Driving fuel-efficiently

I thought that it might be helpful if we post all of those little ways that those of us who know how to drive to get the best mileage can share with those who don't. You don't have to be a Prius owner, per se. But I'm thinking that perhaps there are lurkers out there who drive a conventional car who just can't seem to get good mileage. Or, perhaps there's someone who got a Prius and can't seem to get that mpg up to where the rest of us find it effortless to attain. If you're one of those people, here's the help that you need.

I'll start it out with one and all the other mileage gurus can contribute. My favorite analogy to use is that of a bicycle rider. If you've ever been out on the road and huffed and puffed your way up a hill only to be passed by someone else on a bike who just glides past you without seeming to be even breathing hard, you can appreciate how hard your car works on that same hill. If you can learn to ride a bike efficiently, you'll realize what you need to do to drive your car efficiently.

I see a lot of people braking their way down a hill and at the bottom, they have to accelerate up the next hill. That's a needless waste of gasoline. In a conventional car, as you coast down the first hill, the car's speed gets faster and faster. With a Prius, the car channels the energy of that momentum back in to the car's power system so you never speed up much.

In either case, you develop a sense of how to begin at the top of a hill slowly enough so that when you're going down the hill, you don't go too fast. Just as importantly, that sense also tellls you when to accelerate slightly so that when you start going uphill, the car is going fast enough to reach the top without your having to give it more gas. The moment of slight acceleration, for me, is usually towards the end of the descent.

The trick is to know how much gas the car needs for the upward trip and give it that much before hitting the bottom of descent. Practice this a lot and it will be second nature to you. Not to mention that your mileage will go up, no matter which kind of car you drive. It's something that you just develop a sense for, not something that you have to think about much.

As the cyclist's saying goes: "Love the hills because it doesn't do any good to hate 'em."

[Tideland Prius]

I'll second the hill method; especially rolling hills. I guess it's easier to do on your daily route since you will be familiar with the road. Accelerate only to go uphill or to get up to speed. Look ahead and anticipate stops so you don't have to brake suddenly when the guy in front slows down. Also, leave plenty of space between you and the person in front.

[HybridVigor]

Has anyone attempted to create a "Prius-specific" graph of dead-air, zero-acceleration, speed versus mileage? I've seen the generic EPA version which suggests optimum fuel efficiency at 55 mpg, and I've read posts indicating that the Prius reaches its optimal efficiency at 62 mpg. I've been pondering this a little and I'm willing to go out and attempt some data collection and plotting trials, attempting to keep my speed as consistent as possible using flat ground. I would just rather not reinvent the wheel if someone has already posted similar data. I'm not after vehicle-specific info, rather "Prius-specific" info.

--Chris

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10/10/05 Edit: Mods, please consider moving this and the following four responses to a "new topic." In retrospect they are off-topic here, and I consider this (my initial post) to be a rude, albeit unintended, highjacking of an otherwise good topic.
--Chris/HybridVigor.

[kirbinster]

That makes some sense as wind resistance increase by a power of three while engine efficiency increases by a power of two - so at some point the wind resistance becomes greater than the efficiency at higher speed. I think the 55 mph speed is an average, and since the Prius is more aerodynamic than many cars it makes sense that the optimum speed for the prius is slighly higher at 62 mph.

[deh2k]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HybridVigor\";p=\"113993)</div>

Has anyone attempted to create a \"Prius-specific\" graph of dead-air, zero-acceleration, speed versus mileage?[/b]

You may find Wayne Brown's "Chart of MPG based on MPH & Temperature" what you are looking for.

http://os2.mystarband.net/

I am enclosing a spreadsheet I made from his data which includes a chart, which I find easier to understand than the plain numbers.

[HybridVigor]

You may find Wayne Brown's "Chart of MPG based on MPH & Temperature" what you are looking for.

Thats precisely what I was after. That shows to me that 30-40 mph is indeed the most efficient range of the Prius, and helps me understand the relationship between cooler temps and mileage. I can see I do not need to reinvent this wheel, although I may calibrate it to my own particular flavor of Prius for comparison. Thanks for the additional spreadsheet and plot, that was even more useful.

OOOOOOOOOK, let's steer this back on to the subject that I intended it for; that is, helping the nonHybrid owner get better mileage before graduating to one. Most Prius owners were already good at getting the best mileage on their vehicles beforehand so if you're reading this, you are the student who is ready and the Prius owners here are the teachers. Since no one put forth any pointers after mine, I'll pick up where I left off and give you another.

The lesson today can be summed up in one word: serenity. Some people get it from religion, others from yoga or meditation or even love for their families but I see a lot of people on the road who don't have it. At least not when they're driving. A lot of people are unhappy. When I see them in traffic during rush hour, they're stressed out and possibly well on their way to heart disease which is a whole different topic so I won't digress.

Maybe your boss is an incompetent jerk. Or your clients, coworkers, or whoever else you have to deal with are too. Whatever or whoever triggers stress in you, it's important to understand what it does to you. The myriad causes of stress aside, stress itself triggers the fight-or-flight response in your body. Perhaps the resident board doctor(s) can go in to more detail on it or I can look back on my own research but your body reacts physiologically to danger. If constant stress in your life is triggering these fight-or-flight episodes, it can actually cause a lot of damage to your health. So how do you keep that trigger from being pulled?

Developing a nonreactive mind is crucial. Start by meditating for five minutes when you wake up in the morning. Sit, close your eyes and don't move. Not even a finger. Resist scratching any itch or reacting in any way to whatever comes up, no matter how urgent it may seem. If you can become completely nonreactive like that for just five minutes each day, you're on your way to a better life. You'll feel better, too.

Another problem that a lot of people have in our so-called 'modern society' is oxygen deprivation. We simply don't get enough oxygen in our bodies throughout the day. If you feel sleepy after lunch, you are probably oxygen-starved. When stuck in traffic or some jerk cuts you off, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Make sure that the inhale is through the nose, not the mouth. Remember, the guy who cut you off is having a bad day and is trying to get you to join him. Don't join in because it won't do you any good. What's going on outside of your vehicle has nothing whatsoever to do with you. If you go chasing after him or blast your horn or shout, you're reacting and you need to develop that nonreactive mind.

To be serene in that moment, take that deep breath and remember all of the good things that are in your life. Feel sorry for the jerk who cut you off because at least you aren't like that. Negative reaction driving also has a habit of affecting other drivers which makes even more peoples' lives a little worse so not reacting makes the world a better place.

[Jared]

"Developing a nonreactive mind is crucial"

I drive in the New York area where there is never a time when you are not surrounded by other cars. Millions of them. People react in 2 ways to this kind of driving - 1. You give up driving, or 2. You become very good.
Part of being a good driver is not reacting emotionally every time another driver does something stupid. You don't have the time or energy for this. Instead you drive effeciently and defensively, much as a airline pilot would fly. I have reached the point where I usually do not react at all if, for example someone cuts me off, except to take the correct evasive action. With practice, you can even make a sudden lane change to avoid some hazard while continuing to have a calm conversation. If I do lose my temper, I consider that a driving error on my part. It is a sign of a bad driver. As for all of this "feathering the accelerator" to try to squeeze 2 more miles per gallon - I have tried it and it is nothing but a distraction in heavy traffic. It takes all my concentration to drive safely in this environment, but the good thing is this concentration becomes second nature and effortless.

That's a good distinction, Jared. Not reacting emotionally is crucial. If you didn't react at all to other drivers or traffic situations, you'd be in a lot of accidents but the nonreactive element is inside as opposed to the outside world. Not reacting to your own impulses is what to develop.

[Natedog]

There are several routes I can take to get back and forth to work. My mileage varies significantly depending on the route I chose. I go to work on a road that starts with a steep climb, then slowly decends over the next 10 miles. I return home on a road that avoids the steep hills and gains elevation gradually. Once I figured this out, my mileage has improved from around 46 mpg to 51 mpg.

Nate