I’ll be hypermiling my way to Bellingham tonight for a conference over the weekend, and then I’m on vacation next week. Unless Ed decides to hypermile next week (Hint, hint, Ed…I know you want to keep the blog going…), there won’t be any entries from me.

I went off and saved all that money on gas, so am I supposed to feel guilty now?

Apparently with people driving less, the state is worried that decreased fuel consumption means less gas-tax revenue for road works.

At first blush, sure, it seems like it could be a problem – and I’m no expert so I’ll say it could be.

But isn’t there another side? If people aren’t using roadways as much, shouldn’t there be a corresponding decrease in demand? Which would mean maybe we won’t need (at least as quickly) those costly road improvements?

This is obviously more complicated that I’ve mentioned here – and clearly isn’t something I’m an expert it – but it should be something worth keeping an eye on.

Speaking of saving fuel, which one do you think will get to San Francisco on one tank: A Toyota Prius or Volkswagen Jetta TDI (The D=diesel)

Let the “yeah, but” smackdowns begin. Or continue, really.

This whole dog and pony show is a stunt by Auburn Volkswagen with the intent, I’m assuming, to not sell more Priuses. Priui? Prii? (Plural of Prius, anyone?)

This adds a new dimension to the Interweb fights that usually ensue when you bookend “vs” with two car models in Google. (Try THIS ONE.)

While the example above has little to do with fuel efficiency, the Prius/TDI thing has been done before.

Not to be left out of the current debate, some Prius fan boys and girls get their say, too.

What this really means is that the Prius and TDI drivers have no right to complain if they hit a rough patch of road along Washington state highways.

Have you figured out yet that proper tire inflation is kind of an important element in this hypermiling journey?

I wasn’t aware of this, but hybrids usually come with low-rolling resistance tires.

Today, the Detroit News has a story about them.

Basically, the less flex and friction a tire causes, the more efficient it is, leading to better MPGs. (Also worse braking and off road performance.)

It makes sense. I’m into mountain biking, and rolling resistance along with tread pattern is a big concern when deciding what rubber to put on your hoops. If you’ve ever ridden a knobby-hoofed mountain bike on the street, versus one with slick tires, you know all about what rolling resistance does to efficiency.

And even if you won’t cough up the extra dough for low-rolling resistance tires, and can’t seem to find the time to keep your current tires inflated, you can always hope for some tweels.

So, I bet you’re wondering how I got 36 miles per gallon out of my trusty steed?

First, let me get something off my chest. I broke a promise.

Remember when I started this whole thing I mentioned not doing anything crazy or illegal?

I might have fudged a little on the second part…specifically the issue of coasting downhill in neutral.

Though, the legal cosmos are more than balanced because I rarely eclipsed the speed limit, which usually amounted to no more than five over. I went 65 on the highway once, but that was to pass an erratically driven truck.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating people break traffic laws, but my rationalization went something like this: What’s worse, knowing you’ve broken the law by driving 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit, or coasting down a few hills?

Plus, the allure of saving money when everything seems to get more expensive by the day was too much to ignore.

In fact, I got even more curious about the law prohibiting coasting in neutral. It was passed in 1965, and has never been amended. Jerry Sheehan, the director of the Legislative Information Center, was kind enough to see if his folks could dig up any info on why and how this law came to be. It’s so old, there might not be anything out there, but you never know.

Enough about that.

Now, for the other ways I saved:

Slow down. Go the speed limit.

Fill your tires. I filled my tires to 35 psi, the max sidewall recommendation. And check them! (I’ve noticed my front right tire deflates faster than the others.)

Keep the revs low. Here’s where I have an advantage with the 6-speed manual. I’ve tried really hard to keep the revs around 2,000. That’s a far cry from the banshee wail of my engine in second gear ripping up to 60 at 8,300 rpm on freeway onramps. (Anybody whose driven a car – Vibe GT, Matrix and Corolla XRS, Celica – with my engine knows what I’m talking about.)

Time the traffic lights. This is a big one that I never thought about before: Don’t speed up to stoplights. Meaning, keep an eye out waaaay ahead. If the light’s yellow, red, or has been green a long time, gradually slow down. Often times you won’t even have to stop at the light because it’ll turn green by the time you get there.

Take all the extra junk out of your car. (For me, it was mostly garbage and my golf clubs.)

Don’t run the A/C. Yes, it was hot, but I lived.