Fun With Hypermiling - Part 2

Part 1 - Introduction - "What is Hypermiling?"
Part 2 - Test hypotheses

In Part 1, I gave a brief synopsis of "Hypermiling".

While reading several articles on the subject, authored by journalists who had interviewed automotive "experts" on the best way to save fuel, I decided it was time for some hands-on experimentation.

I was primarily concerned with a part of the equation that I feel is being ignored by everyone - the cost of wear and tear on the vehicle (and driver) from Hypermiling. And, would it be worth it, in the long run, to practice Hypermiling on a daily basis?

Everything on a vehicle is a wear and tear item. Tires, oil, engines and the like are the obvious ones. But others like subframes, unibody chassis, even your dashboard is a wear and tear item. Plus, if you were to never even drive the car, it would still deteriorate (the rubber and plastics would be the first to go). So whether the car is parked or moving, it's still wearing out itself, albeit at different rates per component.

Some of the recommendations for proper Hypermiling include things like coasting down hills, turning off your engine, and over-inflating your tires. These would be the initial focus of my experiment.

The car that was used was a 1994 Toyota Corolla base model. It has a 105hp, 1.6 liter engine with electronic fuel injection and 5-speed transmission. The car was in good tune, with 119k miles on the odometer at the beginning of the test, and used 10w-30 regular motor oil and 87 octane fuel. The tires were 175/65-14 Toyo all-seasons with a 600 treadwear rating.

For the purpose of this test, I refilled the tank on the same gasoline pump at a Sunoco station in Wheaton, MD. I would let the pump go until it clicked off when full.

The car typically got an average of 34 mpg (with little to no a/c use) with my 33.5-mile one-way daily commute consisting of about 17 miles of hilly back roads and 16 miles of stop-and-go traffic. My typical driving style could be described as "average", though I can drive it like a rental and still manage 31-32 mpg. Not too shabby, by any means.

In the next installment, we'll start getting into the various testing methods and procedures. You'll start to really see some numbers emerge.


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