Tailgaters - How to hypermile?

You might consider doing some route-planning.

Use Google to map your daily commute and investigate alternate routes:

Key changes, especially important for our NHW11, 2003 Prius:

1. 25 mph extended neighborhood warm-up - this allows the ICE to reach operating temperature and vehicle hybrid mode (called S-4 warm-up) before putting a serious demand on the engine and burning extra fuel. I often shift into "N" to further minimize the warm-up cost.
2. 40 mph access road instead of 50 mph main divided road - this keeps the car in hybrid mode speed range so the engine can shutoff when possible. Tailgaters typically shoot for the 50 mph, main road so there is no problem.
3. look for slow trucks and pickups with trailers to follow, not tailgate - even the 50 mph, divided highway will have some slow trucks so find them and follow. The tailgaters will see the trucks and pickups and pass both you and them.
4. take the short cut - don't worry about lights or slow speeds since that is close to 'hybrid heaven.'
5. take a slow route the last mile or so, 30 mph - this lets the traction battery energy get used instead of self-discharged.

After a while, you'll start to see patterns that can be exploited but in some cases you'll find a passive-aggressive driver who will stick in the slow lane yet tailgate (often while talking on hand-held cell phone!) In these cases, I'll pull over into the next lane, they will accelerate to pass on the wrong side, and then pull back into the slow lane. But mostly, disconnect the ego from the wheels and traffic.

The folks over at CleanMPG have a lot more experience with this and even more extensive forms of this style of driving . . . if you have more interest. My interests are more oriented to the vehicle characteristics and an easy commute.

Bob Wilson

 

I normally slow down and force them to pass... Yea, they hate me, but geez, I'm doing 5 over in the slow lane, they put a steering wheel and accelerator in those gas guzzling SUVs for a reason, to pass eco-friendly hybrids!

 

If you're in the slow lane, don't feel obligated to go over the speed limit. In fact, don't feel obligated to go the speed limit at all..... It's funny to see someone in a gas guzzler get all agitated, go zooming around me, and speed ahead -- only to end up right in front of me at the next red light anyway! Because I drive at a steady speed whenever possible, with little stopping and starting ("timing" the traffic lights), the impatient short-sighted types often get where we're going no faster than I do, yet they're wasting their gas money and polluting the air more while doing it. Brilliant.

 

Yes, it's just natural that EGO maniacs hate ECO maniacs. There's no way you can please all of them. As long as you're not pissing off everybody on the road, I wouldn't worry about 1 or 2 crazy tailgaters in the slow lane. They'll do the same no matter what you do. If you speed up like they do they'll think you're challenging them for a street race! Yes, I consider them mental.

These tailgaters are hiding behind their machines and lashing out to the rest of world for their own psychological problems. Just avoid any confrontation with them. You don't want to confront a mental patient wielding a knife, do you?

 

The above are all great tips, but at some point you will decide to just drive normally and prudently with your Prius. I have made one change though - I do stay to the right as much as possible as there are "Prius haters" out there. Do not provoke them so as one member said, stay at or slightly above the limit. As long as you stay in the ECO range of the HSI, you are conserving fuel and long coasting with gentle braking to stop will regenerate power to the HV battery. Keep in mind your CONS indication is about 3% optimistic so subtract about 2 to 3 mpg in your mind from it. Even if you only average 44 to 45 mpg (summer driving) you are still doing better than every other car out there!
Welcome to the group.

 

Question: how slow do you successful hypermilers try glide to? 20mph? 15? 10? 5?

 

On another note, I myself gave up trying my best to obtain "the best" (60-70) mpg possible driving the Prius like playing a game to score the top most points, and yet having to live in fear of tailgaters constantly.

I'd rather drive "normally" like any other car on the road, avoid most tailgaters (cause there's no need to tailgate me, except for those maniacs), and still gets 57 mpg average. I feel like I'm having the cake (although a smaller cake) and eating it too. I'm happy.

I always set it to PWR mode, speed up to traffic speed quite quickly (sometimes I even surprised myself), set it to cruise control (some members prefer feathering the gas paddle but it's a personal choice. I just feel that using CC is a lot more relaxing), and anticipate way ahead for traffic stoppage and set it to neutral gliding for a long distance as possible. Faster travelling speed allows longer neutral (0 gas consumption) gliding. I keep a longer distance beteen myself and the car in front to allow ample time for me to glide it if traffic situation allows. (but not too much distance that it might trigger those behind me to tailgate and swerve around me to fill the gap angrily.)

The main thing is that it's ok to step on it for a crisp accelaration. It's just not good to keep stepping on it and brake hard just a few yards before the red light.

Happy Priusing.

 

For me, whose "hypermiling techniques" might be considered as half-assed by the best, I never glide to any speed perceptably way slower than the traffic flow. Nobody really notice I'm hypermiling at all.

 

I normally drive faster than average traffic and make a point of not obstructing traffic. There is still the occasional tailgater though.

Like you say, slowing down does work. There is an art to doing it with class. Just do slow down gradually and act completely clueless, that way the tailgater feels superior to you instead of challenged by you like when some passive-aggressive wanker does a brake check on a tailgater.

 

Some good ideas here. I especially like the "slowing down as if distracted, or disabled" approach. As said, it defuses the confrontational aspect some of these "glands behind a wheel" seem to be looking for.

I usually lean over in my seat, like I'm trying to put a pacifier into a baby's mouth, maybe weave just little, just to emphasize the point they'd be better off going around than looking for a place to rub horns with someone.

If I'm on a two-lane blacktop, I try to keep speed to at least the posted maximum, and will even go a few over to try to accommodate the rushing herd...

 

When I was riding a motorcycle I would start to wander around in my lane like I didn't know what I was doing when tailgated. About 50% of the time the tailgater would back off.

A lot of tailgating isn't malicious, it's just lack of awareness, running on auto-pilot on a commute they are sick of.

 

Hi All,

Hypermiling in a metropolitan area acan be likened as the "Search for Anti-Traffic". Adjusting ones routes, and hitting lights just right, one can be alone on the road, until one hits a red light. Even though there are thosands of cars on the roads around you.

 

I think there is a Haiku in there if you shorten it enough.

anti-traffic route
time the signal lights just right
alone on the road

 

That reminds me of the time my employer sent me to Michigan for 4 months. You could have a 1/2 mile of open road between cities and cars always traveled in at least pairs, one right behind the other like a dog checking out another dog.

 

Perhaps Robert Frost:
The famous poem The Road Less Traveled by Robert Frost

Robert Frost

 

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

-- Yogi Bera

 

Keep in mind that in some states... there are no officially designated slow/passing lanes. And hypermiling doesn't mean you have to drive below the speed limit; it's also a trick of using your accelerator only when needed.

But I just enjoy my Prius without trying to suck out that last mileage drop. On today's roads, there is just too much risk of others texting/talking on a phone/zoned out to music, and coming up waaaay to fast on your bumper.... BAM!