Improving Your Gas Mileage

Like many people in the United States, I have to commute to my work, and as someone who lives in the prairie, there aren't alot of opportunities to take advantage of mass transit - you either have to drive to get to work, or you better find something local.

Local really isn't an option for me. I am a technical trainer, and, granted, I could probably find a technical job here in Lawrence, Kansas, but it wouldn't pay nearly as much as a technical training position in Kansas City. I live in a college town, and to say there's a glut of talnet would be an understatement. Commute, I must.

There are some things that a person can do to maximize their MPG, however, as I recently discovered through a website addessing and promoting the concept of hypermiling.

Hypermiling.com provides some basic tips for improving one's gas mileage. Some tips I'd offer:

1. Slow down. The NASCAR-training grounds called K-10 are great for hauling butt at 80 MPH. The local highpatrol pads out 10 MPH, so the posted limit of 70 means you can go 79.9 before they flag you. The reality is you can save some serious loot by slowing down and driving the speed limit, or five miles under if you aren't in a big hurry.
2. Keep the tachometer under 2K. Wow, this has really helped me as well. Seems that your fuel consumption really goes up once you break that 2k barrier when you're accelerating. You can get to your desired speed, slowly but surely, and the savings makes it worth it.
3. Accelerate on the downslope. It's alot easier to keep under 2K and still reach your desired speed by letting gravity be your friend.
4. Don't be "that guy". Aggressive driving kills your performance, and it doesn't help your driving attitude much either. Choose the mellow. You'll conserve fuel, and you can save your own soul at the same time.
5. Coast! What's the point of staying at speed rolling up to a red light? Look ahead and if you see the light turning red, tap the brake and coast for as long as you can. If you hit it right, the light will turn green a moment before you get there and you can resume acceleration to get back where you want. "Stopping" hurts too, as it takes more to move an object out of a dead stop.

Like these tips? I'd love to here more from you as to how you're dealing with the crunch. Remember, the oil companies don't care about your pocketbook, just their own. You need to watch out for #1, and for all of us, that's a subjective truth.