Around the US in 80 MPG

June 5, 2002

Tank Tales: Hybrid Hot-Rodders Revved Up by MPG, Not MPH

He's part of an obsessed subculture of drivers who gather in online chatrooms and at picnics and road rallies across the country to figure out how to squeeze outlandish distances out of a tank of gas. They trade arcane and surprisingly effective tactics, such as how to "feather" the gas pedal to reduce gas-guzzling lurches and when to coast in neutral to conserve fuel while driving downhill. Among his tips: go slowly, and for extra sensitivity to just how the car is responding, drive barefoot.