To save fuel, a new fad called ‘hypermiling’

[jaysmokesleaves]

MODS:I hope this thread is in the right section! Kindly shift it if its not supposed to be here!

People: another method to save fuel.
Would you try this or can you really try this in India ??


This extract is from the TOI.

Philadephia: As gasoline prices hit records on almost a daily basis, an increasing number of motorists in US are following a radical driving technique designed to eke out every last mile from a tank of fuel. Known as ‘hypermiling,’ the method can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles.
Promoted on a growing number of websites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag — a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.
The price of gasoline has rapidly emerged as the public’s biggest economic concern. Gas prices are a “serious problem,” ahead of jobs, and healthcare, according to a poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The “advanced” techniques of hypermiling are in addition to well-known approaches including keeping speed down, accelerating gently, avoiding excessive idling and removing cargo racks to also cut down on aerodynamic drag.
Adherence to hypermiling and other disciplines are designed to boost mileage well in excess of the US Environmental Protection Administration’s ratings, which apply to each car model.
Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois, and the originator of hypermiling, said he gets 40-70-mpg (almost 20km a litre) out of his Ford Ranger pickup truck, about doubling its official fuel consumption.
Gerdes (47), estimates that hypermiling has saved him $15,000 in fuel since he began the technique after the attacks of September 11, events that convinced him that US national security was being undermined by its dependence on oil from the Middle East, and motivated him to reduce his own fuel consumption.
“If every vehicle in the US got 25km per litre, we would not import any oil,” he said. Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director at environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, said most hypermiling techniques are “sensible recommendations” that could drive down demand and even prices if widely adopted.
“We should be looking under every rock for potential energy savings,” he said.
He said he could not recommend drafting behind fastmoving trucks because it could potentially lead to highway accidents. Hypermiling can even make fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrid cars more efficient. Chuck Thomas (50), a computer programmer from Lewisville, Texas, said he has been getting 30km a litre from his Honda Insight, a hybrid whose EPA rating is 25km a litre, in the two years since he has been hypermiling.
Among Thomas’ techniques is “pulse and glide” in which he accelerates and then coasts with the engine off until around 24 kph when he kicks the engine back on and accelerates again. “It’s the automotive equivalent of skateboarding,” he said.

maybe if they tried this with the Verna they could get 60kmpl!!!

[ashthedivx]

Sounds interesting concept to me, need to digg out more about the same..

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

maybe if they tried this with the Verna they could get 60kmpl!!!

Pass this thread to Hyundai !!!!

[tsk1979]

Hypermilling actually saves fuel.
Recently a maruti 800 following a bus too closely crashed into the rear of the bus. From the photographs, that car is not going to consume any fuel in the future.
Jalopnik Reviews: Hypermiling the 2007 Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDi and 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 TDI
This is the story which is doing the circuit.
Sure you save fuel, but esp in Indian conditions, you will surely crash.

[srijit]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Hypermilling actually saves fuel.
Recently a maruti 800 following a bus too closely crashed into the rear of the bus. From the photographs, that car is not going to consume any fuel in the future.[/url]
This is the story which is doing the circuit.
Sure you save fuel, but esp in Indian conditions, you will surely crash.

Wow. That is a bit extreme case to save fuel

King of the hypermilers

I posted this link in another thread,take a look. Its not really practical though. All done in stock cars.

[srishiva]

On Indian highways, following large vehicles will make you reach your destination a day later !! Its not of much use in our city driving.

[jaysmokesleaves]

I feel there may be a very small case for 'hypermiling' in India. Since this can be best achieved on a freeway where people usually stick to a set speed limit. It seems unlikely to me that this can be achieved anywhere in India!

But im sure we will hear of 60kmpl from Hyundai shortly.

I first see his technique as the car he's driving, a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, pulls over to pick me up. Drifts over, actually, like a jellyfish. Wayne's car glides to a stop as if it has run out of gas. Wayne has stopped without braking.
The car is owned by his friend Terry Honaker, who, with his wife, Cathy, is along for the ride. Inside it's hotter and even more humid than outside. As we take off—or, more accurately, as the vehicle rolls forward really slowly—I notice that all four windows are closed and the AC is off.
I'm sitting in one of the most technologically advanced cars in the world, and it feels like I'm trapped in a fanless tollbooth in Biloxi, Mississippi, in August. We take the interstate to Wayne's house. The speed limit is 55, and most of the traffic is zipping past at 75 or so, but Wayne hovers around 50 mph.


This is certainly not my idea of driving an automobile. And doing this is certainly not going to bring oil down to 35$ a barrel. Neither is it going to get you to your destination quicker. In the age of speed, where man is trying to make processors work fast and plants grow fast, the man inside his automobile is slowing down. It would be better to take the public bus to work everyday. That way you save all your fuel money.

IMO There are many other ways to save the earth!

[anandpadhye]

High tyre pressure (of course within rated limits) is the only practical point I see.
I have seen this do wonders on my car.

[flipsyde]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

High tyre pressure (of course within rated limits) is the only practical point I see.
I have seen this do wonders on my car.

manufacturers give us a recommended tyre pressure to be maintained which is a balance between good handling and braking characteristics and acceleration.

when you over inflate your tyres you are making them so hard that over bad road your ruining your suspension system and also effectively reducing the friction between the road and the tyre.

as its clear.....lower the friction lower the load and hence better the acceleration imagine you trying to make an emergency stop....... your wheels would lock up and you'd still be doing 60kmph!! (not pretty )

things maybe different in ABS equipped vehicles but even there all ABS would do is prevent wheels from locking up...... under no circumstance is that going to improve braking distances on an over inflated tyre.

i really don't think its worth it...... want to save the world or your pocket its better to invest in a more economical car.

[K a s h]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

manufacturers give us a recommended tyre pressure to be maintained which is a balance between good handling and braking characteristics and acceleration

True, but i believe that the manufacturers do specify this only for the stock tyres. How about the after market "wide" tyres that we use? I doubt if the manufacturer specification will hold good in this case.

[csentil]

Buy a bicycle. Use public transport. WALK !! Go by train, preferably 2nd class to enjoy the world better. Hypermiling by tailgating buses/lorries in India would get you killed. Period !!

[flipsyde]

Originally Posted by K a s h

True, but i believe that the manufacturers do specify this only for the stock tyres. How about the after market "wide" tyres that we use? I doubt if the manufacturer specification will hold good in this case.

air pressure is measured in psi (pounds per square inch) so size or tyre is kinda immaterial. the pressure to be maintained in the tyre remains the same.

that said you are right when you say manufacturers specs are redundant with after market tyres (stock size or not) because manufacturers take into consideration the tyre compound in various conditions and many other variables before they come up with recommended tyre pressure.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

manufacturers give us a recommended tyre pressure to be maintained which is a balance between good handling and braking characteristics and acceleration.

when you over inflate your tyres you are making them so hard that over bad road your ruining your suspension system and also effectively reducing the friction between the road and the tyre.

as its clear.....lower the friction lower the load and hence better the acceleration imagine you trying to make an emergency stop....... your wheels would lock up and you'd still be doing 60kmph!! (not pretty )

things maybe different in ABS equipped vehicles but even there all ABS would do is prevent wheels from locking up...... under no circumstance is that going to improve braking distances on an over inflated tyre.

i really don't think its worth it...... want to save the world or your pocket its better to invest in a more economical car.

Absolutely.
I was just comparing over inflation of tyres with other aspects of hypermilling (like closely following another vehicle, etc) which are insane :-)

For the immediate future, hybrids are the way to go.

Just waiting for Civic hybrid. It's a pleasant surprise that Honda are launching it in next couple of months. It will surely reduce emissions and increase FE in dense traffic. I hope it comes with 5 speed A/T.

[GTO]

Indians have had concerns on fuel efficiency since years, Americans are just about waking up to it. I surely don't recommend some of the extreme measures mentioned here and elsewhere...your life is worth more than an additional 2 kpl of fuel.

However, here is what I foresee. If there is anyone who can popularise an invention, its the United States. With the worlds largest economy on an FE trip, we can / should expect some mega technological inroads into higher FE cars. And maybe a tuning box that actually increases FE by 20 - 30%?

[gemithomas]

ANd be ready to pay for some early suspension work with those fully inflated tyres on our roads. Guess you could spend the saved money together when you get your suspensions changed in the short term. Happy 'milling'

[condor]

"Pulse & Glide" is not an option with cars that have a PS & power brakes. Even when it can be done, it is definitely not safe - what does one do if during a "pulse & glide', one has to suddenly dodge another vehicle? He will not get the time to start his engine, steer away & brake to safety.