Existential Angst wrote:

"Jon Elson" wrote in message
...


Oh, for comparison, the "king of the hypermilers" Wayne Gerdes
was in a competition of hypermiling. He borrowed a stock
Insight from somebody in town, and ran the measured
course under supervision. He got ** 168 ** miles per gallon!

How was he able to do that????
6th gear at 20 mph??

I have NO idea! It starts to sound like the "uphill both ways
to school" story. But, part of it is NEVER, EVER using the brakes or
stopping, so it might be like the bike riders that never stop
for stop signs, etc.
http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/09/12/top-10-fuel-saving-tips-from-a-hypermiler-who-gets-180mpg-in-a-honda-insight/

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3404022&page=1
This one seems to say it wasn't Wayne but one of the other
competitors who did the 168 MPG.


It was also raining, which tends to hurt mileage, too.

I've noticed that myself, but thought it might have been my imagination.
Water vapor in the air displaces O2, compromises combustion?
I think it is the squishing of the water out under the tires
that wastes the energy. Kind of like a water dyno added to the
engine.

Jon