"Hypermiling" Now this has just gotten ridiculous.

[hbarcat]

I've started seeing stories recently about hypermiling, which is the practice of using driving techniques designed to maximize fuel economy. It sounds perfectly reasonable to do this, and I practice this to a certain extent, myself, but it's being pushed to ridiculous extremes by some of its practitioners. I've been seeing people doing this on the highway around me and some of these nincompoops are seriously ******* me off with how far they're willing to go in order to eke out every last inch of road from their fuel!

Yesterday on the way to work, I caught up to a woman in a Prius who was only doing 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, and over the next few miles her speed would slowly creep up to about 50 mph when going on downhill grades and she would let her car slow down to about 30 mph on uphill grades. Then we passed through a small village where the speed limit is 40 mph for about a mile except for the school zone which is 20 mph when there are elementary kids going in and out of the building (which there were at the time). She drove right through the whole town at 45 mph so that she wouldn't have to use her brake.

When I caught up to her again she was letting her car coast to a stop at a stop sign starting from a mile away. After this, of course, she took over two miles of pavement to get up to 45 mph again. This is a busy highway with lots of traffic (dozens of cars were lined up behind me by this time) and it wasn't possible to pass her because of the steady stream of oncoming traffic. She was also hugging the inside radius of every curve, riding the shoulder on right hand curves and hugging the center line on left hand curves, once even driving in the left lane when there was a gap in oncoming traffic. After being stuck behind her for almost nine ******* miles, I was finally able to pass this smug jerk and I laid on the horn and flipped her off while yelling obscenities at her as I went by (which she ignored because I sure she's used to getting that all the time, by now). I also noticed how she had a giant dent in the back of her almost new Prius, which I assume she must have gotten when someone plowed into her from behind, not expecting her to be driving 25 mph less than the posted speed limit.

I want to point out that I'm not the type who gets easily aggravated by stupid things that I see other drivers do. I drive in the heavy traffic in the Chicago 'burbs to and from work five times a week and I'm perfectly happy ignoring all the obstructive driving, slow driving, dangerous driving and other boneheaded driving I see taking place all the time because it realize that it simply can't be helped in most cases and there's no use getting upset over it. But this is a brand new type of driving that is all types of bad driving rolled up into one; it's practitioners are obstructing other traffic by driving slowly and pretty much ignoring posted speed limits and driving erratically and dangerously at the same time. And they're doing it on purpose and encouraging more people to do it as well.

Hypermiling is a good idea taken to a ridiculous extreme and it is my plan to honk at, flip off, and yell at everyone whom I see doing it. If the kooks obsessed with fuel economy doing this get yelled at often enough, maybe they'll stop.

[MakiSupaStar]

You're putting way too much thought into that bird you should have given her.

[NJL]

this is why ride a little Kawasaki Ninja 250... i get great gas mileage..... HAULING ASS! LOL

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I've started seeing stories recently about hypermiling, which is the practice of using driving techniques designed to maximize fuel economy. It sounds perfectly reasonable to do this, and I practice this to a certain extent, myself, but it's being pushed to ridiculous extremes by some of its practitioners. I've been seeing people doing this on the highway around me and some of these nincompoops are seriously p****** me off with how far they're willing to go in order to eke out every last inch of road from their fuel!

Yesterday on the way to work, I caught up to a woman in a Prius who was only doing 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, and over the next few miles her speed would slowly creep up to about 50 mph when going on downhill grades and she would let her car slow down to about 30 mph on uphill grades. Then we passed through a small village where the speed limit is 40 mph for about a mile except for the school zone which is 20 mph when there are elementary kids going in and out of the building (which there were at the time). She drove right through the whole town at 45 mph so that she wouldn't have to use her brake.

When I caught up to her again she was letting her car coast to a stop at a stop sign starting from a mile away. After this, of course, she took over two miles of pavement to get up to 45 mph again. This is a busy highway with lots of traffic (dozens of cars were lined up behind me by this time) and it wasn't possible to pass her because of the steady stream of oncoming traffic. She was also hugging the inside radius of every curve, riding the shoulder on right hand curves and hugging the center line on left hand curves, once even driving in the left lane when there was a gap in oncoming traffic. After being stuck behind her for almost nine ******* miles, I was finally able to pass this smug jerk and I laid on the horn and flipped her off while yelling obscenities at her as I went by (which she ignored because I sure she's used to getting that all the time, by now). I also noticed how she had a giant dent in the back of her almost new Prius, which I assume she must have gotten when someone plowed into her from behind, not expecting her to be driving 25 mph less than the posted speed limit.

I want to point out that I'm not the type who gets easily aggravated by stupid things that I see other drivers do. I drive in the heavy traffic in the Chicago 'burbs to and from work five times a week and I'm perfectly happy ignoring all the obstructive driving, slow driving, dangerous driving and other boneheaded driving I see taking place all the time because it realize that it simply can't be helped in most cases and there's no use getting upset over it. But this is a brand new type of driving that is all types of bad driving rolled up into one; it's practitioners are obstructing other traffic by driving slowly and pretty much ignoring posted speed limits and driving erratically and dangerously at the same time. And they're doing it on purpose and encouraging more people to do it as well.

Hypermiling is a good idea taken to a ridiculous extreme and it is my plan to honk at, flip off, and yell at everyone whom I see doing it. If the kooks obsessed with fuel economy doing this get yelled at often enough, maybe they'll stop.

This is the first that I have heard of it, but it sounds really stupid. Really, how much money are you going to save? $3 in a week? Not to mention that gas prices in the US aren't actually that high and she is driving one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road.

lowsound

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by NJL

this is why ride a little Kawasaki Ninja 250... i get great gas mileage..... HAULING ASS! LOL

50 mpg doing 80 mph. Sounds good to me

lowsound

[NJL]

check out some of the Prius forums.. it's rather INTERESTING on some of the ways they get better gas mileage... one is driving like 40 in the passing lane. bastards!

[NJL]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

50 mpg doing 80 mph. Sounds good to me

lowsound

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by NJL

I really have to get another bike.

lowsound

[NJL]

dude, the classic 250's (as they are called now) are going for cheap used because everyone wants the new 250 (2008) that almost looks like a zx6r..

i remember people were laughing at me cause i got a "small" bike... who's laughing now. LOL

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by NJL

dude, the classic 250's (as they are called now) are going for cheap used because everyone wants the new 250 (2008) that almost looks like a zx6r..

i remember people were laughing at me cause i got a "small" bike... who's laughing now. LOL

There is one on ebay with a $1300 BIN with 62 miles on it. NOT a typo. I am thinking of snatching it up. Has a bent fork, but comes with the replacement. It would take me maybe two hours to do the work. A good friend of mine just bought one of the new 2008's, I can't wait until the snow melts so I can ride it.

lowsound

[Basshole]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Yesterday on the way to work, I caught up to a woman in a Prius...

Wow, you showed considerable restraint in not executing the pitt maneuver, and putting her into some hedges.

Some people should ride the bus.

[Basshole]

Hey guys...I have an EX250 myself. I love small bikes. If you know how to ride, anything else is overkill for the street anyway - the damn thing does 115. How fast do you need to go on the road?

[syciprider]

Caltrops.

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by Basshole

Hey guys...I have an EX250 myself. I love small bikes. If you know how to ride, anything else is overkill for the street anyway - the damn thing does 115. How fast do you need to go on the road?

If you get stuck behind someone in a Prius, only about 50.

[NJL]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

If you get stuck behind someone in a Prius, only about 50.

LOL

No kidding

[Bryan316]

This is why I welded up teeth for the front of my truck.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

If you get stuck behind someone in a Prius, only about 50.

It is a small motorcycle, split some lanes.

lowsound

[seventhson]

I used to do this as a teenager, but it was a necessity because my car was always on empty LOL.

[seventhson]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

It is a small motorcycle, split some lanes.

i loved to lane split in rush hour traffic in CA. it seems to be against the law in WA as I've never seen it done here.

[metalstorm]

Well eventually the traffic violation tickets she gets will negate the savings... we can only hope