There had to be more going on here than the weight of your oil. Changing the weight can make a very slight difference, but there is NO WAY that change alone dropped your MPG by eight miles per gallon.

~John

 

John , you don't have to hold back traffic or draft ridiculously close or unsafe to be a hypermiler. Cold weather can hurt your mileage, but so can hot weather.

One thing I've noticed is the extremes some hypermilers use to get the mileage they do. Just because these people go to those extremes, don't assume all do. If I used those extremes, I could get much better mileage than I'm getting now. Like you, I've tried them, and I agree with your statement regarding them. However, if you apply the right techniques at the right times, in the right places, you could more than improve your mileage a "few" MPG.

As I drive across town, very few people would think I'm getting the mileage I'm getting staying with traffic. Regarding drafting, most trucker's wouldn't think I'm drafting them because of the distance I'm behind them. Sure, I could get better mileage right on their tail, but if you learn how to draft, you can get excellent mileage at a safe distance.

It would be neat if there was a hypermiler contest where someone set a time limit in the course with someone driving the route under normal conditions and traffic. Then see the mileage of the different hypermilers as they compare to real world drivers.

For me, I love to race, and I love to get over 600 miles on a tank of gas. All I do is take advantage of the FEH's equipment.

GaryG

 

Hi Gary,

I really don't have a problem with the techniques other people use, I just don't really feel the need to employ them myself.

I could certainly up my mpg rather easily but it's honestly not all that important to me. My 05(& now my new 06)FEH get far better mileage than any other 4WD SUV I have ever driven & that's good enough for me.

I seem to be in a hurry most of the time(more than I would like) what with working a ton of hours a week & getting my kids to school on time, football practice, music lessons etc etc etc & my style of driving will never get me to "hypermiler" status.

Some of the extremes listed for ultra MPG do seem totally absurd to me & I would never use them even if I wasn't in a hurry. I saw one bozo post that the latest "recommendation" was to drive with your two right side wheels off into the shoulder or bicycle lane to alert traffic behind you that you where driving at a slower pace than the traffic flow. That seems like an open invitation to cause a road rage incident to me. I have no problem driving the speed limit(instead of way above it like a lot of people), but I am also not going to impede traffic by driving way below the speed of the normal traffic flow.

~John

 

Trust me John, I know where you are coming from. When I was in the fast lane (lifestyle), and had to spend the lease amount of time on the road, I was at the stop light first, so no one would slow me down. Gas was never a concern for me then. You don't know how hard it is for me to pass up the new Shelby GT500 even now. My FWD FEH has changed all that and got me on a new challenge which can be down right sick if you don't watch out. I've had to take a step back and adjust my driving to the flow of traffic. There are so many routes in my area to choose from, slowing down and taking life in the slow lane has reduced my blood pressure. Driving the scenic routes where other people drive slow helps my averages. When I must move over to the fast lanes, I make that adjustment and charge up my battery. Don't get me wrong, I still get away with my techniques when traffic permits. For example, if someone is coming up behind me, I start speeding up, or change lanes into a suicide lane like I'm making a turn and let them by. Everyone doesn't have all day to sit behind me and I know that. I'm sure the person that passed me, sees me pull back in the lane and knows what I did, and would thank me for it.

Wayne Gerdes came up with the Ridge Riding (RR) technique that your talking about, and originally it was to avoid rain puddles in the road where everyone drives. It also has the effect of people knowing your driving slower and to take notice. I still use the technique for the rain, but I don't care to use it for driving slower than traffic. However, if I'm on a four lane road, and someone is exceeding the limit by 10mph and faster, I'll use it if I see they can change to the fast lane and go around me. It's all about being reasonable and also driving defensively to me.

You must know that in order to get a 45mpg and higher tanks, there is alot of driving far above and below those kinds of numbers. This is why I know I can drive faster when I need to, but also make up for it with 60-70mpg roads and traffic up ahead.

GaryG