Fuel Efficiency

EXTREME DRIVING MIGHT BE SAVVY, BUT IS IT TOO RISKY?Following is an article found online regarding "hyper milers" and their extreme driving methods to improve gas mileage. The question is, how far is going too far to save a buck?

Also, we are looking for you to share your unique driving methods to conserve on gas. Fill out the "Leave a Comment" area at the bottom of the article to blog your thoughts!

"[Wayne] Gerdes, who is 46 and lives in Wadsworth, Illinois, lets his speed pitch and yaw with the terrain, slowing on the uphill climbs and speeding up on the way down. He avoids the brake pedal like most people avoid plutonium, peering three to six blocks ahead to time lights and anticipate traffic hazards so he can avoid unnecessary stops.

If he figures the conditions are just right, Gerdes might shut the engine down and coast. And he'll tell you, if you want to know, that the tires are pumped to a drum-tight 60 pounds per square inch — about twice the recommended limit on the typical passenger car.

The results can be impressive, particularly in a summer that has seen gas prices climb above $4 a gallon. Gerdes says he averaged 37 miles per gallon on a vehicle the federal Environmental Protection Agency expects to average 17 mpg.

Gerdes attributes the bulk of the oversized mileage gains to simple common sense and the application of a little patience. But the American Automobile Association (AAA) and some police agencies say they fear a few drivers may be taking things too far.

No traffic accidents have been attributed directly to hypermiling practices, AAA spokeswoman Christie Hyde concedes. But anonymous bloggers on hypermiling Web sites have posted advice she labels "obviously dangerous and illegal," including rolling through stoplights and stop signs to avoid complete stops.

AAA has no problem with the hypermilers' principal maxim — to slow down and follow the speed limit. But Hyde says AAA's safety experts and product consultants believe that any form of coasting with the engine disengaged can diminish the driver's control, as can tires inflated beyond the range recommended for a vehicle.

"The problem is, as with any habit, people can go to extremes, and in an effort to save fuel, people have taken it to extremes," she says. "It can be dangerous to themselves and to other vehicles on the road."

Sefton, a 23-year-old computer engineering student at the University of Manitoba, says the mpg game can be addictive. Even his roommate, who spins around town in a sporty Mazda MX6, has caught the fever.

"Before he was telling me how he did burnouts," Sefton says. "Now he tells me about how somebody screwed up his glides, or how he got two miles from a single glide, or whatever. And I see that a lot of people are slowing down on the highway."

LifeWire provides original and syndicated content to web publishers. Hoselton is taken parts of this article to demonstrate the "Hyper Miler" fever but also show some of the risks. For the full article, click here:
http://climate.weather.com/articles/hypermiling091501.html?page=1