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I have a 2000 maxima automatic, which already limits the effectiveness of some of the hypermiling methods, primarily the coasting in neutral part. I also lose my brakes and steering locks when car is shut off, so that is out the window. I also found out that my cars torque peaks at 4000rpm which is a high rpm that would limit effectiveness of the P&G that I would like to start trying out at some point (correct me if I am wrong on this one). I would like any suggestions on which methods could be effectively used on my ICE vehicle with an automatic transmission effectively without putting myself in danger. Also, my vehicle is not flat towable(according to nissan it will damage transmission). I would like a moderate gain of anywhere up to 25% above EPA estimates for my car(which is 20mpg, pretty bad for a sedan isn't it?) thanks for any help you give this newbie.

I am currently trying the DWB method and slow accelerations, turning car off at long red lights, coasting down hills(in drive), and going around corners as fast as is safe for the conditions.

no recommendations for my vehicle?

Well, I think that a lot of new members might feel that they're being snubbed around here, but honestly we do care. There are just so many new members that regulars lose interest a bit since the basic techniques apply for just about everyone. I'd say to start at the "welcome" sticky thread in this forum, as it answers just about all those questions. Also, go ahead enter your data into the mileage logs to start tracking your progress, using the EPA #'s for your vehicle.

Welcome! Good luck with the Maxima. We had a 2000 for 106,000 miles without any problems. My wife averaged around 20 mpg and I could get 26mpg on trips. That was before I learned all the tricks.

A good source of information if you haven't read it is:Beating the EPA. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510)

Check your owner's manual to see if your car can be flat towed (pulled with all 4 wheels on the ground) -- if it cannot you should not attempt to FAS. If it can (unlikely), you should turn the key to ACC (one click back from ON) wait for the engine to die, then turn it back to ON. That last bit is critically important as it allows your electronic and safety equipment to function. And your steering wheel won't lock! :eek:

Peak torque isn't what you are after for P&G -- you want to run at about 75% load on the engine while accelerating. This is the most efficient mode of operation for a gas engine. If you don't already have a SG to measure this directly, press the pedal down while accelerating and note the point at which you don't get an increase in acceleration if you push the pedal further. That would be 100% load. Back off from that point until you accelerating about 3/4 as fast as that max rate and you'll have it pretty close to 75%.

Have a look at the definition of DWL and get those tire pressures up to the maximum sidewall listing -- you'll be getting bigger numbers soon!

fyi, you can coast in neutral with an automatic...just put it in neutral when you're coasting and put it back into drive when you can't coast anymore. at speeds under 55, you can do this without an rpm match, but any faster, i would press the pedal down a bit before putting it back into drive.

sadly, nissan says that my car is not flat towable, and doing so would damage the transmission, so FAS is out, which kills a chance to get awesome mpg. I am guessing that for my car, running it in neutral even while on will do some damage to it, because it is not flat towable? if that is the case then I assume that the only form of P&G I can do is one where I am coasting in gear, hopefully hitting a fuel cutoff point.

Welcome to Clean MPG. I've Nissan Maxima 2000 w/ auto also, and as you discovered cannot do fas. I am also fairly new to this forum. I've read many threads in various discussions here that indicate you can glide in neutral with engine on (not specific to our car), but I'm still hesitant to use it with confidence. I've tried it and match my RPMs when shifting back to drive and it seemed to work fine, but not sure if it is damaging in long term and tend not use it. I got SGII about a month ago, and use that to do P&G, along with DWL and DWB which seems to help.

Regards.

as long as the engine is running when you put it in neutral it shouldnt affect anything. i believe the damage is done if the car is turned off. any experts please correct me if i'm wrong.

another question I had is if anyone has noticed a shorter life to their automatic transmissions after doing P&G while car is on and putting in neutral for the glide?