Hi Lkewin:

___Let me add my own $0.015 … I am one of those that push and push hard for higher FE. That doesn’t mean I am going below the speed limits all the time either. Most of the time, I am at or slightly exceeding them!

___What I hope you find here is a core of individuals driving most every Hybrid available that can pass on a tip or trick or two to improve your own FE. Nobody here is saying you must use technique #1 in this circumstance, technique #2 in this circumstance, and technique #3 in this one. What most here will offer is the knowledge to use those techniques when and where appropriate and your FE will definitely improve over just driving as you may or may not be doing now. If you choose not to use the techniques, so be it. You will still receive 40 + vs. 20 + depending on the car(s)/truck(s) you are driving today.

___The first time you test drive a hybrid, you are going to see both an instantaneous and averaging display. Most of them anyways … After your drive, you are going to wonder why all cars do not have this instrumentation? Maybe your non-hybrid does today? When you come to a stop light or sign and your hybrid’s ICE shuts down, you are going to wonder why all cars do not shut down when slowing or at a stop? After some time of hybrid ownership, you may learn/test a few of the techniques we discuss here and you will wonder why a hybrid is not doing this natively? I hope you are starting to see a perspective you may have not thought about before given the 3 questions posed above.

___Many of us push tanks and we offer as much as we can to improve yours. It is the nature of the web site to be green and discuss Hybrid ownership in its many nuances. That does not mean you have to necessarily own a hybrid or be a “green” advocate but it sure can help

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net