How to Hypermile
By Marc Howe on Jun 29, 2010 with Comments 0
Drivers are always keen to get as much miles per gallon as they can. Today, when the prices of the fuel are touching the sky, it is the best thing to maximize the fuel efficiency of the car. Fuel-efficient vehicles are the need of everyone today, but it is not easy to increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle unless you are familiar with the techniques and methods involved.
Importance of hypermiling
Maximizing fuel efficiency is referred to as hypermiling. Hypermiling can be seen both in sports and as normal activity by its adorers. Through hypermiling the adorers try to maximize the fuel efficiency to its maximum, i.e. double, tripe, or even quadruple. Hypermiling enables you to improve mileage rates per gallon two or even three, fourfold. Here in this article we will discuss some techniques to hypermile without putting your safety in risk.
Routine Driving Techniques
Fuel-efficient driving techniques can be used for hypermiling in routine driving situations.
- Proper Routine Maintenance: Proper maintenance plays an important role in fuel economy. Proper maintenance makes your vehicle more fuel-efficient. Well-lubrication let the parts work properly for longer period of time without producing friction and the proper inflated tires can help you to increase the fuel consumption. There are many other minor maintenance works that can help to maximize the fuel-efficiency.
- Driving Skills: Excellent driving skills have their role in improving the fuel economy of your vehicle. Skilled drivers know when to apply brakes and how to use the accelerator to improve the mileage.
- Burn and Coast: burn and coast is another method to improve the mileage. In this method throttle is pushed to set a certain speed and later the vehicle is allowed to move freely for sometime without depressing the accelerator.
Sporting Techniques
Expert drivers often practice hypermiling as a sport and the techniques used by them are:
- Coasting: Coasting is also used in non-sport vehicles. In coasting, engine is throttled and after gaining the maximum speed, the vehicle is let to move without accelerator. Power steering and braking are used to control the vehicle.
- Power Slide: In power slides the drivers maintain the high-speed momentum while moving along the curves.
- Drafting: Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique used to reduce the wind resistance, commonly seen in racing. In drafting the car align close to the front car to reduce the effect of the drag.
Remember these techniques are for sporting cars only. You cannot apply these techniques on daily routine driving. These techniques required advanced skills.
Fuel-efficiency is desired by every car owner to reduce his/her fuel consumption and costs on fuel. This can be achieved by hypermiling, only if you have the clear directions and skills to hypermile.
Filed Under: Guides/DIY