A question for all you "hypermilers" out there

[bull8042]

hehehe Sorry! He lives in Mexico and my wife is from Mexico, so we slipped off on a tangent.

[Agent 99]

No problem, I was just having fun. Did remember some of that High School Spanish, boy was that a loooong time ago.

[RVGRINGO]

Think how hard it was for me; I never had that high school advantage & had to learn some Spanish after I retired here. The best part was buying my Smart in Spanish and I still like to stop in at the dealership for that wonderful hug and a kiss on the cheek from beautiful Annette, who sold me the car. Fortunately, I can't afford more than one or I would buy one from her every week. Do your NoB (North of Border) dealers treat you that well, ply you with coffee and 'pan dulces' and make you wish you were 50 years younger; or even 30? I almost wish there were more scheduled maintenance intervals.

[bull8042]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

Think how hard it was for me; I never had that high school advantage & had to learn some Spanish after I retired here. The best part was buying my Smart in Spanish and I still like to stop in at the dealership for that wonderful hug and a kiss on the cheek from beautiful Annette, who sold me the car. Fortunately, I can't afford more than one or I would buy one from her every week. Do your NoB (North of Border) dealers treat you that well, ply you with coffee and 'pan dulces' and make you wish you were 50 years younger; or even 30? I almost wish there were more scheduled maintenance intervals.

You sorry rascal! Again, I am jealous. And as for your question, I got a bottle of water from Ben, my salesGUY, whom I neither had nor have the desire for a kiss on the cheek from! Nope, the sales staff I have met in Charlotte are all dudes......

[unicycle]

I'm doing my best to learn the tricks of the hypermiler. Here is what I've learned so far:

1. At all costs (well, no -- don't crash into the car in front of you!), avoid using the brakes. I drive 75 miles round-trip 5 days a week, and on most of those legs, I typically hit the brakes no more than thrice once I'm on the h'way. Officially, I can't tell you how I handle the stop signs in town.
2. When accelerating, go easy.
3. Draft when safe. I noticed a huge change in the ScanGauge readout today when I drafted for a bit today. For the entire trip, I managed to maintain at least 45 mpg even on the way home today, which is somewhat up-grade (from NYC to my home near the Catskills). When drafting uphill and without taking your foot off the gas, you'll suddenly get these weirdly huge readouts that only show up under that condition; that's how I know that drafting works (in add'n to what the Mythbusters proved, which is that you can still save about 10% at 100' distance).
4. Avoid driving fast. This is not always possible (like if you're on a crowded h'way where everyone is moving 70+ mph even in the slow lane). In my case, it's generally not a problem, and I'm averaging about 60 mph (tho the speed limit is 65).
5. From what I've read, I'm under the impression that it's better to be in 5th gear than 4th at, say, 35 mph. This means having to switch to manual under certain conditions. Generally, tho, I leave the car in 'automatic.'

I hope this helps.

[bull8042]

Very nice advice. I will take heed and try to put some of this to use whenever at all possible.
I am sure it will help. Thanks unicycle.
And RVGRINGO, thanks again for rubbing my nose in it! jejeje