I've entered a hypermiling competition with a few guys, and an entire lunch is at stake. The competition consists of filling up our gas tank and driving normal for 1 week. Then fill up the gas tank and compute the normal gas mileage. Now drive with any hypermiling tactics you can deal with to save gas mileage. The winner has the biggest MPG improvement between weeks.
I filled up yesterday to complete my control week. I got 24.8 MPG. I'm not pumped about that since I don't see how to improve that number much with my 1992 S-10. Chris, the crazy neighbor, is in the competition as well. He emptied his entire car interior before starting his hypermiling week. You can see a little video of the empty car on his blog: http://diycarguy.blogspot.com/2008/07/eclipse-weight-loss.html The weight savings equates to higher MPG, and he looks really cool without unnecessary interior in his car.
Here are my tactics for this week:
1. 35 psi in all the tires (they were between 22 and 26)
2. drive 5 mph less than the speed limit
3. accelerate extremely slow
4. use neutral to an extreme. coast to a stop
5. don't let Lettie drive the car AT ALL
6. use the air conditioner when I'm hot, but no more
I've thought of plenty of other tactics, but I'm not sure of their roadworthiness. To compete with the tactics of the other crazy contenders (Eclipse weight loss, drafting behind 18 wheelers, etc), I decided to streamline the aerodynamics of the truck. Here's a picture which shows duct tape sealing door handles, the junction between the bed and cab, and the bumper (all the wind eddy current creators). I bet my truck is silent and efficient through the air tomorrow. Compete with that.
I think we should continue the competition with a week of EXTREME hypermiling. I could put bicycle tires on the truck to reduce friction. I would definitely remove the bed of the truck and any other unnecessary weight. It's also been mentioned that I should build a cone in the front and back of the truck to shape the air. Any other bright ideas?
I filled up yesterday to complete my control week. I got 24.8 MPG. I'm not pumped about that since I don't see how to improve that number much with my 1992 S-10. Chris, the crazy neighbor, is in the competition as well. He emptied his entire car interior before starting his hypermiling week. You can see a little video of the empty car on his blog: http://diycarguy.blogspot.com/2008/07/eclipse-weight-loss.html The weight savings equates to higher MPG, and he looks really cool without unnecessary interior in his car.
Here are my tactics for this week:
1. 35 psi in all the tires (they were between 22 and 26)
2. drive 5 mph less than the speed limit
3. accelerate extremely slow
4. use neutral to an extreme. coast to a stop
5. don't let Lettie drive the car AT ALL
6. use the air conditioner when I'm hot, but no more
I've thought of plenty of other tactics, but I'm not sure of their roadworthiness. To compete with the tactics of the other crazy contenders (Eclipse weight loss, drafting behind 18 wheelers, etc), I decided to streamline the aerodynamics of the truck. Here's a picture which shows duct tape sealing door handles, the junction between the bed and cab, and the bumper (all the wind eddy current creators). I bet my truck is silent and efficient through the air tomorrow. Compete with that.
I think we should continue the competition with a week of EXTREME hypermiling. I could put bicycle tires on the truck to reduce friction. I would definitely remove the bed of the truck and any other unnecessary weight. It's also been mentioned that I should build a cone in the front and back of the truck to shape the air. Any other bright ideas?