xcel
04-15-2007, 06:27 PM
One of our own receives recognition for doing what comes natural ;) (http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070415/NEIGHBORHOODS/704150326/1247)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Brian_Morris_-_Hypermiler.jpgCory Farley (mailto:cfarley@rgj.com) - Reno Gazette-Journal (http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/news.rgj.com/) - April 15, 2007
Hypermiler Brian Morris is managing to squeeze 49 mpg out of his Toyota Yaris, even with a daily commute over Mount Rose.
Brian Morris drives like your grandmother -- but with a purpose.
Before he starts his engine, he checks the stoplight down the block, so he can get to it as it turns green. He eyes approaching traffic, too, and waits for a gap, so he can merge without delay.
He lets out the clutch the instant the engine catches, and then slides the shifter of his Toyota Yaris out of first gear, briefly through second and into third about two revolutions per minute above the speed at which the engine would lug.
Morris, a computer guy with a computer brain, regards stoplights the way Grandma used to look at hippies on the street: You can't avoid them all, but with planning, you can dodge most of them. He'll lift off the gas in the middle of the block, letting cars ahead and alongside get away while drivers behind him fidget. Sure enough, though, he closes the gap and breezes through the intersection at 27 mph in fourth gear while the vehicles that shot past are gulping gas to build up the momentum they squandered.
The payoff comes when Morris stops at a Kietzke Lane gas station. The Yaris' highway mileage rating on the notoriously generous EPA tests is 40 miles per gallon. Topping up after a week of commuting from Reno to Incline Village, Morris finds that he used 6.993 gallons of gas to go 324.5 miles, an average of 46.40 mpg.
Morris is a "hypermiler," a member of a growing subculture that plans and drives -- and fusses and frets -- to extract the maximum distance from each teaspoon of gas.
Oddly, at least to a new observer, riding with him doesn't fill you with an urge to yank him from behind the wheel and get moving. ... well, at first it does. But he's so enthusiastically analytical that the feeling passes.
"You can tell you're a hypermiler when you see a cop and think, 'I need to speed up,'" he joked. "We're just as much into fuel economy as gearheads are into horsepower and speed."
Morris, whose previous car was a Dodge Stratus ("Very disappointing," he says of its mileage), picked the Yaris over a hybrid because a new generation of hybrid is about to come into the market, and he didn't want to be stuck with old technology.
The Yaris has the highest EPA mileage ratings of any gas-powered car in the U.S., and he's modified it with a low-restriction air filter. He also runs 60 psi of air in the tires, far above the recommended 44.
He drives smoothly and with focus, changing lanes in response to a problem two blocks ahead and getting off the gas at the first hint of a yellow light. On hills he coasts with his foot off the gas, taking advantage of the car's "deceleration fuel cut-off" feature.
Two weeks after the Kietzke Lane fill-up, after 10 days of Reno-to-Incline commuting, some of it in rain and snow, he filled up again.
"I got 49.74 mpg," he said. "And it will be better when it's broken in. I can do 50."
That's good, but Morris says it's not great. One of the gurus of the hypermiling movement is Wayne Gerdes, a nuclear plant operator from Illinois. He routinely reports 59 or
60 mpg.
Morris shakes his head in admiration.
"Sixty in a Honda Accord? "He's even crazier about this hypermiling stuff than I am!"
Hypermilers' - Tips for upping your mpg.
Hypermilers' gas-saving techniques are interesting, but not necessarily one-size-fits-all. Some can be hard on the car, and others may create risks in traffic or breed road rage.
For instructional purposes only, here are some of the tricks. You can find more at www.CleanMPG.com or by Googling "hypermiling."
Drive the speed limit, no faster.: Specifics vary from car to car, but most get their best economy around 40 mph. Anything over 55 will cost you. Reno mileage ace Brian Morris says if he had to go to Elko, he'd never see 56.
Accelerate gently and shift as early as possible without lugging the engine.: If the car in front of you pulls away, let it go, Morris says. You'll catch it at the next light.
Avoid the brakes.: It takes energy to gain speed, and brakes dissipate that energy. Strive to hold a steady speed.
Shut the engine off for every stoplight, railroad train and traffic jam.: May save gas, but it increases wear on the starter. Also, your air conditioning and heater won't work when the engine's not running.
Plan your route.: Avoid hills and traffic. The shortest way isn't always the most economical. If you can commute at off-peak hours, that's a guaranteed boost.
Pump up your tires.: Many hypermilers go far above the rated pressure, say to 60 psi. That helps mileage, but it makes the ride harsh and can reduce traction and tire life.
Change oil often.: Oil thickens as it gets old, increasing engine drag. It's doubtful your mileage will increase enough to compensate for the cost of the changes, though.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Brian_Morris_-_Hypermiler.jpgCory Farley (mailto:cfarley@rgj.com) - Reno Gazette-Journal (http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/news.rgj.com/) - April 15, 2007
Hypermiler Brian Morris is managing to squeeze 49 mpg out of his Toyota Yaris, even with a daily commute over Mount Rose.
Brian Morris drives like your grandmother -- but with a purpose.
Before he starts his engine, he checks the stoplight down the block, so he can get to it as it turns green. He eyes approaching traffic, too, and waits for a gap, so he can merge without delay.
He lets out the clutch the instant the engine catches, and then slides the shifter of his Toyota Yaris out of first gear, briefly through second and into third about two revolutions per minute above the speed at which the engine would lug.
Morris, a computer guy with a computer brain, regards stoplights the way Grandma used to look at hippies on the street: You can't avoid them all, but with planning, you can dodge most of them. He'll lift off the gas in the middle of the block, letting cars ahead and alongside get away while drivers behind him fidget. Sure enough, though, he closes the gap and breezes through the intersection at 27 mph in fourth gear while the vehicles that shot past are gulping gas to build up the momentum they squandered.
The payoff comes when Morris stops at a Kietzke Lane gas station. The Yaris' highway mileage rating on the notoriously generous EPA tests is 40 miles per gallon. Topping up after a week of commuting from Reno to Incline Village, Morris finds that he used 6.993 gallons of gas to go 324.5 miles, an average of 46.40 mpg.
Morris is a "hypermiler," a member of a growing subculture that plans and drives -- and fusses and frets -- to extract the maximum distance from each teaspoon of gas.
Oddly, at least to a new observer, riding with him doesn't fill you with an urge to yank him from behind the wheel and get moving. ... well, at first it does. But he's so enthusiastically analytical that the feeling passes.
"You can tell you're a hypermiler when you see a cop and think, 'I need to speed up,'" he joked. "We're just as much into fuel economy as gearheads are into horsepower and speed."
Morris, whose previous car was a Dodge Stratus ("Very disappointing," he says of its mileage), picked the Yaris over a hybrid because a new generation of hybrid is about to come into the market, and he didn't want to be stuck with old technology.
The Yaris has the highest EPA mileage ratings of any gas-powered car in the U.S., and he's modified it with a low-restriction air filter. He also runs 60 psi of air in the tires, far above the recommended 44.
He drives smoothly and with focus, changing lanes in response to a problem two blocks ahead and getting off the gas at the first hint of a yellow light. On hills he coasts with his foot off the gas, taking advantage of the car's "deceleration fuel cut-off" feature.
Two weeks after the Kietzke Lane fill-up, after 10 days of Reno-to-Incline commuting, some of it in rain and snow, he filled up again.
"I got 49.74 mpg," he said. "And it will be better when it's broken in. I can do 50."
That's good, but Morris says it's not great. One of the gurus of the hypermiling movement is Wayne Gerdes, a nuclear plant operator from Illinois. He routinely reports 59 or
60 mpg.
Morris shakes his head in admiration.
"Sixty in a Honda Accord? "He's even crazier about this hypermiling stuff than I am!"
Hypermilers' - Tips for upping your mpg.
Hypermilers' gas-saving techniques are interesting, but not necessarily one-size-fits-all. Some can be hard on the car, and others may create risks in traffic or breed road rage.
For instructional purposes only, here are some of the tricks. You can find more at www.CleanMPG.com or by Googling "hypermiling."
Drive the speed limit, no faster.: Specifics vary from car to car, but most get their best economy around 40 mph. Anything over 55 will cost you. Reno mileage ace Brian Morris says if he had to go to Elko, he'd never see 56.
Accelerate gently and shift as early as possible without lugging the engine.: If the car in front of you pulls away, let it go, Morris says. You'll catch it at the next light.
Avoid the brakes.: It takes energy to gain speed, and brakes dissipate that energy. Strive to hold a steady speed.
Shut the engine off for every stoplight, railroad train and traffic jam.: May save gas, but it increases wear on the starter. Also, your air conditioning and heater won't work when the engine's not running.
Plan your route.: Avoid hills and traffic. The shortest way isn't always the most economical. If you can commute at off-peak hours, that's a guaranteed boost.
Pump up your tires.: Many hypermilers go far above the rated pressure, say to 60 psi. That helps mileage, but it makes the ride harsh and can reduce traction and tire life.
Change oil often.: Oil thickens as it gets old, increasing engine drag. It's doubtful your mileage will increase enough to compensate for the cost of the changes, though.