Fuel Saving Tips

Know How Your Cruise Control Works & Selectively Disengage

My cruise control puts on the brakes when it exceeds the set speed by more than 2 MPH or so. That reduces fuel economy! When I'm hypermiling, I'll set the cruise to 50 MPH. When I go downhill, my instantaneous fuel consumption meter shows "0 L/100 km" -- That's when I disengage cruise control and let my car gain speed, up to the legal speed limit (I rarely overspeed under these conditions). When my car slows to almost 50 MPH as it levels out or starts the next incline, I re-engage the cruise control. This is one technique I've used to attain a remarkable 51.8 MPG in a 3.0 liter V6 diesel SUV (actual Fuelly fuel economy over 528 miles).