The "Dangerous Hypermiler" Card
 

GaryG,

I wholeheartedly agree about who is most likely to raise the "dangerous hypermiler" card. Mention of things like not encouraging the more extreme things at his seminars are conviently ignored during this hypermiling witch hunt. I suspect the detractors would be hesitant to reveal how they drive.

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

I bought a Hybrid because I wanted a 4WD SUV that still got decent gas mileage & was fun to drive. I love my truck even though I don't get 100 mpg, it still gets WAY better mpg than any other SUV I've ever driven.

As to you Gary, I read all your conservative driving suggestions & learned a lot from them. I use pulse & glide, low gear advantage, coasting whenever possible every day but this Wayne guy is a dangerous driver period. Half the techniques he describes are illegal & for good reason.

Any body who doesn't think ridge running, tailgating, taking a corner at twice the recommended speed is dangerous are complete idiots in my book(obviously some of the fanatics here don't agree)

~John

Re: Articles Written About the Unusual
 

Then why even bother mentioning it??????

If I was doing something that STUPID/DANGEROUS, I would be embarrassed to admit it to anyone.....

~John

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

So that I understand correctly, as long as the driving style you are using saves gas, breaking driving laws is okay?

What if removing the emission control system from my vehicle improved gas milage (it would in many cases), would that be acceptable?

I'll stick to driving safely and legally while getting very good milage as opposed to driving like an idiot for great milage. My life is worth more than a few mpg. I drive a hybrid because it gets fantastic milage when compared to it's gas-only counterpart. That's enough for me.

Forget the facts - Do a Hatchet Job
 

Several times in this thread it's been mentioned Wayne only tells seminars legitimate ways to improve milage, etc., and it's strenously ignored.

It's clear some of you choose to paint a picture of a wacko so badly you are going to adlib and tell half-truths to do it. It's no different than what politicians do - deflect discussion by attacking.

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

I heard Wayne Gerdes once dangled his infant son off a hotel balcony for the paparazzi. :confused:

But seriously, if you guys think he should be banned from the road for the behavior described in that article, you should try driving on the expressways of Chicago sometime. I would welcome some ridge riding and drafting compared to some of the crap I have to deal with.

I don't know Wayne, and probably never will, but from that article and listening to GaryG rant about him he sounds like the pre-eminent hypermiler. The father of the hobby if you will. His willingness to discuss some of his tips and tricks openly has brought us most of the methods we use to save gas, money, oil, the planet, etc.

Of course not everyone is going to want to sling their vehicle around corners at twice the speed limit and ride up on semis, but usually it's people that push the envelope that innovate.

Personally, I'm not going to drive around with no window open, no vents, no defroster, that sounds like pure torture!

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

Look John, you attack the best of the best. There is no one on Greenhybrid or any other site I would not go title for title for FE. Wayne is the exception. You and even Jason have miss spoke. You don't know the knowlege this man brings to our planet. Wayne has taken my FEH in corners at more than twice I would attemp, but he did it perfect with no problems. Wayne is gifted, I have a son that is gifted, and I know gifted when I see it. Sorry John, you and I are not gifted like wayne or my son.

But, if you want to go title for title for FE for that new '06 you bought, lets go buddy!

GaryG

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

Don't they do that by BUMP drafting........ie pushing the front car.

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

Are you serious? Watch the finish sometime.....

Re: This guy should be banned from the road
 

In the wake behind a truck, there can be a vacuum in air pressure that actually pulls on the truck. Drafting behind the truck can alter that vacuum. In the case of race cars, it can help because the rear vaccum ends up behind the second car. So the front car looses the rear tug and the second car looses the high pressure in front. The case of a car and truck may be more complex. If the second car distrubs the airflow behind the truck, it is conceivable that it ends up increasing the vaccum, making it harder for the truck. Long story short, it is not a simple clear case.

Not wanting to jump in the pissing match here. As in other posts, it is clear that there is a continuum of where many of us draws the line where safety trumps MPG. I feel that drafting closely to trucks and taking exits at the speeds that cause your tires to chirp is dangerous (and illegal for that reason). Again, saying it is safe becuse nothing has happenned yet is like saying seat belts are not needed because accidents are rare. Pointing to multitaskers and left lane speeders to justify it is like a bank robber defending his acts because others snach purses...

Hypermillers like Wayne and others have contributed valuable information for many of us to apply and save gas. I still think that some of these techniques have put MPG in front of safety and I will continue to point it out for discussion. We are all rational people afer all and can disagree without it getting personal (I hope). Maybe one of us will make a point that sticks and someone will draft a little further back and who knows? The accidents we avoid are the ones we never hear about.

Roch