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Show HERALD DAILY A6 Wednesday. May 30, 2007 'Hypermiler' drivers try to squeeze every mile out of gas Chris LWtliams ',';( AT 1 The passion that burns in Laurie With isn't visible until she gets behind the wheel of and 436Ftfonda Civic hybrid drives real slow. She accelerates gently when the light turns green, and coasts down hills to save gas. On highways, she stays in the right lane and watches the big SUVs zoom past. "When I see someone roar past me, I think, 'They just used enough gas to last me a week,' " she said. She ispartof a small and extremely dedicated group of drivers around the country who call themselves "hypermil-ers.- " They almost exclusively drive hybrid vehicles, and their goal is simple: squeeze every mile they can out of each drop of gas. Some of their tips are a matter of common sense and could help any driver, especially now, with gas climbing past $3 a gallon; avoiding jackrabbit starts, using alternate routes to avoid fic, anticipating lights and driving a bit more slowly. But those are just a start. Hypermilefs-slight- a Web site dedicated to high mileage (wwwxleanmpg.com) an'd claims to have coined the term hypermiling, lists a variety of other techniques: I Parking on the highest lj TarmgTowara flate their tires to cut rolling resistance, seize every chance to coast with their gasoline engines off, and sometimes "draft" like race cars. Some of these techniques can be dangerous, and some cannot even be done in certain conventional automobiles. Chuck Thomas, a the exit, in order to let gravity do the work of getting the car moving. I Drafting off the rear right corner of a tractor-traile- r to reduce wind resistance while still allowing the rig's driver to see you. Gerdes recommends following the truck at a gap of about one second; drafting any closer yields computer programmer from gas Lewisville, Texas, milks his mileage but is too dangerous,, hybrid Honda Insight for about he says. 75 miles per gallon, 10 more I Using "pulse and glide," than the government estimate where the dxijfer.acceJerates for the vehicle in mixed above the speed limit, then shuts the gasoline engine down driving. "1 do as few accelerations and glides to a speed below and brakings as possible to get the limit. It is fairly easy to do up to speed and maintain it," he with a hybrid, but in a said. He cruises a bit below the vehicle, it can be dangerous because power brakes may speed limit, avoids lane changes and coasts to red lights. not work and some automatic transmissions won't Way ne Gerdes, who runs at highway speeds. In a vehicle, without a lot of practice, "you can wind up killing somebody," Gerdes says. (It's also illegal in lots of places.) Kurt Antonius, a spokesman for Honda Motor Co., said the gas-onl- y gas-onl- y Recycle Your Used Oil Non-Busine- ss for FREE ! company shares hypermilers' enthusiasm for high mileage but cannot endorse some of their techniques. "It may be great on the racetrack to do drafting, but not on the highway," he said. Similarly, Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson ap- - plauded the hypermilers' goals but said that drafting less than three seconds behind tractor-trailer- s and shutting down a traditional engine while driving sound too dangerous. None of that dampens hypermilers' enthusiasm. On Web sites like Gerdes's and on displays. On a sunny spring day in Sauk Rapids, Minn., With was SIEMENS 311 happy to demonstrate her high Utah County Used Oil Collection Centers Save $.25 per foot on traditional curbing ' Edison Stanford PS,, .ti. -- Hearing Center ! iJ VISA Save $.50 per foot on color stamped and textured When you install a minimum of SO feet. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Available profiles: Department of Environmental OiMftty Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste Press mileage techniques. Hypermiling, it turns out, looks an awful lot like Sunday driving. "You see a httle more," she said as a playground slid past. The dashboard readout showed 59 mpg on a car the EPA estimates should get 47 in driving. With a rural highway nearly to herself, she let the car glide well below the 50 mph speed limit. "No one's behind me, so, eh," she said with a shrug. The dashboard readout never dipped below 57 mpg. Get your Curbing free bid today! Please drop off used oil ONLY during normal business hours and DON T mix it with any other substances such as paint, solvents, or antifreeze! Limited to 5 gallons per visit. Associated T Utah NAPA Auto Parts, Orerrf Goshen Transfer Station Orem City Public Works The Pep Boys, Ofern- So. Valley Solid Waste, Springville Payson Auto Supply NAPA and participating Autoiones, Checker Auto Parts, Jiffy Lubes, t Tire 4 tube Expresses and www.hazardouswaste JIM MONE part of a small dedicated groupof people around the country calling themselves "hypermilers." www.greenhybrid.com, they share tales of achievement, backed by photos of mileage ' Sea - - Laurie With, shown by her Honda Civic hybrid in Sauk Rapids, Minn., is 225-CUR- B 2 I Be sure to visit our website. 8 2 7 www.utahcurbing.com tJub utart.gov the Daily Herald, the No. 1 source of local information in central Utah. Make a difference in Utah Valley by joining We are now part of the nation's newspaper group, and we offer terrific benefits, including health insurance, 401k, stock purchase plan, generous vacation and more. It's a great place to work. Iff V I fourth-large- ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE excellent ..commission program. 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