Created: 6/27/2008 7:40:37 PM 
Greensboro, NC - Get more gas mileage for your money. A NC A&T professor says hypermiling increases your mileage and decrease your trips to the pump.
Dr. Leonard Utienham limits how often he accelerates his engine and increases his gas mileage by shutting of his car when it idles over 30 seconds. He says changing his driving habits, gives him 10 percent more miles per gallon.
"The technique helps," he said. "You can squeeze out more miles per gallon than what the official EPA mileage says. If you get a car that gets 20 mpg and you do some hypermiling techniques I would say you could get 22 miles per gallon. The 10 percent increase doesn't sound like much but over time that adds up," said Utienham.
Hypermiling is a lifestyle change and takes some getting used to, but if you do it consistently, Utienham says it works. Here's how to do it.
Coast, don't speed. Limit the number of times you accelerate your engine. Avoid left turns. Waiting in traffic wastes gas. On the same note, turn off your engine when you idle your car 30 seconds or more. Get gas in the morning or on cool days. That's when the vapor pressure is low and you don't have as much gas being lost to the atmosphere. Lastly, use your air conditioning on the highway and your windows on local roads. A-C puts an additional drag on your engine. At highway speeds your engine is already working hard so it doesn't make a difference.
WFMY News 2
