07-05-2006, 12:51 PM
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Pretty Darn Active Enthusiast
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Real Name: Dave
Location: Deep in the heart of Florida
Hybrids: A pair of HCH2s
Posts: 351
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Re: For all you HCH I drivers with 50+ MPG...
Along with what you've listed, here's what I do to maximize FE:- Coast to the max. When approaching a stop sign or red light, take your foot off the gas well short of the intersection and let inertia take you the rest of the way. If you're lucky, the light will turn green before you get there and you won't have to stop at all!
- Keep a steady speed on the highway. Use cruise control if traffic is light and the terrain is fairly flat.
- Air up. I keep the tires at 40 psi, and may bump them up to 42.
- Lighten up. Any extraneous cargo you're hauling around adds weight and decreases FE.
OK, there's the good news. The bad news is that there are things limiting your FE that are totally out of your control, such as:- Climate. Your winters are cold and wet. Both are FE killers. Worse, your winters are l-o-n-g. Around here, 40 degrees F is parka weather.
 And the winters are short. 
- Traffic. You can be the most devout FE fanatic in the world, but stop-and-go driving will turn your dreams to dust. The vast majority of the time I work the overnight shift, which means very little traffic (especially outbound). And on weekends & holidays, I practically have the road to myself!
 Added bonus in summer: greatly decreased A/C usage.
- Terrain. You've got lots of steep hills (and even some mountains). Another FE killer. Even the relatively shallow rolling hills we have here make a difference, and make cruise control a bad idea.
- Roads. The rougher the surface, the worse your FE. The majority of my commute is on smooth roads.
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