Snargleblarg said:
I think it's more of an early-adopter / enthusiast thing. Most of the knowledge and culture of this forum is born of the original 24kWh Leaf and its very limited range. EPA rated 75 miles from 2011 to 2013 (due to EPA averaging the 100% capacity and the 80% capacity) and then rated 84 miles for later models. Most folks buying those cars were not your normal car owners. They were willing to take on the unique challenges of a short range EV. And I expect there was tons of desire and even need to push the limits of the car's range. ...
Yes it's informed by the early adopters, but had more to do with tire wear than hypermiling, I think. The early models shipped with a version of Bridgestone Ecopia tires that had very pliable sidewalls. Many owners had to replace tires at shockingly low mileage, and it was shoulder-wear, a classic sign of under-inflation. I had very even wear across the tread in my 2012 by running at 44 PSI. Also, better handling. On the 2015 with OEM Dunlop tires the magic number for me was 42 PSI.
Treadwear is something that takes time to develop and evaluate. Handling gives much more immediate feedback. My practice for many years with any new (or new to me) vehicle or new tires has been to drive several days, adjust pressure by 2 PSI, and repeat. I evaluate handling at each step and that's how I choose. If after some miles treadwear suggests adjustment then I'll do so but usually the handling test gets me pretty close.
And I don't always run higher pressures. On my 1991 Miata I was disturbed on the drive home because the car was wandering on the highway, and didn't feel "on rails" like my test drives. When I got home I found the tires overinflated by about 8 psi. Returning to the recommended pressure set things right. I followed up by testing adjustments as above, but the recommended pressure truly was the best for that car/tire combo.