Travel tip: Hypermiling can help save gas

If the car is loaded, the trailer is hitched and the price of gas has hit the summer highs: it must be time for an epic summer road trip.

Think about adopting hypermiling techniques to cut fuel costs and help the environment.

Hyper-what?

Though it sounds like a new kind of Olympic sport, hypermiling is more about just laying off the gas. We introduced it last October as a phenomenon sweeping the eco-enthusiasts of the nation. Now hypermiling is hitting the news again, but this time, as something for everyone. It uses a whole trunk-load of strategies to maximize your engine’s efficiency and minimize the energy losses that occur when you brake and accelerate. Turn your lead foot into a green foot. Think less Mario Andretti, more Driving Miss Daisy.

Keep a consistent speed, avoid Fast and the Furious-style driving, speed-racing and photo-finish starts and stops and you’ll cruise to your destination on less.  And turn off that cruise control when you’re going up a hill. Experts say that advanced hypermilers can attain the Gold Medal in fuel-economy by reaching levels comparable to hybrids and sometimes even better.

Other techniques include increasing your car’s tire pressure to at or near the maximum listed on the tire’s sidewall, which lowers its rolling resistance. This is controversial, but safe for drivers who know what they’re doing. The tires will last longer, run cooler, wear more evenly and save you fuel. And yes, you actually have to drive at or below the speed limit. Got the need for speed? Well as speeds double, the force needed quadruples. It takes four times as much engine power to move a car at 100 kph as it does at 50 kph.

So this summer’s Travel Tip: slow and steady wins the race. Coasting through your road trip will save you cash, which can otherwise be spent on ice cream and hotels with swimming pools.