Driving Tips from the World-Record MPG Driving Team
Shell recently sponsored John and Helen Taylor's Guinness World Record fuel-economy run. They literally drove around the globe, covering 18,000 miles through 25 countries, using only 344 gallons. That's an average fuel consumption of 52.3 mpg. Even though they set the record in a VW Golf, their driving techniques are useful for everyone.
"The Golfs are totally stock," says John Taylor. "Per Guinness rules, they have to be, and you can't cheat by running higher pressure in the tires or using tires other than those approved by the manufacturer. The filters are cleaned on the recommended schedule--not every evening. And while Shell provided the fuel for the entire trip, it's the same fuel as is commercially available."
So how did they get such good mileage?
They followed the normal vehicle-prep tips, paying special attention to the filters and tire pressure, not running the A/C, and so on. But more important was their driving technique. John says one key factor was to relax, get comfortable, slow down, and mentally prepare to drive smoothly. Accelerate slowly and shift up as early as possible without lugging the engine if you're driving a manual. For automatics, you just have to drive smoothly and slowly accelerate. Also anticipate stops and coast as much as possible before applying the brakes.
"Think of the way airliners fly their jets to conserve fuel," says Taylor. "They don't just take off and climb aggressively to cruise altitude. They climb to that altitude slowly. Then when it's time to descend, they start early and have an extended glide slope to the destination in order to use gravity to extend fuel efficiency."
One of the more surprising tips was to avoid using the heater in cold weather. The Taylors ran into severe cold and snow outside Modena, Italy. "We hit temperatures of 7.5 degrees C (approximately 19 degrees F) and had to switch to winter tires," says Taylor. "They give you enhanced grip, but that comes at a cost, because it creates drag and makes the engine work harder. Because of that, we were even more careful not to run the heater in the car.
"Using the heat from the engine to warm up the passenger compartment reduces fuel efficiency. So when we're undertaking a record attempt like this," explains the husband-and-wife team, "we put the fan at its lowest possible setting and put on as many layers as possible to stay comfortable."
To learn more about the Taylors' run, visit www.fuelchallenge.com.