The Hypermilers cult and how to become a fanatic of low fuel consumption

I think we all agree that the crisis forces us to try to save more and more on our fuel expenses, and that the use of fuel-saving techniques is just as important as the principles of good driving. But, as with many things in life, there are people who do not settle for the middle ground and take it to the extreme, like hypermilers, fanatics of low fuel consumption.

First of all, I should say that hypermilers (hard to translate, something like “hyper milers”, literally) practise hypermiling in the USA and Japan (although there are also some in Europe), a set of techniques to use the accelerator pedal as little as possible, with an average consumption as low as possible. While most of us consider saving fuel to be something like accelerating gently, anticipating stops, avoiding sudden acceleration and keeping a speed at which the engine runs at a low rev range, there are things quite out of the ordinary that can be done in favour of low consumption.

The problem comes when these techniques border on exaggeration. Some additional habits used to save fuel in extremis are the following:

* Tyres inflated 15 or 20 pounds above normal. If you usually keep your tyres at 28 pounds, from now on you should keep them at almost 50 pounds of pressure. This may be fine on roads as smooth as billiard tables, but the slightest imperfection in the asphalt will be transmitted through the whole car.

* Removing the wing mirrors. Any element that adds aerodynamic drag to the car would be strictly forbidden for hypermilers. The problem is that traffic regulations do not allow it, and driving without side mirrors, for those of us who use them even more than the interior mirror, is rather like driving blind.

* Using a tailwind so the car benefits in saving petrol. And what do you do if the wind is against you, or it is a calm day? Do you stay at home?

* Covering the radiator with newspaper or a piece of cardboard so the engine runs hotter. Although the ECU adjusts the fuel mixture based on engine temperature (along with other sensors, giving a leaner mixture when the engine is at a good temperature), let’s leave this for winter, when we travel in places with sub-zero temperatures, unless you want the engine to boil.

* Avoiding routes with traffic lights or stops. Ideal if you live in a city with traffic lights every hundred metres. It is better to leave the car at home.

* Never using the air conditioning in summer and keeping the windows always up. A good technique for scorching summer days. Besides, you lose a few kilos with a built-in sauna in the car.

* Almost never touching the brake. Here the matter gets a bit complicated. On the one hand, you should anticipate a red light by letting the car coast in neutral and at idle (or with the engine off, if you are more extreme), so that the moment the light turns green you never have to touch the brake pedal. On the other hand, you should never brake on bends either, which means we would take corners at whatever speed we happened to be doing. You will know whether you want to be a nuisance to those trying to stop at an intersection and at the same time a danger taking bends as if you were a DTM driver.

* Driving very close to lorries so they “cut” the air and you save fuel. Not recommended at all, mainly because at the slightest distraction (or if the lorry brakes suddenly) we will be left with a painful memory of a rear-end collision with a lorry. It is true that the lorry clears the air, making our car move forward more easily, but besides the risk of a crash, a glance at the temperature gauge in summer will make us give up this practice.

* Coasting downhill with the engine switched off. Reckless, since you will be left without power brakes or hydraulic steering, etc., etc. It is preferable to do it at idle.

As you can see, hypermiling can possibly save you many litres of petrol (cases of less than 3 litres per 100 kilometres have been reported). You might be able to use some techniques if you drive every day on roads without traffic, in ideal conditions. For everyone else, it will mean a dangerous and nearly impossible task.

The best thing you can do is drive smoothly without forcing the car when accelerating or braking, in the correct gear (if you have a manual gearbox), and keep more or less the same speed as the rest of the traffic on the motorway. Also try to keep the car in good mechanical condition, properly aligned and balanced, with the tyres inflated to the manufacturer’s values. And above all: enjoy driving, because there are far more important things to worry about than 3 or 4 extra litres of petrol.

Photo | Threehugger