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What Prevents You From Hypermiling the Most?

I've been in a process:

Initally, did not have the know-how (and still don't know it all)
Then, let rude drivers get to me (Yes, that explains my angry posts)
Nowdays, it's fear of getting hit if I go under 50mph for long.I'd love to find a level two-lane highway with light traffic, but going out of the way to hypermile kind of defeats the purpose of doing it.

I won't vote because my answer isn't up there. What prevents me from hypermiling is I don't want to get in the way of others. However, most times this isn't a problem and I am not prevented from applying lots of techniques.

I don't mind if you add more poll choices - I usually miss a few selections people want to make.

Yes, please add more choices.

I think my (Reply) is this.

(1) Accidents
(2) Getting in the way of Others/Traffic; Therefore maybe causing the above (Accident).

I try to do it in a way not to interfer with normal traffic flow and at the same time to be considerate of others on the Hwys. The Best-I-Can that is. I use the {Right-Lane-Alot}.

yeah people in general is the one reason i can't sometimes, that's why i'm trying my hardest to convince them in the first place.

Getting in the way is my biggest show stopper. When I'm commuting there's generally way too much traffic and it's not worth being the object of everyone's road rage. It's possible to apply much of this stuff without getting in the way but it isn't what you would call optimal.

Hi Chuck:

___There are at least 3 of us that voted no fear! I think this has a lot to do with the cars we drive as well.

___It is so easy to blend in with the darker gray Accord whereas the red Insight, that is an entirely different animal in terms of attracting attention. Another thing is the ability to get them moving without killing a segment from a given situation. I will be coming up on an off-ramp in a FAS as I transition from the center to the ridge while slowing to lets say 45 and then at the last minute accelerate back up to 60 from the crest on forward and it appears as if I decided I was taking the wrong exit from behind. The Accord just does this perfectly and the pulse back up is so smooth that it appears exactly as described. The Insight was a bit tougher nut to crack because you simply don’t want to accelerate back up to 60 without destroying that segment. At least that is one technique I use while out on the Interstates. In Chicago, there are a lot of ascent based off-ramps and descent based on-ramps so I can choose my HS P&G locations pretty much at will when in the more congested areas. I have to say that I do sometimes have it lucky in that traffic is sometimes still moving while bumper to bumper at 50 mph or less about 10% of the time. You can push some great numbers while pulling traffic sides, surf’s, distant, and close-in’s under a DWB scenario while buried in bumper to bumper at 35 + mph. While in the Stop and Go stuff, I will build buffers while DWB that do indeed tick people off and they pass while waving their arms and swearing … I see these type of drivers all the time while we are actually stopped and I open the window and wave them on by. They cannot get by of course but I wave them on by anyway so they can see the futility of their actions ;) Once traffic again starts moving in the accordion, they go around while I am rebuilding the buffer and then they sit in front of me for the next 1/4 mile until someone else decides to fill the gap ahead. After the final obstruction is cleared, the first through sixth guy that have passed are all right in front of me and I am still holding onto a nice segment.

___With the above, it’s the OTR’s that gain the most from this as they will crawl along behind in a DWB scenario and in many cases never touch their brakes as I am doing. The SUV and P/U guys with the waving arms and open mouths on the other hand do burn gas in the quick pass only to sit in front of me in the bumper to bumper nightmare until some other impatient person has to fill that gap so he or she too is 3 seconds closer to home or work.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I was one of the no fear answers. I wont let anybody dictate what Im going to do as long as its within the law. Its so rare I make a pass anymore its not funny. I think my ave. speed has been hanging around 50 mph. I wish the mpg was better. But Im at about my limit of slowness.

I can be in a instant one of the ones in the hammer lane racking the tach. I choose more and more not to do that. To think of all the years I drove 80, 90, 100 mph or plus on my daily drive solo. Its been nice to slow down and enjoy the time with my wife. :)

NO FEAR!!!! Will bust a FAS in a heartbeat! :)

2-3 of the choices are "afraid of getting in the way, causing or getting into an accident". I will clarify my thoughts. While staying out of the way is clearly on my mind, my fear is some reckless drivers may come at me anyway. :eek:

Many of you have probably been minding their business and all is clear, then behind you pops a reckless driver weaving practically landing in your rear seat. I worry about that and the idiots that pass me on the right shoulder or entrance/exit ramps.

2-3 of the choices are "afraid of getting in the way, causing or getting into an accident". I will clarify my thoughts. While staying out of the way is clearly on my mind, my fear is some reckless drivers my come at me anyway. :eek:

Many of you have probably been minding their business and all is clear, then behind you pops a reckless driver weaving practically landing in your rear seat. I worry about that and the idiots that pass me on the right shoulder or entrance/exit ramps.


Hi Chuck;

I think we are on the (Same-Page).:)

My Reply from above:

I think my (Reply) is this.

(1) Accidents
(2) Getting in the way of Others/Traffic; Therefore maybe causing the above (Accident).

I have seen way to many Wild & Crazy Drivers doing all kinds of "Crazy Moves" flying up behind me while I am Driving 55 MPH. I really like my HCH II alot and I really Like Myself so, one may be (Right) but I just do not want to take the chance on {Being-DEAD-Right}

But at the same time I don't tell others that they are (Wrong) if they are comfortable driving their-way. We all have our own ideas as to what we are comfortable with on the Hwys. I hope that my comments here are taken in the right way as not to affend anyone in their driving style or their driving techniques.

I always try to do the "traffic waves damping" thing anyways,
with the occasional impatient type filling the gap and then having
to cram on the wheel-heaters a few moments later ... no skin
off my butt, I simply adjust and go on. But at the same speed
as the *average* of the pack ahead. Which your garden variety
redneck doesn't understand, because they only think about half
a car length ahead.
.
I want much brighter turn signal lamps, possibly LED based, so their
on/off is snappy and attention getting ... then a flick of the
hazards if needed might actually *mean* something. Sometimes
it gets them to back off, sometimes it doesn't.
.
On my old Trooper I didn't hypermile but did drive in a very
mellow fashion, and had put in a little wiring hack I called
the "yuppie button". It simply lit up every available lamp on
the back of the vehicle momentarily, using a few relays to switch
12V into them from a pushbutton. The idea was I'd pull onto
a high-speed highway and start my granny accel, and flick it once
to warn the Beamer that's rapidly closing the quarter-mile
behind me that no, sorry, I am *not* pedal to the metal and
maybe you should put down that phone and pay attention. Or it
could sometimes get the high-beam people to realize it, or
whatever. I'm starting to feel like I definitely need to do
the same for the Prius, because the hazards by themselves just
aren't really having the same impact when I need it. [hmm, bad
choice of word, huh]
.
_H*

i also hit the no fear option. i drive to and from work on a 65mph 4 lane. i stay in the right, and for the most part drive 60 all the time. if nobody is behind me and i am doing a P&G, i will often let it drop to 55. but my max is 60. friday nights are insane, since it's a major route for those who have gas to burn on the way up to the lake.....ah, the toy parade, makes a person sick. those nights i have the option to take the back roads home, and i do. one has a very nice combination of slight uphills with long downs, and i pretty much have it to myself. if a hot dog comes along, i just wave him around.