`Hypermilers'

Laurie With, by her Honda Civic hybrid in Sauk Rapids, Minn., is part of a dedicated group of people around the country calling themselves hypermilers, attempting extreme means to get crazy mileage.

Drafting off the rear right corner of a tractor-trailer, driving on over-inflated tires, coasting into red lights, not changing lanes, driving slightly below the speed limit. Parking on the highest point of a lot, facing toward the exit, in order to let gravity do the work of getting the car moving.

With, whose stingy driving habits started a couple of years ago, she let her car roll slowly down the slope of a parking lot before starting it. She eased away from a stop sign and coasted for several blocks down a slight grade through a leafy neighborhood.

"You see a little more," she said as a playground slid past. The dashboard readout showed 59 mpg on a car the EPA estimates should get 47 in city-highway driving.

With a rural highway nearly to herself, she let the car glide well below the 50 mph speed limit. "No one's behind me, so, eh," she said with a shrug.

The dashboard readout never dipped below 57 mpg.

Interesting website that plots average mpg and extreme conquests for popular high mileage cars.
greenhybrid.com