My daily commute: Hypermiling vs. Not

Damn PIP owners!

Is the mileage about the same? Mine is 49miles one way. I've always been curious how the PIP would do on my route. I really like them.

 

The average speed should be about 5mph since that is the only thing I changed and there were not man big rigs out which sometimes causes me to drop well below 60mph for a few miles. This can significantly change my mpg for that trip. My best afternoon commute was a result of being stuck behind several big rigs doing 55mph for a few miles while going up and over overpasses. That trip ended at 90mpg.

In the end, I consider the 5mph drop in speed part of my hypermiling technique. Because I don't have a lot of opportunities to pulse & glide on the freeway my two main techniques are reduced speed and gliding on overpasses. The other main difference is taking a parallel levee road so I can drive at 50-55mph instead of 60-70mph for about 3miles or so.

Because everyone's conditions vary considerably and hypermiling techniques are so personalized this was not meant to be a scientific experiment. It was just a way to see if taking a little extra time and putting in more effort was worth it. Even using my lower estimates I would say it is totally worth it given the large number of miles I drive each year.