Do the hyper-miler tricks for hybrids work on normal gas cars (i.e. they say to floor the gas on takeoff)?

Question

and then shift it into 5 gear as quickly as possible once you reach the speed you want to be going.

Is it a good thing to be in 5th though if you're only going 35 mph?

Where as traditionally, I've heard you can get better gas milage by accellerating as slowly as possible.

Answer 1

Modern cars with fuel injection change the rules a bit. Ideally, you want to keep the engine running at it's peak power band in regards to economy and efficiency as well. Gas engines are not volumetrically efficient at low speeds nor at high speeds....the optimum economy is achieved by accelerating briskly to about 45 mph and staying there. In a general way, anything lower is not efficient and anything higher puts exponentially more drag on the car to overcome. It's also based on how the engine and other components were engineered to stay in a certain range of driving parameters for the optimal economy. We could start discussing volumetric efficiency and coefficient of drag and get into all sorts of mathematical equations based on air density, wind, C.D., friction losses and such but it all boils down to general rules and real world driving and testing for individual cars and engines.
Hybrids are somewhat different in that they run off electric power and gas under different loads and conditions so maximizing economy for them will differ with driving methods than on gas alone.
5th gear is not always best if it strains the engine or keeps it out of it's optimum power band for best efficiency.

Answer 2

Whoever your 'trick' artist is has a mine of his own.....
Hybrids don't work that way.... I've been testing them for years, and will guaranty his mileage is in the tank along with his mind...
Your correct, in the perfect world, accelerating slowly will give the best mileage. But don't lug the engine down by upshift too quickly.. with todays overdrives it takes more fuel for the engine to try to maintain 35 mph in 5-6 gear than in 4th.

Answer 3

anytime you are flooring the car, you have the throttle wide open. That means you are dumping the maximum amount of gas that the engine can handle into the engine. 5th gear and 35 mph is a bad idea, you're going to most likely damage the engine. It'll chug really hard and make all sorts of crazy *** noises.