Save on More Than Gas

“Hypermiling” is a term now in use for certain driving techniques designed to increase miles per gallon.

I think a lot of thriftmasters having been doing this, long before it had a name. Coasting up to red lights, accelerating as smoothly as possible, staying at or even slightly below the speed limit…it all does help get you further on a tank of gas. (One technique I think is a very bad idea, though, is switching from Drive to Neutral while the car is moving. It’s too easy to accidently slip into Reverse…and that will chew your transmission to pieces.)

Most hypermiling techniques, however, will save you money on more than gas.

Think about it. When you take your foot off the gas pedal and coast up to a stop sign or signal, you’re also decreasing wear and tear on your brakes, shocks and tires. Slow from 60 to 35 before braking and that’s 25mph less of inertia you have to overcome, meaning significantly less friction on your brakes and tires, and considerably less weight flung on your shocks.

Accelerate smoothly instead of shoving the gas pedal, and it’s a lot easier on your transmission. I have some friends who are “stompers” and you can definitely feel the jerk as the transmission shifts. Me? My goal is to pick up speed so smoothly that it’s actually hard to feel shifts. My old van seems to appreciate it, since at 247,600 miles he’s still running fine on his original automatic transmission, without any major repairs.(When the old man hits a quarter million miles, I’ll take a picture and post it.)

So if you want to save money, both on gas and maintenance, drive like a professional chauffeur. Their jobs depend on giving their clients a smooth, steady, quiet ride, not flinging them around with jackrabbit starts, lane weaving and hard braking. Treat your passengers—and your car—with the same consideration and watch both your gas and maintenance costs drop.