Hypermiling in a Hummer

[HummerRox]

Has anybody ever tried to hypermile in the Hummer?
Dont get me wrong, I am not insulting Hummers or anything, but has anybody tried it?
Please let me know if you have, or will.

[KenP]

I've read about this and even seen a show on hypermiling and it can be dangerous if you're into "advanced hypermiling". Some techniques can be illegal.

From what I've gleened from several articles is look much farther down the road so you can avoid using the brakes as much as possible. Accelerate slowly and smoothly, get off gas going downhill, safely draft (not tailgate), and then a whole bunch of other unsafe things like tailgating, riding in the blind spot of big rigs to use the suction effect, driving at 50 mph on the highway and cutting the engine.

I'm sure someone out there will chime in with the proper and legal way to do it.

[HummerRox]

haha...I just learned something.

But yea im also interested in the mpg you would get by doing it with a Hummer. lol

btw I like your signature!

[KenP]

http://www.automotive.com/auto-news/02/37241/index.html

AAA Advises Hypermilers to Avoid Dangerous Fuel-Saving Techniques - Auto News from June 27, 2008

Examples of the dangerous hypermiling techniques include cutting off the vehicle's engine or putting it in neutral to coast on a roadway, tailgating or drafting larger vehicles, rolling through stop signs and driving at erratic and unsafe speeds. "These practices can put motorists in a treacherous situation where they could lose power steering and brakes or be unable to react to quickly changing traffic conditions," Doney said.

[Agriv8r]

surely this is all made up....noone would entertain thoughts of actually doing these things....

[HummerHippy]

I'm not a fanatic...I dont think ...but I dont jack rabbit start, i'm pretty even on the gas, I look ahead, I try to stay below 70 on the highway, and I get 20mpg in my H3. I dont do any drafting!

[3Hummer]

lets see i do that neutral thing if i see a stop light ahead and what not, i use cruise control ALL THE TIME, i tend to follow the speed limit, and im very light on the as while accelerating, and i get average about 16 mpgs in my h3, not bad considering hte estimated 14 city and most of my driving is city, also my friends got a 3, hardly gets abotu 14.5 mpg's

[Albie]

you know i slap my big guy into N every once in a while when heading down to the strip... its all down hill..

[HumminNBoatin']

I would love to see someone try and hypermile an H2. I can see it now a guy jumping out of his H2 at a stop light get his 6500# + H2 moving at a jogging pace before leaping into it and running himself over.

I think this guy was trying to Hypermile and be cool about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9fQUGJyUjQ

[Big Z]

Originally Posted by Albie

you know i slap my big guy into N every once in a while when heading down to the strip... its all down hill..

Just courious Does P-Town have a couple Seemore's, and how many times you seen my rig runnin around??

And, if it's the same hill, HELL, that's a 80MPH idle down!!

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Big Z

Just courious Does P-Town have a couple Seemore's, and how many times you seen my rig runnin around??

And, if it's the same hill, HELL, that's a 80MPH idle down!!

LOL I dont live in Pasadena anymore.. But i used to come down LAKE on my Bike @ around 45mph...

[johndjmix1]

Ive said it before....if you set the cruise at 55, on the highway....you will get 15mpg.

--John

[Yetti]

Originally Posted by HumminNBoatin'

I would love to see someone try and hypermile an H2. I can see it now a guy jumping out of his H2 at a stop light get his 6500# + H2 moving at a jogging pace before leaping into it and running himself over.

I think this guy was trying to Hypermile and be cool about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9fQUGJyUjQ

I don't think you understand much about hyper miling. the trick is the vehicle must get good economy when wind resitance is removed. the idea here is that H3 & H2 suck fuel sitting still. add the fact your fling down the road in a very large brick and your pretty much screwed.

[HummerJim]

Like almost all of us, my H2 is not my only car and I really don't care whether it gets 9 or 15 mpg. I bought it for the fun factor, getting through snow on country unplowed roads, and occassional use offroading. I would be miserable in a Toyota RAV 4 with my 6 ft 5 frame and the last reason I bought my Hummer was for its mileage. Happy 4th weekend to all!

[Big Z]

Originally Posted by Albie

LOL I dont live in Pasadena anymore.. But i used to come down LAKE on my Bike @ around 45mph...

I was Thinking the P- town, 60 miles from Vegas

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Big Z

I was Thinking the P- town, 60 miles from Vegas

LOL i got ya.... I was just there last week showing a house... Man that place sucks but it has grown alot. They have a walmart with Condoms on sales... got fig...lol

[Albie]

Originally Posted by HummerJim

Like almost all of us, my H2 is not my only car and I really don't care whether it gets 9 or 15 mpg. I bought it for the fun factor,

I concur with the FUN factor.... but i do get 18.5mpg going 48mph...

[Mike Van]

About 3 years before buying my H3, I purchased a Prius and got very involved in hypermiling. In my 2003 Prius, my best milage was 76 mpg over a tank of gas. Now, I was on a road trip and a lot of that was downhill, but hey, it was still pretty high.

So, I got my H3 in 2006, and when I got it, I calculated that it had the best MPG and DPM (dollars per mile) of all other cars in its class. The MPG was pretty straightforward. But, the DPM was what really sold me. The fact that the H3 uses 87 octane gas, and most other vehicles in that class use high or medium octane gas, mean each tank is cheaper. Combined with the good mileage, I felt I was getting a pretty "green" vehicle.

Fast forward 5 years, and my initial thoughts were correct. Of all non-hybrid vehicles in the H3's class, the H3 has proven to be the "greenest" alternative.

Regarding hypermiling techniques, there are a couple "legal" ones that apply to the H3.

Pump and Glide

The pump and glide technique is where you accellerate to a speed just above the listed MPH and then coast. In hybrids like the Prius, while coasting you can effectively put the vehicle in neutral by slightly pressing the gas pedal. This results in a greatly decreased mechanical drag from the drive-train, and allows the glide to be longer. Additionally, hybrid's aerodynamics and more concentrated weight due to the large batteries result in long "glides". In practice, this is not the same with the H3. The pump-and-glide technique in the H3 results in a lower MPG than using the cruise control.

All of the Other "glide" techniques

As with the pump and glide, all of the glide techniques only work if your glide path is long, your vehicle is good aerodynamics and you can greatly reduce the mechanical drag by putting the vehicle in a quasi-neutral state. The only time a "glide" technique will improve your H3's fuel efficiency, is if it is done over a long decline in the road.

Don't use the Illegal Techniques

Listen, there's a reason we have the Darwin Awards, because stupid people do stupid things like the illegal hypermiling techniques. Just don't do them, and if you do, I welcome your addition to the Darwin Awards.

Techniques that Work

Early on in the hypermiling world, the simplest thing folks could do to improve thier mileage was to use cruise-control. Then, when the benefits of aerodynamics and having the power-train turn itself off automatically arose, the glide techniques started to dominate the hypermiling community. For us, the H3 drivers, the original message is the same, put your vehicle in cruise control and keep it there where it makes sense and is save.

Stay off the brakes. On non-hybrids, whenever you use the brakes you are wasting kinetic energy. Get used to stopping acceleration a couple hundred yards (meters) prior to a stop, and coast in. If someone gets all whiny and cuts you off, then hit the brakes.

Defeat the caterpillar. A major waste of gas in urban areas is the constant accelleration and decellaration required when you are in a traffic jam. Instead, try getting in the slow lane and settling on one speed. It should be slow enough that you can "coast" between decellarations, but fast enough that you can keep up with other vehicles. I usually try to stay about 200 yards at most from the next closest vehicle when trying this technique. Remember, the goal is to reduce accelleration and braking to as little as possible.

Steady. Find a mileage rate and stick to it, the slower the better. Do you really need to go 70 MPG? Try setting cruise control for 65 for a while. Your milage will improve and you'll get there in very nearly the same amount of time.

[Mike Van]

Using the above techniques, I was able to average 22.3 MPG on a trip from Washington, DC to North Carolina. I'm certain I was doing as well as 30 MPG in NC, but once I hit traffic in VA, my MPG dropped greatly. In any case, if you want to squeeze the miles out of your hummer, the above post should help you out.

Originally Posted by Mike Van

About 3 years before buying my H3, I purchased a Prius and got very involved in hypermiling. In my 2003 Prius, my best milage was 76 mpg over a tank of gas. Now, I was on a road trip and a lot of that was downhill, but hey, it was still pretty high.

So, I got my H3 in 2006, and when I got it, I calculated that it had the best MPG and DPM (dollars per mile) of all other cars in its class. The MPG was pretty straightforward. But, the DPM was what really sold me. The fact that the H3 uses 87 octane gas, and most other vehicles in that class use high or medium octane gas, mean each tank is cheaper. Combined with the good mileage, I felt I was getting a pretty "green" vehicle.

Fast forward 5 years, and my initial thoughts were correct. Of all non-hybrid vehicles in the H3's class, the H3 has proven to be the "greenest" alternative.

Regarding hypermiling techniques, there are a couple "legal" ones that apply to the H3.

Pump and Glide

The pump and glide technique is where you accellerate to a speed just above the listed MPH and then coast. In hybrids like the Prius, while coasting you can effectively put the vehicle in neutral by slightly pressing the gas pedal. This results in a greatly decreased mechanical drag from the drive-train, and allows the glide to be longer. Additionally, hybrid's aerodynamics and more concentrated weight due to the large batteries result in long "glides". In practice, this is not the same with the H3. The pump-and-glide technique in the H3 results in a lower MPG than using the cruise control.

All of the Other "glide" techniques

As with the pump and glide, all of the glide techniques only work if your glide path is long, your vehicle is good aerodynamics and you can greatly reduce the mechanical drag by putting the vehicle in a quasi-neutral state. The only time a "glide" technique will improve your H3's fuel efficiency, is if it is done over a long decline in the road.

Don't use the Illegal Techniques

Listen, there's a reason we have the Darwin Awards, because stupid people do stupid things like the illegal hypermiling techniques. Just don't do them, and if you do, I welcome your addition to the Darwin Awards.

Techniques that Work

Early on in the hypermiling world, the simplest thing folks could do to improve thier mileage was to use cruise-control. Then, when the benefits of aerodynamics and having the power-train turn itself off automatically arose, the glide techniques started to dominate the hypermiling community. For us, the H3 drivers, the original message is the same, put your vehicle in cruise control and keep it there where it makes sense and is save.

Stay off the brakes. On non-hybrids, whenever you use the brakes you are wasting kinetic energy. Get used to stopping acceleration a couple hundred yards (meters) prior to a stop, and coast in. If someone gets all whiny and cuts you off, then hit the brakes.

Defeat the caterpillar. A major waste of gas in urban areas is the constant accelleration and decellaration required when you are in a traffic jam. Instead, try getting in the slow lane and settling on one speed. It should be slow enough that you can "coast" between decellarations, but fast enough that you can keep up with other vehicles. I usually try to stay about 200 yards at most from the next closest vehicle when trying this technique. Remember, the goal is to reduce accelleration and braking to as little as possible.

Steady. Find a mileage rate and stick to it, the slower the better. Do you really need to go 70 MPG? Try setting cruise control for 65 for a while. Your milage will improve and you'll get there in very nearly the same amount of time.