off longer."
Nascar driver Carl Edwards is also famous for using
the hypermiling technique to save gas. He explains,
"When I was first trying to get a job in NASCAR,
I used to drive my little piece-of-junk Mazda from Missouri
to Charlotte all the time. It became a game to see how
few stops I had to make.
Drafting By Following Another Car
Eventually, I could do the whole 900 miles on one stop."
To ramp up his fuel economy on the track, he’ll not
only employ the pulse and glide hypermiling coasting
trick, but he’ll also try "drafting," which
is letting another car lead just ahead of him, tailgating
the car as it breaks the headwinds for him.
He uses the throttle entering turns, but coasts down
the straight-aways, he says, and allows cars to fly
past him at times, knowing he’ll be passing them when
they’re fueling up later. It takes guts for drivers
on and off the track to hypermile, but the benefits
are truly impressive.
About the Author:
James J Dixon has written a number of articles on Hypermiling and Recycling including
Fuel Saving,
Hypermiling Hybrid,
Hypermiling Your Car,
Waste Water,
Disposal Of Plastics.
Look out for new articles as they become available on this site.
Little Known Hypermiling Facts.....
What is hypermiling?
Hypermiling is not just one thing. It is actually
the practice of getting better gas mileage for your vehicle. So there
is not just one aspect of it. It encompasses many things. Some of which
are very common knowledge and some that are not. But as gas prices continue
to go up more people are turning to this as a way to get every penny and
drop they can from their vehicle.
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