Types of MPG Meters

there are many different mpg meters available on the market. The two main types are: Digital and momentum based. Digital meters are often found built into some of today's modern cars and trucks. The only problem with built in mpg meters is they don't often provide real-time data, but average data over time.

Momentum Meters

Momentum based MPG Meters, like the Moment-O-Meter MPG-PLUS, utilize technology that senses your forward and backwards momentum and provides visual feedback as to whether that momentum is is strong enough to cause you to be using excess gas and therefore reducing your MPGs. A red light is shown when your momentum is too strong.

On the other hand, if you accelerate and brake slowly, you'll stay within a range that provides optimum MPGs and you'll see a green light. Of course when driving, you should always target maintaining a green light to receive maximum gas mileage.

Digital Meters

Digital meters provide the ultimate in accurate driving feedback. Digital meters, such as the ScanGaugeII look into your cars computer system and provide immediate and accurate feedback on the current gas mileage you are getting based on your driving habits. The advantage digital mpg meters have over momentum based mpg meters is that you can more accurately fine tune your driving habits.

Additionally, digital meters provide additional information available from your cars computer such as current speed, RPMs, volts, etc.

Benefits of MPG Meters

In order to maximize your driving habits for optimal gas mileage, immediate feedback on the impacts of your driving must be known. Momentum or digital MPG Meters provide this immediate and real-time feedback. This real-time feedback allows you improve on your habits so obtain optimal gas mileage. Some hypermilers even set MPG targets and adjust and tweak their driving to get closer and closer to their target goal, almost making it a game.

The MPG Meter

The first thing you must do to begin hypermiling is to track your gas mileage. The most cost effective way to do that is to manually calculate your gas mileage. The problem with the manual method is you can't see the real-time impact of how you are driving on your gas mileage. That's where the MPG meter comes in. Seems most true hypermilers have an MPG Meter.

Hypermiling basics

As I mentioned already, hypermiling is about adjusting the way you drive. While some of the techniques used only apply to hybrid vehicles, most apply to any vehicle, including those gas guzzling SUVs. Here are just a few of the techniques employed by hypermiling experts:

Go the speed limit

While each vehicle has an optimum speed for maximum gas mileage, in general for every 5mph above 55mph you drive, you lose up to 10% of your cars fuel economy. At 10%, slowing down can save you a great deal of money. Driving the speed limit is much safer too!

Drive without brakes

Before you decide I've gone crazy, let me explain. Driving without brakes (or DWB in hypermiling lingo) is all about minimizing the use of your car's brakes, but doing so with common sense. The basic principle is to avoid using the brake to take off speed that was achieved through he use of gas. The trick is to anticipate what's coming down the road. Watch for upcoming lights, stop signs and curves. When you see them, begin to coast as early as possible to avoid using the brakes. In a hybrid, lots of coasting recharges the batteries too, which provides another added advantage.

If you can avoid stopping all together, that's the best situation to be in as starting your car off from a dead stop consumes a great deal of energy.

Face out parking

When you park, make an effort to face out. I don't mean backing into the parking place, but park a little further out and pull through the spaces so your car is facing out. This avoids the wasted gas of having to back out when you leave. Better yet, hypermilers will tell you park on a hill or incline so the car is facing down and you can coast out.

Be careful with this one though, as I've almost been hit head on a few times pulling through parking places when someone else was pulling in.

Turn off your car and coast

With a hybrid, the car automatically turns off the engine when it's not needed. This of course isn't the gas with a standard vehicle. You can however simulate a hybrid by placing your car in neutral, turning off the engine and coasting. Turns out the gas needed to restart the vehicle when you need to is minimal.

Now, this is one of the more risky hypermiling techniques as with the engine off and your car in neutral you have less control of your car and you can't be as responsive without the engine.

Keep your car maintained

Two important tips here: Keep your oil changed and keep your tires properly inflated. As oil gets older it thickens putting more drain on the engine. Proper tire pressure is important too as it takes a great deal of energy to push around under inflated tires.

Some hypermilers recommend over inflating the tires. I don't recommend this. You'll wear your tires our faster and it could be dangerous as your tires won't have the proper ground contact.

Pick the best route

When picking the route you'll take, the shortest isn't always the best. Hypermilers will tell you to pick routes with less stops and lots of downhill grades. You want to avoid stop and go traffic and routes that have large hills to climb.

Avoid idling

Some hypermilers will tell you that if you are sitting in one place for more than 10 seconds, turn your car off. This will save on mileage overtime. Again, restarting consumes very little energy.

These are just a few of the many tricks and techniques hypermilers use. You can find lots more by visiting a site called Green Hybrid.

Photo by: tom.arthur