HYPERMILING UPDATE

21.2 and 21.6 for the last couple tankfuls. 22 is proving elusive, but I have been less than religious in following the recommendations, viz.:

- Don't leave a bunch of junk in the car. Extra weight means lower gas mileage.
- Anticipate things. That green light you see a half-mile off will probably turn red by the time you get there. Start coasting now and not only will you miss the red light, it might turn green just as you reach it. That sky-blue Buick with the tissue box in the knitted cozy on the back dash isn't going to be opening up the throttle any time soon. Lock the cruise control on 45, turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. And so forth...

Watch this space for other ideas. They won't be terribly original or groundbreaking, but at 4 bucks a gallon, if you can goose your gas mileage by 3mpg on a 20-gallon tank, you just coaxed an extra 60 miles out of a tankful and for a ~20mpg car like mine that's twelve bucks.