Hypermiling

The term is new to my vocabulary in the last week or so, but apparently I've been working on my hypermiling technique for the last month or two. There was an article in the Sunday paper last week about it, and then a CNN article sometime this week. I've also seen commercials for new shows about supposedly unsafe driving techniques aimed at maximizing fuel economy.

We've been trying to carpool more and drive less, but I have also managed to get my 6 cylinder, manual transmission, 8 year old Jetta from about 22-25 mpg to and from work up to about 28-30 mpg. It depends on the day, the lights I hit, and who is behind me. Now that school is out, there are fewer SUVs and minivans tailgating me for doing the speed limit.

My techniques are really taking advantage of hills: keeping the clutch in (with the car still in gear) as I go down hills, and trying to maintain an even speed up hills without too much acceleration. Coasting to stops is one I've been doing for a while, too. I am also more likely now to put the car in a higher gear than I would have normally (so I do more driving in 5th gear).

Here's a Wikipedia article, too.

I can, of course, see how some behaviors could be unsafe. Most, though, are just smart. If you have any other (safe) tips, let me know.