213 miles per gallon? Suburban man says no problem

Drivers today are hyper-stressed, what with paying hyper-fuel prices and commuting amid hyper-traffic.

What the world needs now, Wayne Gerdes claims, is a little hypermiling.

The Wadsworth car czar is driven to save motorists from their gas-guzzling, carbon-emitting ways. He uses techniques that for most of us are counterintuitive, such as going easy on the gas pedal and driving slowly in the right lane.

For someone who coasts to stop signs in neutral with a Zen-like calm, oblivious to the apoplectic guy in the BMW behind him, life's been a little frantic for Gerdes lately.

More Coverage Links MPG tips at Hypermiling.com

With gas prices averaging $4.25 a gallon in Cook County and $4.15 in the collar counties, Gerdes is a hot media commodity.

Last week, he squeezed me in for a hypermiling lesson just before rushing into Chicago to do a TV spot.

Actually, Gerdes, 45, doesn't believe in rushing.

"We're the turtles; they're the rabbits," he explains, tut-tutting at drivers accelerating to a red light.

Tire talk

Gerdes started his quest to reduce his dependence on the pump after Sept. 11, 2001. He believes Osama bin Laden had money to fund the attacks because Americans use so much gas.

Since then, Gerdes reached the lofty heights of 213 mpg in a Honda hybrid and 84 mpg in a Ford pickup.

My going-easy-on-the-gas session begins before we even hit the road.

First, Gerdes assesses my 2007 Toyota Corolla's tires and finds they are underinflated.

Lesson one: Low pressure can eat up fuel since flatter tires use up more energy to brake and accelerate.

"It's so easy to do," Gerdes says of monitoring your tires. "You can save 3 to 5 percent fuel economy and you haven't even turned the key."

He advises inflating using the pounds per square inch specifications on the tire sidewall, instead of the manufacturer's limit, posted on the doorjamb.

While the AAA recommends sticking to the manufacturer's specifications, Gerdes disagrees.

"I run my tires a lot higher than the max sidewall and there's 100,000 miles on them," he says.

'No reason to race'

To keep tabs on fuel consumption, Gerdes uses a ScanGauge, a portable computer that attaches to a car's onboard diagnostics port and calculates fuel economy, speed and gas consumed.

Gerdes has one big hypermiling advantage. His driveway's on a slope,

That means without turning an engine key, he can coast onto the street in neutral.

Not every surface is as cooperative as Gerdes' driveway, however.

Our goal on the day of my lesson is to hit the grocery, video and hardware store - a typical Saturday run - on fumes.

As we head toward a stop sign, Gerdes issues a stream of instructions. Instead of braking, I switch gears from drive to neutral, cut the engine, then turn it back a click. We glide into the stop, applying what Gerdes calls a "forced auto stop," an advanced method he doesn't recommend for novices.

Hypermiling, apparently, involves a little deprogramming for the typical motorist.

"There's no reason to race it," Gerdes says as we coast toward a red light.

"It takes an extra 15 seconds to glide versus accelerating," he says. "Is the 15 seconds worth it? Not when you're getting 130 mpg versus 20 like the rest of the people."

Once in the grocery parking lot, we pick a spot a distance from the store to avoid circling and idling the engine. The car is parked on a incline so we can use gravity instead of gas to exit.

The same theory applies at our other stops, where we amble at snaillike speeds, tapping the gas pedal only when it's essential and making some turns without braking to keep the momentum.

Other techniques include "driving with load" or refraining from pumping the gas pedal while driving on a hill and "fuel cut," which means switching into low gear while approaching stops.

Too hyper?

But when the rubber hits the road, how much fuel can you save?

Under Gerdes' tutelage, my original score of 28 mpg driving on busy suburban streets in a 2007 Toyota Corolla shot up to 42 mpg hypermiling. It was higher than 50 mpg on back roads. The car is rated an average of 33 mpg by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

While consumers trying to save a buck see the hypermiling light, there are critics - among them the AAA, which warns that some practitioners take saving gas to extremes.

Police caution that it's illegal to impede traffic by driving too slowly.

Advanced hypermiling techniques aren't to be taken lightly, says Gerdes, who offers advice on his Web site, CleanMPG.com, now his full-time job. But there are multiple ways to save gas and stay safe, he advocates.

"We promote following the rules of the road. That's something few people do," he says.

"By hypermiling you're just backing off and letting things happen. And, if you can save the guy behind you fuel, you're going to do it."

Gas-saving tips

Here are some ideas to help avoid pain at the pump.

bull; Avoid aggressive driving and speeding, which can decrease gas mileage by 5 to 33 percent.

bull;Empty out that crowded car. Excess junk in the trunk makes your vehicle less efficient.

bull;Keep your vehicle maintained. Checking air filters and tire pressure will pay off in the long run.

bull;Avoid using air-conditioning when possible.

bull;Don't accelerate to red lights; tailor your speed to approaching stops.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, AAA, Wayne Gerdes.