Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:07 am
$3.63 here in S. Florida.
Pretty soon this image I got in an email will come true I'm afraid...

Pretty soon this image I got in an email will come true I'm afraid...

I have never owned a car where I couldn't get more than the E.P.A. estimated mileage by doing these things:I realized a few months back that my 1990 Volvo was built (and designed/tuned) for a market where the speed limit was 55 mph. I have been driving it below the speed limit and staying in the slow lane a lot recently. My mileage has gone up by 40 miles per tankful. This slowing down and poky starts from red lights has really improved my gas costs. It is funny how you know that this will happen but never really believe it until you actually change your driving habits.
No, you were right. I think he means that he's been taking it easy on the accelerator when leaving full stops and driving at a speed closer to 55mph on the highway insead of 75mph.EuphManRob wrote:the elephant wrote:I realized a few months back that my 1990 Volvo was built (and designed/tuned) for a market where the speed limit was 55 mph. I have been driving it below the speed limit and staying in the slow lane a lot recently. My mileage has gone up by 40 miles per tankful. This slowing down and poky starts from red lights has really improved my gas costs. It is funny how you know that this will happen but never really believe it until you actually change your driving habits.![]()
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I thought highway speeds/cruise control was supposed to drastically improve mileage? And stop-and-go, frequent braking decreased it??
Clearly I was wrong...
Even in school zones?Tubaryan12 wrote:1. Drive the speed limit or slower. I alway drive 60 mph.
Wow, and I thought we had it bad with a petrol price of $2.05 per litre.AndyCat wrote:$2.35 for a metric LITRE here in the UK at the moment.
True...so true.the elephant wrote:I have discovered something else by doing this. It is very important to some of us (not really me, but some here, I would wager, who have high blood pressure or who stress out too much). I have discovered that what I have always read is true. If you slow down you spend less. You have to allot more travel time to your plans. You have to get ready to leave earlier. Then you go slowly and just get used to letting everyone else pass you. Then you start to have much lower stress in your life. Your hypertension relaxes a bit. You feel better overall. I love my drive to work now. It is a zone that I have to pass through in each direction that allows me to calm down and leave junk behind me. Argued with the wife on the way out the door? By the time I have arrived to work I have calmed down, de-stressed, and called home to apologize (right or wrong). Catty political games at rehearsal? By the time I am home I have thought about it, obsessed over it, and forgotten it.
When I used to speed everywhere I was always stressed, watching for cops and threading my way through slower drivers when necessary. I calculated travel times based on maximum speed. I would end up leaving later and later until I started to leave for things just a little late. Then I would HAVE to speed, more than normal, and would really be stressed out as I walked into work.
Now I am calm, cool and collected when I get to work. My wallet has a few more shekels in it that is would have had I driven full tilt, and my trip was more safe and less irresponsible regarding others on the road with me.
So my recent move to the hinterlands and the increased cost of fuel have combined to make me a much more mellow and happy guy in general.
Sure....kids need more exercise anyway.jacojdm wrote:Even in school zones?Tubaryan12 wrote:1. Drive the speed limit or slower. I alway drive 60 mph.
Okay, I'll bite. What's the trick? Let the road work for you...is there a choice? I don't understand what you are getting at here.tubashaman wrote:A trick I learned:
Let the road work for you. If your going down a hill, you dont need to use as much gas, but drive the speedlimit