Episode 4: Energy Self Sufficiency - Save Money - Intro to Hypermiling

Welcome to another episode of the Be Prepared Channel. Today we are going to shift gears a bit and talk about daily ways we can become more energy self sufficient. We are going to do a mini series on how we can save money, reduce our energy requirements, and be prepared for the devaluation of the dollar this year. We are going to do a 3 part series on Hypermiling. By doing some very simple things you can save 20-30% in the cost of fuel for your vehicle. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Episode 4: Energy Self Sufficiency - Hypermiling Intro:

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Hypermiling:
What is hypermiling? Some simple techniques that you can use to get 20-30% better fuel economy. It is a challenge to beat EPA ratings for any given vehicle. EPA recently changed the way that they judge this fuel economy to more accurately reflect how the average driver drives and should be more help for consumers when looking at fuel economy, but you should still be able to easily beat the EPA figures by hypermiling.

If your the "average" driver hypermiling will help you. These are simple things you can do that will help you get more for the money you spend on fuel. The real risks to the US dollar in the form of massive inflation will make techniques like this even more essential as we take advantage of the fuel economy our vehicles are already capable of getting. Fuel prices are already climbing and it would not surprise me to see gasoline $4 or more per gallon by this summer. So now is the time to put some more life in your car/truck, or whatever you drive.

Why hypermile? To irritate other drivers? To be unsafe and risk peoples lives?
- Reduce your fuel consumption
- Reduce the wear and tear on your vehicle
- Less stress(believe it or not slowing down, and turning this into a game really reduces stress a great deal)
- Safer driver, I notice that I am paying a lot more attention to everything going on around me when attempting to hypermile. I notice people cutting out in front of me that might cause me to have to slow, or even brake. I notice vehicles when they get on the brakes so that I can back off as soon as possible. I found it is better to give a nice buffer between me and other drivers so that I can avoid the constant jacking of the brakes, and gas as the drivers in front of me play the congo line game.
- Less pollution

1. Vehicle preparation and vehicle energy use
- Tune-up
-- Platinum and irridium plugs and better quality plug wires
-- Air Filter, annual change, or if you have long life filters like the K&N or the Amsoil once a year cleaning.
-- Synthetic lubricants, Oil, transmission, differential fluids, reduce friction, increase fluid life span, improve fuel economy. Use lower viscosity oils whenever you can. So if the manufacturer says you can use a 5-20, or a 5w-30, the 5w-20 will net you better fuel economy.

- Other prep tips:
-- Tire Air pressure, run max side wall pressure.
-- More energy consumed when you run lights, fans, and other electronics in the vehicle. So the fewer items you run the less demand for electricity means less load on the alternator and more fuel economy.
-- Reduce weight in your car/truck. If your carrying extra stuff you do not need then get rid of it. Every 50lbs of extra weight you carry is up to a 1% hit on your fuel economy.
-- If you have a manual transmission know the peak torque numbers and what RPM is optimal for you car and short shift, this means shifting at much lower rpm in the peak of the torque band.
-- If you have an automatic transmission you can adjust your driving style so that the transmission shifts earlier and the rpm's of your engine stay low. Pay attention to the rpm and the shift points. Many times you can let up on the throttle and it will shift sooner.

Funny Hypermiling 101 Video:


Links of interest:
Helpful sites:
- fueleconomy.gov
- cleanmpg.com
- ecomodder.com (for the really wild and crazy car modification stuff)
- Tirerack.com
- amsoil.com