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Since Gas prices are less than half of what they were this summer here in TX, I must confess that my hypermiling has mellowed. I am no longer driven to get 40+MPG out of every tank in my Accord. I've been driving my SUV more (hey - I just had a kid and I need the cargo room on the long trips); and it manages to get about 120% EPA pretty easily.

My techniques have mellowed and I'm wondering have yours?

No, I just got into this game, and I'm cheap ;)

I still keep at it. I hypermile as much for the reduction in emissions as the reduction in cost. Plus, it's an enjoyable challenge and it's good to stay sharp as fuel prices won't be low forever.

I must admit, my concern (and FE) has dropped. But not just because of lower prices. My HM efforts were spurred of a planned series of summer road trips, rolling up a year's worth of miles in only four months just as prices were shooting past $4/gal.

Those trips are done, and my distance has fallen back to post-Katrina normals. Actually, below normal during a great fall bike commute season, until the Arctic weather set in.

I don't feel too guilty because, even with less concern and effort, FE remains significantly higher than my pre-HM norm. Despite an unseasonably cold winter with bad roads, this winter's average still matches my pre-HM summer average. And as I ponder returning to the new car market (to replace that 22 year old Honda), my focus is considerably different than it would have been without all that was learned as a result of HM and CleanMPG.

The Earth isn't saved yet.

Denis.

Low fuel prices wont stop me from persuing my goal of being the worlds most fuel efficient driver, it is just now, i am doing it more for fun than necessity...

Hi Justin;

What Mike and Denis said,... and because doing the "Right Thing" should never be subject to negotiation especially when we need it the most.

Cheers;

MSantos

I have been much less vocal to those around me about it. They don't want to hear it. The world is right again, and always shall be, and FE is back to the bottom of the list. :rolleyes: If only....

I'm still pushing the limit myself. I'm holding more than 5% better than last winter right now.

I was not particularly aggressive to begin with, but I definitely keep at it. Price was a factor when I started but I am more concerned with the other aspects of oil use as well as being a safer driver.

I am not an aggressive hypermiler -- at least not compared to the people on this board -- but I haven't altered the fuel-efficient driving behaviors I've adopted (shut off at lights, hang time, drive without brakes, etc.) due to the drop in prices.

Of course, it's a judgment call that only you can make whether or not you need to drive the SUV more b/c of your child.

I have increased my speeds some (mostly due to more aggresive drivers on the roads w/ lower prices) but I still FAS in the same places and shut off @ lights. Although with colder temps and higher speeds I have seen about a 2-3 mpg hit in my tanks.

I had some car problems (wheel bearings etc) so I couldnt really hypermile as much as I could. Now that I got those fixed, I'm hypermiling mildly. I am not shutting off at all however, as I want to be able to have a sg readout, however, I will be installing a FAS switch and Throw the book at it even if gas goes to 20 cents a gallon, not because it's cheaper to waste means I should do it. The cheaper gas hasn't cheapened the effect of carbon emissions.

Gas isn't the only thing you save by driving more economically. I still think the really big savings are in the maintenance department, like brakes and tires lasting twice as long on cars driven less aggressively.

I'm trying to waste less with everything I do, it's a way of life which IMO leads to good habits and large overall savings in the pocket book, all while being more responsible in a way which benefits every living thing, including the planet itself.

I heard a long time ago from one of the Kennedy's during a speech that people only needed to improve the epa on vehicles by a few MPGs to make America free of foreign oil. On that front alone, imagine the impact for americans if everyone hypermiled? On this basis you can strongly state that all Americans who waste gas are anti-American. That ought to rub a few people the wrong way.

I know of some individuals who look at gas as a necessity and a bill so they don't even think about it. Basically living in the dark but doesnt really care about the facts. I'm all for buying fuel efficient american cars when a new mobile is necessary. I think that is how the right message should be sent. Then again, I can't expect everyone to agree with me.

Gas prices have seemed to stablize around here and vary about $0.03 per gallon at various stations. I am finding that the close by Chevron station which had been a high priced vendor in the past sells gas that doesn't have the 10% ethanol blend. Either the haven't posted it or they are selling 100% gasoline. I am finding that I'm getting better gas mileage using the Chevron. I had been using BP (10 % ethanol) or the cheapest stuff I could find in the past. Maybe it is my imagination. I have cut down on my driving also, but spending $20 to fill the tank every two weeks is a lot better than spending $50.

Eco-driving made me accept to loose a little time on the road to save a lot of gas.

This acceptance made me realize that traffic wasn't making me loose so much time (why in stop&go traffic, minutes feel like hours?) and overall did made me loose a lot of stress :)

I don't want to come back to the stress level of one year ago.

Denis.

I think this is the time we all should give hypermiling our best efforts to give OPEC a big payback for holding down the amount of oil they produce. This drove gas prices to its peak in July with gas at $4 a gallon and hurt the World economy. Now that OPEC has been brought to its knees with falling gas prices, they go and cut production big time again to increase the price of oil. We need to counter with an even bigger cut in our gas use to keep them on their knees and protect our environment at the same time IMO.

I'd like to see the day it cost Big Oil too much money to add ethanol to our gas and stop this scam. I filled-up yesterday on E10 for $1.599, so adding ethanol had to add to a bigger loss for Big Oil.

GaryG

Yes my interest isn't quite what it was. What's interesting though is that despite my slack in restraint and the cooler weather, my MPG isn't dropping much. Torque FTMFW...hard to kill MPG.

Even though gas prices have fallen 50% or so over the last few months, I still try to get the most bang for my buck. The less gas I use, the better shape the planet is in. And I can't argue with that. I still try to drive without using my brakes as much as possible, and try to wait for other ppl to trigger lights so that I don't have to come to a complete stop. That's mostly the extent to my hypermiling but I was thinking about adding the turn off at long lights to my list. Seeing as how 7 seconds with my car on uses as much gas as it would to turn it off and back on. Very useful information. Thanks cleanmpg.com!

I went through this phase about 5 years ago, I won't let my guard down, participating in and FE challenge does help though, or I might have started to get complacent with just EPA for the winter.

As was noted, I'm one of those people that look at gas like a utility bill. However, I've taken the following stance... heating and power cost, and will cost no matter what. Same with water, etc... but even though it's going to cost, I'm going to keep those costs down. I have CFLs all over my house, I only shower, I keep the heat down and use individual room heaters that I turn on and off to warm a room instead of trying to heat the whole house to my individual needs. Why should I be any different with my transportation costs? Keep the costs down, even if the 'rates' drop, and I save even more. I change the plugs, inflate the tires, and drive slow to keep my drive as cheep as it can be. No reason to waste, as waste comes right out of my pocket no matter where it is.

As was noted, I'm one of those people that look at gas like a utility bill. However, I've taken the following stance... heating and power cost, and will cost no matter what. Same with water, etc... but even though it's going to cost, I'm going to keep those costs down. I have CFLs all over my house, I only shower, I keep the heat down and use individual room heaters that I turn on and off to warm a room instead of trying to heat the whole house to my individual needs. Why should I be any different with my transportation costs? Keep the costs down, even if the 'rates' drop, and I save even more. I change the plugs, inflate the tires, and drive slow to keep my drive as cheep as it can be. No reason to waste, as waste comes right out of my pocket no matter where it is.

Well, I go one better, I dont bathe but once a year by taking a swim in the bay, My car is a hybrid that I dont drive, the summer is hot and the winter is warm. If it gets cool I curl up with three cats. Suits my needs.:Banane53:

some people think that fuel is cheap now, heck no, when i got my car it was 1.43/gal, and as of yesterday still 1.99/gal so is not that cheap at all....

Here on the Texas coast, I paid $1.28 today. Where are you???

i paid 1.78 wednesday...

I'm pushing, but not nearly as hard as I used to.

I won't take the Fsp Buick out just because it's windy out, it's cold, or it's a short trip anymore. And I'm not going to push the car as far as I used to (although I still will if I misjudge a glide and fall a foot short of a parking spot).

Gas is approaching and has already gotten to 2.00 around here; so if anything, I'm trying harder (to no avail :().

Anyone can hypomile but it takes skill to hypermile. :p

some people think that fuel is cheap now, heck no, when i got my car it was 1.43/gal, and as of yesterday still 1.99/gal so is not that cheap at all....

Now you are making many of us feel old...

I easily remember 0.76 a gallon for gas (for several years after I started driving) and it is 1.56 today.

For the other parts of my life, we do currently have a house that doesn't do well for bills, but we are working on that. We have added quite a bit of insulation, weatherstripping, and CFL bulbs. Pretty soon we will be updating the heating/cooling system too.

Yes, I suppose I could live closer to work, but that would require living closer to other people too. For the most part I grew up in the country and I just can't take having the neighbors house within 200 yards of mine.

At least I don't look at gas as a utility bill that I have no control over. I have a couple of friends that don't care what the price of gas is. They are going to drive the way they drive and that's it. If it costs more, so be it.

Well, I started this mess... So I thought I'd weigh in again...

I'm driving my SUV mostly - but staying true to my hypermiling ways. While I don't worry about my FE as much as I did this summer, I'm still striving for the very best I can get. My explorer is rated at 14mpg city and 18mpg hwy (per 2008 revision). I'm getting in the neighborhood of 24mpg if I try. I've found that I can't get below 21 on the highway even if I'm really flying. I think it's because I can't stop dwl. Habits don't go away too quickly.

Congrats to everyone who is still upping their mileage. After switching cars, I'm not seeing the big numbers I used to see, but I'm still saving money and emissions!

Now you are making many of us feel old...

I easily remember 0.76 a gallon for gas (for several years after I started driving) and it is 1.56 today.

For the other parts of my life, we do currently have a house that doesn't do well for bills, but we are working on that. We have added quite a bit of insulation, weatherstripping, and CFL bulbs. Pretty soon we will be updating the heating/cooling system too.

Yes, I suppose I could live closer to work, but that would require living closer to other people too. For the most part I grew up in the country and I just can't take having the neighbors house within 200 yards of mine.

At least I don't look at gas as a utility bill that I have no control over. I have a couple of friends that don't care what the price of gas is. They are going to drive the way they drive and that's it. If it costs more, so be it.

Well I'm not that old and I can remember as way back as 2002 that I could get gas for .87 a gallon :)

Now you are making many of us feel old...

I easily remember 0.76 a gallon for gas (for several years after I started driving) and it is 1.56 today.


Now you are making ME feel old. I remember paying 11.9 cents a gallon.:Banane11:

Now you are making ME feel old. I remember paying 11.9 cents a gallon.:Banane11:

11.9 :eek:

Thanks for making me feel so young! I can only remember back to 24.9 cents per gallon.

some people think that fuel is cheap now, heck no, when i got my car it was 1.43/gal, and as of yesterday still 1.99/gal so is not that cheap at all....

Truth of the matter is that considering the utility we get from it, gasoline is "cheap" even if they're selling it at $10.00/gal.

Now you are making ME feel old. I remember paying 11.9 cents a gallon.:Banane11:

Here's a story from before your time:

My dad would tell us the story of my uncle that had an old chevy. When he thought about it he'd stop by the gas station and put a quarter's worth of gas in...

Until the time that $0.25 wouldn't fit! (gas was around a nickel a gallon back then).

edit - forgot to mention that the gas guage was broken

Like the country song "Small Town Saturday Night" - I can't remember the singer, but it has a line in it:


"Everybody's broke, but Bobby's got a buck - put a dollar's worth of gas in his pickup truck."

Like the country song "Small Town Saturday Night" - I can't remember the singer, but it has a line in it:


"Everybody's broke, but Bobby's got a buck - put a dollar's worth of gas in his pickup truck."

I remember the days when my mom would go put $5.00 with of gas in the car, and at $0.69/gal, pretty much fill it up....

Here's a story from before your time:


Heres one from even earlier. My dad told me about coming across country from Oklahoma to California in a Model T. The would stop at a gas station and fill up. He didnt say how much that would have been, but they didnt have any money anyway. So they would tell the owner of the station they would leave one of the the kids with him untill they returned with the money and they would drive on down the road. The minute that the kid could get away from the gas station owner he would run off down the road to where they were waiting for him, and off they would go.

Or when I could fill my 5.2 gallon motorcycle tank for 3.89.

My parents took us on a trip around the country in 1958, and we came upon a gas war on the east coast. One station was below its neighboring competition at 18.9¢/gal when they were all 19.9 or 20.9¢/gallon. Naturally, we pulled in there to fill up. Then my dad noticed the sign said 18.9¢/gal before taxes. That put its prices the same as the competition's. My mom and dad got a chuckle out of the station's inventiveness.

Many years later, about 1969, there was a gas war in Tucson, AZ, and gas dropped back to 18.9¢/gal most of the summer. I drove 100 miles/night looking for snakes on the road. It was the 1973 gas shortage that really brought gasoline prices up. Before the shortage, ga in Denver was 75¢/gallon. After the shortage, it was $1.25/gal, and never went down from there.

The cheapest I recall was around $0.249 during gas wars of southern Cal when I was stationed out there in the early 70s. By the mid 70s it was still running less than $0.50/gallon. Today I drove by my neighborhood station at 08:00 and gas was $1.799/ gallon but by noon it was $1.839. Up $0.31 per gallon within the past week. Is there some holiday coming up? Oil prices haven changed that much still running around $40-45/ bbl.

yeah, with gas prices at $50, we should be seeing $1.25, but of course not...gas stations will milk the market.