Sunday, June 22, 2008

Hypermiling - to Chicago

Last week, I got a lot of shit about driving to Chicago to visit a friend, as opposed to flying or taking the train. Well, my reasons were simple: 1)Cheaper (see below), 2)Less hassle, and 3)It was on my time frame.
So, as they say, the proof is in the puddin'. Using MyMileMarker, the web and my cellphone (including text messages and Twitter, I was able to keep very precise track of my mileage everytime I filled my gas tank. Btw, I still haven't gotten gas again since I've been home, so there should still be one more high mileage report added. I'm not supporting driving for no reason, mind you. But, since we are *coughs* addicted to gasoline, and the government is taking it's good ol' time funding something better, we do what we can.

So, how'd I do it? Drive 55mph (I did 65 in Ohio because of the higher speed limit on route 80, and while driving 55mph I felt like a safety hazard). It was a little tougher not having cruise control in my '02 Saturn, but it also kept me constantly diligent on how I react to different traffic/driving conditions. "Hypermiling" is all about paying attention to your driving habits to maximize fuel economy. So, no jack-rabbit starts, coasting to a stop instead of accelerating until the last minute, staying a steady speed instead of racing to catch up to traffic "clots", etc. I also learned that my tachometer can be my best friend when it comes to hypermiling. Don't be shocked when I say this, but I don't think I took my car past 2000rpms the entire trip!
Done better than this? Let me know in the comments!

1 comment:

  1. testing an inline comment to a blog post...nothing else to see here.

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