Fascinating

The Lords of Efficiency

Posted at October 01, 2008 10:28

Meet the hypermilers—getting 40 to 72 MPG

By Sara Shahriari and Callina Wood

 

Seventy-two miles per gallon?! It sounds like a beautiful fantasy. Or a hybrid car. But there are people across the country getting this mileage and even more from average cars, by modifying their cars or adjusting their driving style. Meet a few of Missouri’s hypermilers and see how they drive and modify cars to boost fuel efficiency.

1994 Honda Civic, 72 MPG

When asked to pull his car up a few feet for the photo above, instead of starting the car, Andrew Johnmeyer opens his door, and with one hand on the steering wheel and a foot on the pavement, he “walks” the car into position. The Fred Flintstone method is one of many driving techniques that helped Andrew get as much as seventy-two miles per gallon in his manual 1994 Honda Civic while living in California, before he moved back to Fayette this year.

Andrew, an avid cyclist who had been living car-free, began hypermiling when his job required him to have his own vehicle. Instead of getting on a waiting list for a new fuel-efficient hybrid in the thirty-thousand-dollar range, Andrew found a used car on Craigslist for one thousand dollars and spent another fifteen hundred dollars on materials for modifications. He also spent time on the internet learning about hypermiling. He is now a moderator at www.ecomodder.com, a web site devoted to both driving technique and vehicle modification. The online community has fueled passion and friendly competition among mileage enthusiasts. Andrew placed fourth in a mileage competition in Lacey, Washington, organized by another online hypermiler.

“The first step to saving gas is to drive less,” Andrew says. Carpool, combine trips, and bike or walk as much as possible. “Next, drive smarter. Anticipate changes in traffic. Be aware of traffic lights ahead, and if you see a red light ahead, lift your foot off the gas. The idea is to maintain a constant speed and to minimize abrupt stops and starts.”

After he learned to control his lead foot, he began making modifications. One of the most useful was an air dam that covers the front of his car, which diverts air away from the front wheels. Modifications don’t have to be complicated or expensive, Andrew says. He used materials like old election signs to make a grille block and pizza pans to make smooth hubcaps.

With Missouri’s requirement for gasoline to have 10 percent ethanol, high mileage is more difficult to achieve, Andrew says, so he continues to try new modifications. Currently, he’s building a boat tail that will extend from the rear of his car, improving its aerodynamic shape even more. The ideal shape for a car is a teardrop, he says. “The teardrop shape, which is bulbous in front and tapered at the end, makes it easier for the car to push through the air,” he says. (See MissouriLife.com for an updated photograph.)

Andrew says that many ecomodders, including himself, are former hot-rodders and car enthusiasts, only now their hobby has taken a more environmental turn.

“We’re still as dedicated as ever,” Andrew says. “We’d still be doing this even if they were handing out gas for free.”

2002 Saturn, 62 MPG

An apartment manager in Kansas City, Clint Mullins has got up to sixty-two miles per gallon in his manual 2002 Saturn, and he saves 30 to 40 percent over what he spent on gas in pre-hypermiler days.

“When you have a car that gets thirty to fifty-five miles per gallon, everyone wants to take it on their long trips,” he says.

Clint learned about hypermiling from online forums where hypermilers share information and debate tactics. At www.saturnfans.com, Clint found an advanced hypermiler with the screen name CheapyBob. Clint and CheapyBob own the same car, and Clint was soon applying CheapyBob’s alterations to his Saturn.

“The first thing I bought for the car was a ScanGauge,” he says. A ScanGauge tells the driver the gas mileage at any moment. It is real-time feedback Clint uses to tailor his driving style.

Clint uses low-rolling-resistance Michelin tires inflated to the maximum pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Many hybrid cars use low-rolling-resistance tires because of their low-friction tread pattern and rubber compound. Some hypermilers inflate their tires within the tires’ recommended range but above the maximum levels recommended by their cars’ manuals. People who want to avoid this controversial practice can simply make sure their tires are inflated to the maximum recommended by the car and tire maker. “If you have low pressure in your tires, you are wasting energy,” Clint says.

Clint installed panels over his wheels and a full belly pan (a frame and a smooth aluminum skin) to improve airflow under the car. The less wind resistant the car, the better its fuel economy. “The more I do, the more I realize how ignorant I am when it comes to aerodynamics,” he says.

 

1998 Acura Integra, 40 MPG

Kansas City resident Rick Harrell changed from a sports-car driving gas guzzler to an accomplished hypermiler who drives a 1998 automatic Acura Integra LS Hatchback. “My driving style was considered ‘very aggressive,’ ” Rick says. “I knew I needed to slow down for both environmental purposes and not to scare the living daylights out of my passengers. The problem was, all I could find was the usual advice (remove extra weight, avoid jackrabbit starts, get a tuneup, etc.) I knew there had to be more to it. After digging awhile, I found an entire online community devoted to fuel economy.”

Rick recommends that in-town drivers avoid racing up to the light only to stop and wait. Instead, slow a bit and keep momentum so a stop isn’t required. On the highway, he drives close to the speed limit or under. “The energy required to maintain a high rate of speed dramatically increases above fifty-five to sixty miles per hour,” Rick says.

Rick recommends that if a vehicle is going to sit idle for more than thirty seconds (in a drive-thru, for example) the driver turn it off because shutting down and restarting is more fuel-efficient.

Some hypermilers draft, which is closely following trucks to improve fuel efficiency, or they shut off their engines and coast for stretches. Drafting is dangerous because a driver loses sight of the road ahead and may not be able to stop quickly enough to avoid an accident. Coasting is illegal in many states and affects power steering and a driver’s ability to control a car.

“I do not condone drafting behind vehicles—the risk is too great for the fuel savings,” Rick says. “Coasting with the engine off is a technique that takes plenty of off-road practice before putting it into place on the streets.”

Rick has advanced his spark timing, installed a hotter thermostat,  blocked his radiator in the winter to warm up the engine sooner, and sourced warmer intake air. All of these measures increase the efficiency of the engine.

Low-viscosity oil is another hypermiler secret. Thinner oil makes the engine easier to turn, but using oil that is too thin can damage an engine. Use the lowest viscosity oil your car can use.

For Rick, it’s once a hypermiler, always a hypermiler. “I was in a transitional period of going from being a horsepower addict to a hypermiler,” he says. “It took a few months to drop that ‘go’ attitude and become more relaxed. But the challenge became somewhat of a game. Even now, with prices as high as they are, fueling up isn’t a pain, but rather an exciting prospect.” He can’t wait to see how far he can go.

October 2008

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