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I'm new to this hypermiling thing - saw the story on CNN - and I'm a little confused by reading the Beating the EPA. Some of the stuff there seems more what to do and not HOW to do it, at least not in layman's terms.

I drive 4 miles to work each day, in the city (40MPH speed limit almost the entire way). There are 2 stop signs which are unavoidable, no matter how I change my route - one stop sign to get out of my apartment complex (there are signs at all four corners of the complex) and a 4-way stop at the last turn before work. There are several lights on the way as well - one which remains flashing until 6AM (I have the yellow) and the rest at the bridge over I-20 (set of four altogether, 2 on each end of the bridge). After the 4-way stop, there is a small uphill section on the morning commute, but other than that, the drive is mostly flat. Oh yeah, and I have to stop at a guard gate since I work in a Federal building.

I just bought in April a 2008 Hyundai Accent GLS with automatic transmission which currently has about 900 miles on it. I've already tried a few basic tips like slowing down on the highways, coasting to stop lights (which I'm used to from my years living in Europe - seems everyone did it in Germany) and easing on the gas when leaving a stop light/sign. I got stuck at one of lights this morning (was fourth in line at the light and the second was a truck that took forever to make the turn) and turned off the engine while waiting (about 3-4 minutes). Also, don't know if it's true or not (it's been 13 years since I bought my last car - a 1995 Toyota Tercel), but I've heard MPG are typically lower the first few thousand miles because the engine is not broken in yet.

Hello and welcome to the club.

You should start by knowing your car’s EPA rating located at FuelEconomy.gov (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm) and make sure to read the article “Beating the EPA” (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510).

Make sure you air your tires up to the maximum pressure indicated on the tire’s sidewall.

Also, consider purchasing a ScanGaugeII (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=103426). It is an invaluable source of information and will quickly pay for itself in fuel savings.

However, please be careful as hypermiling is addictive. :)

I've got a ScanGauge II on order. My FE is 24/34 (I've been averaging about 27-28) and I'm stopping on the way home from work in inflate the tires.

:woot: Hallelujah!!!!! I got quite a pleasant surprise when I stopped to fill up today. This was my first tank where my driving mirrored what I normally do (driving to and from work 5 days a week, weekly shopping, etc). I was at 321 miles (the first time I've broken 300 before filling up) when I pulled into the gas station and I only put 8.598 gallons in the tank. I had another 3 gallons to go before I was out of gas! When I got home and input my mileage here, I found I had 37.334 MPG, a personal best (previous best was 35 on a half-tank where I drove exclusively on the highway).

I think part of the reason why I was so surprised was that the ScanGuage seemed to be underestimating my MPG. When I'd arrive at my destination, I'd check and it would always show 31-33 MPG. Does the ScanGuage learn as you input your fillup information? I was wondering because on my way home from the gas station, I averaged almost 37 MPG on the 6 mile trip according to the guage (city driving, although most of the trip was a steady 40 MPH), while the same drive last weekend showed 34 MPG on the guage.

On thing I did change about my driving habits - I stated in my first post that my drive to work was strictly city streets and about 4 miles one-way. There is a highway route, but it's twice as long (7.2 - 8 miles, depending on if I'm coming or going). I decided to try that for a tank and see if I was able to increase my gas mileage enough that I could afford the extra miles, although I'd be curious to go back and drive the shorter route to see how I do now that I seem to be getting the hang of this hypermiling thing.

Hi TracyJean! Congratulations on hitting your personal best (PB). Look like you are on track to hit 40 before long. I don't own an SG :confused: but you might find the answer in here http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=86 , there is some mention of the need to calibrate it. Personally, I prefer your old ride because that what I drive. :) As for doubling your commute to seek better FE , I doubt that you will save gas doing that, unless you can achieve 70 MPG on the highway. Keep working those techniques, try new ones, and the timing of lights. There is some good info on this site regarding the timing of lights if you search on it here. Good luck! :D

I was rather fond of my old ride too, except for the fact that it was a two-door. And it only had 88000 miles on it (I traveled for work for 3 1/2 while living in Germany, so I was never home to drive it). But I started having problem after problem with it and it was just getting too expensive for upkeep.

We'll see about the route....now that my Scan Guage seems to be showing more accurate MPG, I'm playing around a little bit to see which routes to various places that I normally go to work best.

Almost forgot....I don't know about 70 MPG, but the car is not even 3 months old and had 12 miles on it when I bought it. Doesn't it take about 3-5 thousand miles to break it in. I wish I'd known about this site several years ago, after looking at your sig graphics - I would have loved to have seen that kind of MPG in my Tercel. I wasn't even making combined EPA at the end there.

I don't know about 70 MPG, but the car is not even 3 months old and had 12 miles on it when I bought it. Doesn't it take about 3-5 thousand miles to break it in.
Well, I was just trying to say that doubling your commute would only make sense if you doubled your MPGs. I never bought a car new, but I hear at least 1000 miles to break in. After that, the FE will improve. I was new just a few months ago, and managed to improve a lot, by reading up on all the expert advise on the various threads. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site. If you have more specific questions, I suggest starting new thread(s), and you'll likely get more folks chiming in.