GasBuddy Blog

Message Forum - Read Message

Category: Fuel Economy > Topics	Add to favorite topics Post New Topic

Author	Topic: Hills > Fuel economy	Post a Reply Back to Topics

feeblegenius Rookie Author Connecticut Posts:10 Points:12,205 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Oct 3, 2012 6:45:34 PM Ignore feeblegenius Report Abuse What are the best fuel economy tactics when traversing lots of hills?

feeblegenius

Rookie Author
Connecticut

Posts:10
Points:12,205
Joined:Oct 2012

Message Posted: Oct 3, 2012 6:45:34 PM

Ignore feeblegenius Report Abuse

What are the best fuel economy tactics when traversing lots of hills?

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

GrumpyCat Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,752 Points:809,895 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Feb 13, 2013 12:08:19 AM Ignore GrumpyCat Report Abuse The thing about climbing hills is to avoid the highest power output from your engine which occurs near the top of the hill. High HP is less efficient per HP than that at lower outputs. So rather than race the engine up the hill let it come down the preceding hill a bit faster, hit the hill a bit faster with a bit more power than one would use on the flat. Pick a power output at the bottom and hold it all the way up. Let the vehicle slow, but not so much as to obstruct. Hitting the hill faster stores energy as inertia.
WTM Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:5,540 Points:967,675 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Feb 12, 2013 9:53:16 PM Ignore WTM Report Abuse jrferrari wrote:"Accelerate before the hill, maintain going up the hill, slow as you crest the hill, and drift down the other side." Well said, I do this everyday.
eccerr0r Champion Author Fort Collins Posts:1,030 Points:616,420 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 2:40:22 PM Ignore eccerr0r Report Abuse Yes, the idea is to conserve as much energy as possible. If you have to go up one hill and down the other side and there's no more up traveling after that one hill, it doesn't matter if you burn the brakes and go down slowly or if you zip down very fast. By the end of that hill, you have to lose all that potential energy else you'll crash. However the ideal case when going up and down on several hills is to not use brakes when you can, and use the speed you acquire from going down a hill to go up the next. Of course this may end up making you reach unsafe speeds so you have to stop that... Just going up hills is a different story, this is dependent on your car much like driving on flat roads. There is a sweet "speed" spot somewhere and it differs from car to car - where driving slower or faster would not be as fuel efficient...
beachd8 All-Star Author Orange County Posts:868 Points:139,120 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 11:30:20 AM Ignore beachd8 Report Abuse Not much elevation change here. If I'm in hills, then I'm not usually in much traffic, so I'm using cruise control.
jrferrari All-Star Author Orlando Posts:652 Points:172,590 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 11:01:03 AM Ignore jrferrari Report Abuse Accelerate before the hill, maintain going up the hill, slow as you crest the hill, and drift down the other side.
Gary9696 Champion Author Detroit Posts:1,254 Points:255,480 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jan 19, 2013 11:26:39 PM Ignore Gary9696 Report Abuse Put your cruise control on 65 - 68mph, and each time you go down hill it will not use any fuel since that is the way modern vehicles operate with the computers, and fuel injection. If you don't believe it try it.
BlueberryFocus All-Star Author Rochester Posts:553 Points:129,510 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Jan 19, 2013 11:18:42 PM Ignore BlueberryFocus Report Abuse Like many have said already, speed up going downhill allowing gravity to help increase your speed and then allow your gained speed to slowly scrub off as you climb the next hill.
traffic cop Champion Author Boston Posts:1,349 Points:558,960 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 8:53:02 PM Ignore traffic cop Report Abuse Houckster and several posters are right: Fast on the downhill, exploit that on the incline. But watch out for smokeys* when you're pushing the speedometer going down! Also: avoid having to gain speed on the uphills, if possible. *For the occasional ignorami on these boards, a "smokey" is truckers' parlance for a state trooper, so named because of his hat.
sarasotasingle Sophomore Author Sarasota Posts:243 Points:256,790 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 12:24:29 PM Ignore sarasotasingle Report Abuse NO CRUISE CONTROL
gvan Champion Author Chicago Posts:21,749 Points:2,863,015 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 12:13:58 PM Ignore gvan Report Abuse "The best way to get the best fuel efficiency is to pick up speed on the downhills runs when it's safe to do so and surrender the additional speed on the ensuing climb. This is what the truckers do." Good advice but I'm not sure truckers have a choice. I think they do it to keep from significantly dropping speed on the uphill portion especially if they are running at 70-80,000 pounds.
BUSSY Champion Author Dallas Posts:10,040 Points:1,564,215 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Dec 29, 2012 11:48:27 AM Ignore BUSSY Report Abuse slow and steady
moregas1966 All-Star Author Columbus Posts:820 Points:163,130 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Dec 29, 2012 10:18:41 AM Ignore moregas1966 Report Abuse drive slow
WEPSMAN Champion Author South Dakota Posts:10,604 Points:2,048,050 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Dec 29, 2012 9:41:14 AM Ignore WEPSMAN Report Abuse Take your time and do not try and speed up the hills. Let gravity help.
JasTheAce Champion Author Raleigh Posts:1,105 Points:199,060 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Dec 28, 2012 5:20:31 PM Ignore JasTheAce Report Abuse don't tow a boat
golfer7332 Sophomore Author Toronto Posts:207 Points:84,260 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Nov 18, 2012 8:27:23 PM Ignore golfer7332 Report Abuse Blueberry says it best and don't use cruise control
BlueberryFocus All-Star Author Rochester Posts:553 Points:129,510 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Oct 22, 2012 11:31:21 AM Ignore BlueberryFocus Report Abuse Ride the terrain - pick up speed going down hill, and scrub it off going uphill by holding the throttle constant.
Banjoe Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:4,454 Points:640,620 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Oct 22, 2012 11:08:12 AM Ignore Banjoe Report Abuse As usual, I'm with OceanArcher on the hill climbing approach.
Maintroll Champion Author Lexington Posts:8,769 Points:1,729,860 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Oct 22, 2012 9:50:45 AM Ignore Maintroll Report Abuse Don't use your cruise control and if pulling a trailer, don't have the vehicle in overdrive.
OceanArcher Champion Author Mississippi Posts:5,838 Points:1,354,125 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Oct 21, 2012 9:39:29 AM Ignore OceanArcher Report Abuse I agree, constant throttle will be more frugal than constant speed. Only problem, the variation in your speed will upset the more aggressive drivers, so be sure to stay in the right hand lane and outa trouble ...
cheapmonkee Champion Author Portland Posts:30,482 Points:3,198,135 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Oct 20, 2012 1:45:14 PM Ignore cheapmonkee Report Abuse Yes, I think locking out OD climbing steep grades is beneficial many times and my MPG results would agree.
Crapulent Sophomore Author Mississippi Posts:201 Points:54,200 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Oct 20, 2012 1:32:45 PM Ignore Crapulent Report Abuse Houckster is exactly right. I have achieved all my best mileage readings that way, constant throttle rather than constant speed, which is just counterproductive. I can't imagine why you'd want to kill overdrive. Maybe the poster meant kill cruise control?
DanFMA Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:1,246 Points:1,099,210 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Oct 20, 2012 9:36:15 AM Ignore DanFMA Report Abuse Take the transmission out of overdrive.
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,407 Points:695,200 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Oct 5, 2012 11:11:58 AM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse The best way to get the best fuel efficiency is to pick up speed on the downhills runs when it's safe to do so and surrender the additional speed on the ensuing climb. This is what the truckers do.