Learning about Gallons/100 Miles making me question hypermiling

Yeah, I didn't come to the realization until I'd read the article I linked to at http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...eage-no-its-your-gallonage-really-counts.html and ran some calculations myself.

The people who drive guzzlers are the ones who should be trying using LRR tires, keeping their tires properly inflated, trying to hypermile and reducing useless idling. Unfortunately, those drivers are highly unlikely to do most or any of that, let alone even measure their mileage. :/

 

Your wife is using a car to increase her time efficiency. Her objective is to maximize her functional abilities by spending as little time on the road as she can. Hence, your wife is focus on being quick first - fuel efficiency is a secondary goal if it is on her radar at all. My guess is that she drives a Suburu Tribeca AWD SUV because she like the higher driver position (to see ahead of he road) in heavy traffic, she carries alot of cargo, she speeds because she has a tight schedule, and like all wheel drive because she's driving on bad road conditions or dirt roads....

Hypermiling can to extend the fuel efficiency of the highly fuel efficient Prius as much as 20% , i.e. 50mpg to 60mpg - but the equivalent fuel saving of 3.33 gallons per 1000 miles is small as you pointed out. You correctly observed that increasing the fuel efficiency of your wife's less fuel efficient 21 mpg SUV by 20% to 25 mpg would lead to a more significant fuel savings of 7.6 gallons per 1000 miles (47.6 gallons - 40 gallons). While hypermiling cost has practically no monetary cost it does require time - something your wife cannot or may not want to give up. I think you should suggest to your wife that she test drive some of the more fuel efficient SUV-crossovers like the Mazda CX-5 (sister of the Ford Escape) or a Hyundai Tucson 6-Speed Auto FWD (sister of the Kia Sportser) or a 2012 Prius V - so when gas prices jump over $5 per gallon those options will be in the back of her mind - and it will be her decision.

 

The already good mileage of the Prius does mean that you are saving less gasoline for a comparable amount of hypermiling. On the other hand, the Prius is designed to take maximum advantage of hypermiling efforts. Were I you, I would try the experiment of switching cars and see for yourself.

Hypermiling is always worth doing, and the whole time saved argument is overblown. The difference (in a Prius) between full acceleration (middle of the power band) and Wayne Gerdes's 86 MPG method amounts to about 7 seconds per stop light. It is like getting paid $32 per hour on your commute.

 

I agree with Walter and Corwyn. For me, the difference in hypermiling saves about $300/yr. but I drive 35k or more a year. If I only drove 10k a year I'd probably say to hell with it, slap on some 17" wheels and drive normally. LOL

 

I drive pretty efficiently, my wife does not. The interesting detail is that I cannot think of a single instance when she arrived at a destination before me in those cases we took two cars.

I hesitate to say I 'hypermile' because of the connotations. I prefer to say I have good driving habits. It is true though that it takes some effort and practice before good habits become second nature. Sort of like turning off lights in the house when I leave the room.

I drive a Lexus CTh these days, rated by the EPA 43 city, 41 highway. The Lion's share of my driving is highway at 65ish mph, but I have had the car long enough to say that my habits lead to the following:
53ish mpg on the highway
60 mpg on rural roads traveling about 55 mph
60 - 70 mpg in my city of Albuquerque

Do I save a lot of money ? I don't really ask that question; I am a 'waste not, want not' kind of guy. I also tend to think of the effect of my behaviors if they were widespread. They are not, of course, but that is not an excuse to act like others.