Hypermiling has been a big talk on a lot of social news sites (like digg). Its techniques do lead to better gas mileage, but sacrifice safety and vehicle longevity to do so. Turning the ignition off (think: no power brakes or power steering, and possibly no airbags) while drifting meters behind a semi on the highway? No thanks.

So, you won't find rules like "Don't drive in headwinds/crosswinds. Stay at home those days." And while compact cars do have higher MPGs than trucks and SUVs, your choice of vehicle is often influenced by your lifestyle, and I won't try and change your mind. (I personally drive a 4WD SUV for the cargo room and safety during Canadian winters.) I'd rather preach two simple rules to live by:

1. Drive Reasonably.

Don't get me wrong... I break these rules from time to time. But some rules that can easily be followed are:

• Accelerate at a reasonable pace. (Keeping the tachometer under 3000RPM is a rule of thumb.)


• Anticipate stops and slow down smoothly.


• Don't tailgate (see previous rule).


• Don't speed excessively (10km/h / 5MPH over the limit is plenty).


• Shift up as soon as you can (manual transmissions).


• Use overdrive on the highway (automatic transmissions).


• Use cruise on the highway (automatic and some manual transmissions).

2. Maintain your vehicle.

Whether you take it in to be serviced or do it yourself, follow your vehicle's maintenance schedule (check your owner's manual or buy a Haynes or Chilton's manual) . The most important is undoubtedly oil changes every 5000km / 3000mi / 3 months (longer with synthetic), but don't forget about all the other filters, fluids, and other replaceable components.

For one, a well-maintained vehicle will give better gas mileage. Even something as simple as maintaining the correct air pressure in your tires can make a 10% difference in your mileage.

But perhaps more importantly in the long run, the vehicle will have a much longer lifespan. It can be the difference between having to replace a vehicle after 7 years or 15 years. If you have to replace you vehicle twice as often, that's a lot of money to be throwing away that could have been saved with $250 of maintenance every year. And for the ecologically-minded, that's a lot of energy to be wasting in manufacturing two vehicles compared to one.