Can Hypermiling Techniques Really Double Your Car's Fuel Efficiency? | MythBusters

MythBusters — S11 E7 "Hypermiling/Crash Cushions" — Aired June 12, 2013 Kari, Tory and Grant started by testing individual hypermiling techniques the show hadn't previously examined — slower highway speeds, smooth gentle acceleration and braking, and cutting the engine at red lights — finding each one produced roughly a 30 percent improvement on its own, and then combined every technique simultaneously including overinflated tires, no air conditioning, one side mirror removed, an aerodynamic skin fitted to the car, and legal drafting where possible, sending Kari and Grant in a new vehicle and Tory in a high-mileage older one through an identical course on active roads with a fixed three gallons of fuel in each tank, measuring how far each car traveled normally versus with every hypermiling modification applied to find out whether the gains compound enough to double efficiency or simply plateau somewhere frustratingly short of the claim. Subscribe so you never miss an experiment:    / @mythbusterstvshow   Using science as their weapon and curiosity as their fuel, Hollywood special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman spent 14 seasons and 296 episodes testing the world's most popular myths, urban legends, and movie moments. From the Diet Coke & Mentos explosion to surviving an underwater car escape — if it can be tested, they'll test it. #MythBusters #AdamSavage #ScienceExperiments