With gas being so expensive, you might think it’s too costly to take a road trip. John and Helen Taylor prove that you thought wrong. Earlier this month, the couple traveled from Houston, Texas to Sterling, Virginia – a total distance of 1,626.1 miles – on just one tank of gas. Put another way, they got 84.1 miles to the gallon in their 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE over three days. Yes, really.
This isn’t the first time that the Taylors have stretched their fuel mileage to impressive lengths. In 2008, the Australian duo attracted attention for averaging 58.78 miles per gallon in a new VW Jetta TDI, a vehicle which had EPA ratings of 30/41. They won the “48 Contiguous U.S. States Fuel Economy Guinness World Record” for that accomplishment. The next year, the John and Helen bested themselves, getting an average of 67.9 miles per gallon in a three-week journey of over 9,000 miles. So far, they have over 80 fuel economy and driving world records with no sign of slowing down. Volkswagen has dubbed them “the world’s most fuel-efficient couple.”
They do credit their choice of vehicle and their choice of tires with helping them be fuel efficient. In fact, they said that their Goodyear Fuel MaX tires were instrumental in their success. Yet, they also believe that it is primarily their driving techniques that allow them to use less gas. Rather than drafting behind trucks or rolling through stop signs -- practices which are popular with the hypermiling movement – John and Helen get the most from their fuel by focusing on tire pressure and vehicle maintenance. They also make sure to avoid speeding and idling.
"We hope our record-breaking journey helps educate the driving public that decisions, such as choosing the right tires, using the right fuel and adopting fuel-saving driving techniques can help anyone save money and fuel, and reduce carbon emissions," Helen said.
The mileage experts have a website to help teach others practices that will cut both costs and pollution.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
