Tag Archives: how to hypermile

Our Weekly Hypermiling Tip #2: Maintain your car

14 March, 2011   Karl   No comments

IG0019 28 150x150 Our Weekly Hypermiling Tip #2: Maintain your carMaintaining your car should be both common sense and also part of your motoring routine. A well maintained car will not only give you better efficiency but it will last longer and cost you less in the long run. You don’t need to be a grease fisted mechanic in order to keep your car in tip top condition, however it may be beneficial to enlist the help of a someone with some mechanical experience.

You should:

  • Keep up to date with your services, even if you opt to do them yourself. Servicing ensures that oil, filters and other components are working optimally and your car is safe.
  • Make sure tyre pressures are correct, under inflated tyres can effect your MPG by up to 5 percent. I would suggest in keeping a pressure gauge in the car with you. Try and check weekly if you can.
  • Empty your car of any excess weight & clutter. Maybe even try and rid yourself of that spare tyre! (see Hypermiling Tip #1)
  • Remove roof racks, roof boxes or anything else not needed that increases drag.

Most of the above should be common sense, however I am amazed at how many people I know that just don’t take care of their cars and wonder why they break, cost a fortune to run and ultimately repair. A wise man once said “If you look after your car, it will look after you”.

For next week’s installment we will start on the Hypermiling Techniques that will require a change in your driving style, then you’ll really be saving!!

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Our Weekly Hypermiling Tip #1: Don’t use your car!

07 March, 2011   Karl   1 Comment

peewee 300x240 Our Weekly Hypermiling Tip #1: Dont use your car!

Peewee Herman, the Ultimate Hypermiler

Each week we will be posting a Hypermiling Tips from our fuel saving and cost cutting Hypermiling Techniques page.

 

Our first installment is probably the best Hypermiling Tip that I could ever give. Not only does it save you 100% of your precious and increasing expensive fuel but it also keeps you healthier and saves on vehicle maintenance.

Our tip: Don’t use your car

I will be the first to admit that sometimes there are situations that require a car journey for that 2 minute trip, but for a morning paper and milk – it mostly involves sheer laziness. Simply opting to walk, cycle, jog, get a bus or even hitch hike get a lift is the ultimate way of saving fuel.

Those couch potatoes among us may mock, but as they struggle to tie their shoes as they can not see beyond there vast mountain of belly fat – they should take note of the benefits.

Short journeys use much more fuel than longer ones, motor doesn’t have time to get up to temperature also causes increased engine wear. Opting to take the bike (once you have dug it out of the shed) is a sure fire way of burning some calories and saving some cash at the same time.

With fuel prices flirting with the £2 a litre mark, we should all consider when we use our cars – before we priced out of them all together.

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Drafting.. 93MPG over 15 miles

23 February, 2011   Karl   3 Comments
5413473769 f065814db1 300x225 Drafting.. 93MPG over 15 miles

Drafting a lorry (thats not my picture btw!)

On my way back from a job yesterday, I decided to settle in behind a lorry to enjoy a little bit of drafting. Its been a while since I have had the opportunity to venture into a slipstream, country roads don’t tend to have many HGVs on them.

The route from Peterborough to Stamford on the A1 is mostly uphill so I was curious to see what MPG I could pull out of the bag. Obviously, I kept to a safe distance (2 seconds) before the bleats of the internet trolls start!

As soon as I got behind it I was amazed how much difference it made. On the flat, I only required the lightest touch of the pedal to keep with it, giving me an amazing 140+ MPG over a couple of miles. Even while going up hill I didnt see anything lower than 60MPG, I was trully amazed on how the Skoda performed in a draft.

On my return home I checked the trip MPG and it was showing 99MPG, I know its about 5% out so I would put it at about 93MPG. Not bad for a “hot” Diesel 4 door hatch!

To learn more about Hypermiling and the Techniques I used see our Hypermiling Techniques page.

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Our top 5 Fuel saving (Hypermiling) tips

17 January, 2011   Karl   No comments
fuel theif Our top 5 Fuel saving (Hypermiling) tips

Spend less at the pumps with our top 5 fuel saving tips

There are hundreds of websites offering general fuel saving tips however many miss the very best way of saving 100% of your fuel, simply don’t use your car if its not essential.

The vast majority of our journeys are very short and in fact its only convenience and our sheer laziness that’s stopping us from walking or using some other form of transport. Saving on fuel is not the only upside to this, regular exercise is highly beneficial and a great way to stay in shape.

If you really do need to you use your car then why not follow our top 5 fuel saving Hypermiling tips.

  • 1. Drive defensively. Anticipate the road ahead. By driving “reactively” You effectively hand control over your fuel consumption (and safety) to other drivers. Look well ahead so you’re aware of what you’re driving into and can anticipate changes before they occur. And in order to be able to see well ahead, you need to leave adequate following distance to the vehicle(s) in front of you.
  • 2. Drive without brakes. Every time you brake you effectively turn fuel into heat & brake dust. This type of deceleration maximises use of our cars stored momentum.
  • 3. Slow down! The faster you go the more drag and resistance is placed upon your trusty steed. A reduction of 20mph can increase your MPG by unto 45 percent.
  • 4. Coasting. Shutting the engine down when stopped or while coasting up to stops/turns is one of the main reasons for hybrid vehicles’ excellent city fuel consumption. We would not ever suggest coasting with the engine off but simply remove your foot from the accelerator when approaching a junction or red light. A modern engine uses no fuel at all when costing in gear.
  • 5. Drive like you would ride a bike When you’re using pedal power you try and conserve energy – your energy. You do this without even realising. As you would on a bike, coast down hills and also if you are coming up to a hill, drop a gear. You might wipe some speed off but you will be applying less throttle and thus be using less fuel
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