Poor Driving Habits Can Lead to 45% Drop in Fuel Economy

[StlouisX50]

Report: Poor Driving Habits Can Lead to 45% Drop in Fuel Economy | Hybrid Cars

[dpatel01]

Accelerating smoothly, proper tire pressure, no unnecessary weight got my city mpg up from EPA rated 17 to around real world 21.

[StlouisX50]

In my city, there are rolling hills and stop lights at pretty much every intersection. The gas millage may be at 22-25 at the start of a fill up and drop to 19-21 while driving in my city. If I go out of the city I can get 25-32 mpg.

So recently I have learned how to drive my vehicle just prior to this news story. The grade of a road, acceleration and deceleration really play a huge impact on the MPG I get.

What I have found to do is, while going up a hill, lightly accelerate. While going down speed up . If I have to get up a hill, it's better to pick up speed prior to the incline so that I do not have to press on the pedal as much to get up the hill.

The only problem with driving like this, police love to sit on the bottom of hills .....

[Sandman76]

I drive a Dodge Dually MegaCab with a programmer, if it wasn't so fun to drive hard I might think about the fuel economy LOL!!

[NormSky]

I can get a 25-45% improvement in mpgs. Conversely most passenger cars only see 8-10 mpg on the race track.

[supercowpowers]

What I have found to do is, while going up a hill, lightly accelerate. While going down speed up . If I have to get up a hill, it's better to pick up speed prior to the incline so that I do not have to press on the pedal as much to get up the hill.

That's something I figured out as a kid on a bicycle. I always figured if it results in less huffing and puffing on a bike it probably saves gas in a motor vehicle too. It seems like the most efficient way to drive* is to keep a moderate load on the engine and let the speed vary with the terrain instead of tearing ass up all the hills and coasting down the other side.

* (like a normal person, none of that pulse-and-glide crap)

[Buz]

Use cruise control anywhere you can. If a hill is coming just give it a little gas beforehand.

[unmamfqlm]

I drive a Dodge Dually MegaCab with a programmer, if it wasn't so fun to drive hard I might think about the fuel economy LOL!!

Those things are massive vehicles; there is one in my town that is lifted and on 38 inch tires. I like diesel trucks a lot, but I have absolutely no use for one. I see way too many people around here with badass diesel trucks, but they don't use the damn things for anything. It kind of defeats the whole purpose, in my opinion.

[StlouisX50]

Cruse control seems to kick in when I wouldn't press the pedal though. I'd rather do the gunning when needed.

[supercowpowers]

Personally I abhor cruise control. I like to adapt to traffic - speeding up when I'm passing, slowing down when I'm being passed, maintaining a safe distance, adjusting speed for entering traffic, slowing down for blind turns and speeding up on the straights, and so on. When I've tried using cruise control, it seemed like I constantly wanted to either go faster or slower and spent way too much attention managing the cruise control instead of just driving.

My grandfather loves using cruise control and I feel like I'm going to die every time I ride with him. He constantly either puts himself into dangerous situations or doesn't leave them because then he'd have to change his speed.

I'm not saying anyone here drives irresponsibly with cruise control, it just seems to me like it's a lot of work to use it responsibly.