Can you improve your car’s (truck’s) gas mileage by coasting as much as possible and preserving momentum as you come up to a red light?
OK, how you drive is as unique as your sense of humor, so patience, please.
I hit the clutch as soon as I see a red light ahead of me. Then I feather the brake to slow enough so that I can still use 2nd gear, maybe 3rd, by the time I get up to the light that hopefully will be turning green as I get close. Judging when the car in my lane with the brake lights still on will start to accelerate is a science and an art. Taking advantage of the physics involved emphasizes maintaining momentum and using the kinetic energy in the mass that is your vehicle (and you, too, which in some cases may be significant). This infuriates some drivers behind me. Often times they will mash the gas peddle, pass me on the right, cut me off and get to the red light way ahead of me, abusing their brakes as well. Then I coast up to them as they start to pull away. I like to wave and smile, savoring the fact that they have gotten maybe 20 feet ahead of me and my engine has been at idle for the last block, I’ve used my brakes lightly AND I avoid starting from a dead stop and using the lowest gears, saving wear on the clutch. I check my mileage religiously at every fillup. At purchase Toyota attested to 24 mpg highway for my Tacoma, which I attain often, even city-driving.
I never down shift. My thinking is that a clutch is way more expensive than a break job. My concern is also that the high RPM cause more gasoline to go through the engine, but that?s just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Are brake jobs way more expensive than clutch…yes taken one on one. But if you’re having three or four brake jobs before a clutch job, I would reconsider. Traction and stability control, not that you have it, is very rough on brakes as it is. Brake jobs aren’t as cheap as they used to be. I’d think it over a little more.
Wordsmith Of The Year, How Is Hypermilling Different From Hipermiling?
Does one involve high performance driving to increase MPG and the other highly excited mills?
P.S. You must really P.S. a lot of people off. You need a hobby. May I recommend a good book, a dictionary? You are going to cause an accident or sombody will try and kill you. A part-time job, for more gas money, after Junior High gets out, would be a good idea.
I think the term you’re looking for is “hypermiling,” not hypermilling. What would you be milling?
Let’s see, if you lift your foot off the throttle when you see a red light, the car’s computer shuts off the fuel injectors, and you use no gas as you approach the light, until you step on the clutch.
If you step on the clutch as soon as you see a red light, the idling engine is burning gas, so you’re using more gas than you would if you stayed in gear with the throttle closed.
You’re correct about downshifting, but only partly. Brakes are less expensive than clutches, yes, the the increase in engine speed with a downshift does NOT use more gas. As long as the throttle is closed the engine gets only enough gas to maintain idle (or no gas, as in the situation above), even if it is turning higher RPMs.
Stay in gear. Save gas.
I’m of the opinion that if your fellow travelers are getting angry enough to pass you and cut you off, then you’re over doing it.
Understatement Of The Year!
I think this question is in the wrong forum. Hypermilling is a new term used by the Amish to describe quickly turning wheat into flour!
Why would you hit the clutch so soon? Let the engine slow you down and remember with most modern cars, you are using less fuel leaving the clutch out because as long as the engine is being driven over the set idle speed zero fuel is going into the engine, while idling, fuel is being used.
Less gas goes through most modern engines when they are rotating at higher than idle than when they are at idle.
Timing your deceleration to allow the car to be going as fast as possible at the point traffic clears the intersection is good.
Concur with the staying in gear comments.
Downshifting should not hurt the clutch at all if you’re rev matching. It is also a safer way to downshift, especially with an unloaded pickup bed. Flinging the engine up to speed by simply letting out the clutch instead pushing the gas pedal requires BOTH friction on the clutch and precious tire traction in the rain. Whether or not you put extra engine and the benefit of saving the brakes is a different issue.
The way I see it, simply being on the road will piss off the other drivers these days. If they don’t like to follow me, they have a loud pedal and a steering wheel.
"At purchase Toyota attested to 24 mpg highway for my Tacoma, which I attain often, even city-driving. "
I have a 4 Runner 6 cyl. 4 wd which is the same or larger engine than you and am carrying around a heavier vehicle. I have been able to do well compared to you with an automatic…How ? Gradual accelerating and braking and Keep your speed under 60 mph…26.5 mpg highway with moderate to light traffic. Playing around with the tranny produces negligible results compared to slowing down. Unless I’m being towed…I’d be hard pressed to get 24 mpg with much city driving; so you got me there.