Hypermiling may not be the answer
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
With gasoline increasing in price to the point that I have to rob a bank before I fill up, I have been reading about hypermilers, those people who get the most mileage they can from a gallon of gas. USA Today says they do things like “coasting for blocks with their car engines turned off, driving far below the speed limit on the freeway, pumping up tire pressure far beyond car and tire makers’ recommendations and carefully manipulating the gas pedal to avoid fuel burning excess.”
They also don’t turn on their air conditioners, open their windows only a crack and park at the far corners of shopping center parking lots so they can drive off without having to back up, what with so much gas being wasted by driving in reverse.
They also drive cars that get about 40 or even 50 miles a gallon in the first place.
I already have several strikes against me. The car I drive only gets about two miles a gallon. It is supposed to get more, but for some reason, gasoline goes through it like Hurricane Katrina went through New Orleans. My car’s carbon footprint looks like one left by Godzilla, with King Kong riding piggyback.
That being said, however, I have tried some of the hypermileage tricks. For example, one day last week when it was about 105 in the shade, I tried driving without the air conditioner on and the windows closed. And for about four blocks, I got about two miles a gallon more than I normally get. But then I had to drive four more blocks out of my way to stop at the drug store to stock up on deodorant.
I also tried coasting to a stop for about three blocks with the engine off and the transmission in neutral, but found I had a problem. The car wouldn’t go straight, because without the engine, the power steering won’t work. Quite a few people were honking and waving with one finger.
Hypermiling may not be for me.
