I’ve come across some new ways to improve gas mileage which I think are worthy of note.

There is an excellent blog post at http://gogreentravelgreen.com/the-extreme-hypermiling-guide-450-tips-to-increase-your-miles-per-gallon-and-save-gas/

Gas prices have reached $4.21 per gallon!!!

This blogger has compiled 450 tips he has found and read, about how to get better gas mileage.  Some of these tips even contradict themselves and some sound like a bit of a spoof.  Like wearing an ice-vest so that you don’t have to use your car’s air conditioning.

She has then filtered through to find the tips that she actually recommends.

Some of these are tips are things I have seen before and which have already been published on other blog posts.  But some are new.

Here are some new hypermiling tips and interesting ways to improve gas mileage.  (Later on, I too will probably combine all recommended tips into a compact blog post, bur for now, I just want to mention the new ones):

  1. Leave room in the front of your car to make it easier to break slowly.  This is the opposite of the life-threatening tailgating methods that some people use.
  2. Plan your route and cover many tasks at once.  This may have been mentioned before but in other terms.  The point is, don’t drive to the store to buy milk, then drive home, then drive to the video rental, then drive home, etc.  Try to plan your trips and cover everything in one minimum-mileage “errand tour.”
  3. Drive without shoes!  This is funny, but I used to do it anyway.  The point is that you can feel the gas pedal and the brake more easily and have better control.  And if it is a hot day, it will also help you stay cooler despite less air conditioning.
  4. Watch the crosswalk signs and lights so that you don’t brake at the last minute.
  5. Time your trips to the gas station to avoid long waits or excessive idling.
  6. Use a beaded seat cover to combat heat.  The increased airflow behind you helps and keeps you from sweating a lot where you have contact with the car seat.
  7. Listen to slow and calm music!  Fast music can make drivers feel like speeding around aggressively!  (This is such a funny tip, but true …)

These are a few new tips.  I am also noting another good blog post I found on the subject of hypermiling:

http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/trafexp.html

A very good post about stopping traffic waves and traffic jams, while driving.