Regarding tips in general, I usually run about 5 psi less than the printed maximum pressure in my tires in my economy vehicles. It might wear the center bit of the tire out quicker, but it does pick up a good bit of mpgs. Center wear really depends on the brand/type/size of tire.

running more pressure then recomended in a tire wears out the middle more. it rounds out the tire. while under inflating wears the outer more .

Running 5 PSI less than the max should decrease the MPGs.

I'm not sure that friction is the proper term, but the general theory makes sense to me. The reason you see the RPMs go up is because your tires are turning your transmission which is turning your engine, rather than the other way around.

It can be helpful to set the rev counter display to show instant MPG, assuming that's possible in US-spec cars, temporally - while you get a feel for the driving style you need to avoid low figures.

QFT, it's a great tool. Just lift your foot off the gas and see the MPG rise to 99.9 mpg. Floor it and watch your mpg drop to Hummer status. Not exactly the most accurate thing in the world (at least at that moment) but the concept really teaches you how to use the gas pedal more wisely overall.

Nope. I usually pick up about 4-5 more mpg compared to "factory" pressures. But that's on a Golf TDI with narrow tires. YMMV.

When accelerating you could also "short-shift" when possible, meaning shifting from 1-3 and skipping 2, etc....

The idea is that the gas gets cut off and the engine is being turned by the transmission, as opposed to the other way around. During deceleration, you will use zero gas, as opposed to the small amount of gas it takes to keep the engine at a couple hundred RPMs while the clutch pedal is in.

The notable difference is that if a gear is engaged, you are also engine braking-- even in sixth gear, the engine puts load on the transmission and you get deceleration out of that. If you're coasting, you are reducing your friction by not having the engine in the mix, only axle friction and air resistance decelerate you. So you won't "coast" as long when engine braking, largely because you're not coasting.

As to which is better, I see a lot of arguing on fora and haven't seen a darned thing that even pretended to be scientific, so I figure do what you like; the big gain is to be made by getting off the throttle early if you know you're going to stop.

While I'm on the subject: Inflate your tires properly. To the number posted on the door sill. Yeah, you can get a quarter of a mile per gallon if you overinflate your tires. You will also reduce the lifespan of your tires. There's a lot of ruckus about the cost of a gallon of gas, but tires ain't exactly cheap, either. Saving a few cents a fill-up won't cover the cost of buying tires twice as often.

Short shifting is actually the practice of upshifting to the next gear before necessary. I can also be thought of as simply upshifting well before redline.

While skipping gears (on upshifts or downshifts) is perfectly acceptable practice is is not "short-shifting." In fact for the purpose of hypermilling, skipping gears by staying in lower gears longer is counterproductive. Short shifting on the other hand does save gas.

In addition, coasting in neutral without an automatic engine cutoff (start-stop system) is not as fuel efficient as coasting in gear. This technique (coasting in neutral) is vastly overrated as a gas-saver. Also turning off the engine (while moving) in a non-start-stop-equipped car is extremely dangerous IMO.

I'd assume it would be dangerous even in a start/stop equipped car like the clubman.

OK, I am no expert, but on the MINI world site, they show you how inertia from moving car (when not using the power plant) is used to power the battery and thereby saves on fuel economy, but if you coast when out of gear (i.e. neutral) then the tranny is not turning over and thereby NOT generating electric power for the car.. of course I could be completely wrong, but that is the way that I understood it..

That might be incorrect for MINIs in the states as we do not have the same specs as UK MINIs (I.E. start/stop equipped)

(WARNING: All statements made in the above post do not reflect any relevant knowledge of the said subject matter, and should not be held against said poster)

I'm not sure if I am saving gas by doing this, but I do try to short shift and also skip gears to get to 5th or 6th as soon as practical.

My question is: How low should I go with the RPM's while in a higher gear? With other sticks I have had, I could feel the engine "lugging" if I was going too slow in a high gear. I seem to have much less feel for this with the MINI.
Is it ok to cruise in 6th at less than 50 mph? The OBC reflects very high mpg, but I don't want to harm the engine or tranny.

If I'm on a flat road, I'm usually in 6th gear when I hit 41-42 MPH. And I'm either maintaining my speed or accelerating very very slowly.

It used to be thought that slowly accelerating up to speed saved gas, but now the recommendation seems to be to get up to speed fairly quickly (not WOT) and maintain an even speed. Try to maintain that speed with one throttle position. I've ridden with people who maintain speed by slowly pumping the accelerator. It's like they can't find the right level of trottle, so they are have to keep adjusting. Besides making your passengers carsick, slowing down and speeding up uses more gas. So, try and be as smooth as possible and maintain a constant speed.

Run at an RPM that is appropriate for the load the engine is under. When you are cruising along a flat street at 35 mph, you don't need very high revs - 2,000 to 2,500 would do. When going a little faster, take it up to 2,500 to 3,000. If you have a strong headwind or going up a grade, you'd be at the upper range. Freeways speeds probably are most efficient at around 3,000 and up, depending on other conditions. Going up a grade at 70 mph probably wants 4,000 rpm. If you run more rpms than needed, you are wasting gas. If you run at lower rpms than needed, the engine will be throwing more gast at it to try and keep up. That's my impression after watching boost levels and mpg reading on a ScanGaugeII. You can set the digital readout on your tach to show instant mpg. This can help you get a idea about whether the gear you are in is most efficient for the conditions.

Anticipate what is ahead of you. Don't come charging up to red light or traffic congestion and apply the breaks hard if you could have been decelerating ealier.

Coasting in neutral is not a very safe thing to do for long distances. For that reason, it is against the law in California. I've also heard that the computer control on the MINI's direct injection engine does cut gas on deceleration. I don't know whether it is true or not, but it would make sense. Deceleration is where you get a lot of unburned gas in carburated engines. Unburned gas is hard on catalytic converters and produces air pollution. I don't see why they wouldn't cut it off.

You can save gas by slipstreaming an SUV or truck. It is also an excellent way to get killed, thus reducing overpopulation and benefitting the world.

5 less than max, not 5 less than recommended psi. So, he should increase mpg.

Why is it bad on the clutch?

WOW!!!!!!! I don't go into 6th till I hit about 60-65!

Robin that was excellent info, thanks!!!

I would understand if this was a forum for another kind of car, but damn. I can drive it like I stole it and get 30 mpg. Do I really need to get 35mpg? I would rather have fun than be a hypermiler. Life's too short!!

Wampa, thanks for the post I was thinking exactly the same thing.

3. Driving on the highway at speeds UNDER the posted speed limit is dangerous for everyone else.
Besides, you can get shot at for that.
Go with the slowest flow of traffic, just don't be the slowest weasel on the road, causing congestion to get an extra 2 mpg.

Shift at a lower RPM always helps.

Well its true. A mini is the best of both worlds: speed and good gas mileage. If I wanted better gas mileage I would buy a Prius and get 0-60 next week. I think squeezing a few extra mpg's out of a car that already gets ridiculous mpg for its performance should be the subject of one of those mini bumper stickers like the 90/10 convertible promise. You should promise to drive your Mini all out all the time and be happy with 30 mpg. I just like driving too much I guess. We're talking a few bucks a week here.

Do you? No. Do I? Yes. In fact, I'll be upset if I get less than 39 MPG. Life's too short to spend an extra dime supporting oil companies. If I wanted a car that got 30 MPG, I would have kept my 2003 Impala or just drive my wife's 04 MC.

Oil companies make $.30 a gallon at $130 a barrel prices. The federal/state/local governments combined make $.80 to $1 a gallon depending on your state tax. You and everyone else are mad at the wrong person.

I'm not mad at anyone. All I know is that the $56 it costs to fill up my tank is going to whomever and I want to make it last as long as possible. I conserve electricity in my home; I use solar panels to heat my water; I refuse to pay for TV. It's all because I have better things to spend my money on. But that's me, and that's why I bought the Clubman.