I purposely drove slower this week to see how much it would affect gas mileage

psteng19

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Dec 9, 2000
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My daily commute consists of 95% highway and with my current hours, I don't much traffic.

Usual rate of speed @ 75-80 mph gets me about 38 mpg during the winter (summertime is considerably better).

My average speed this past tankful was about 55-60 mpg. I got close to 41 mpg.
So a difference of approximately +2 mpg.

It was painful at first, but I got used to doing the speed limit, not on the far left lane of course.
But cars were still riding my ass, highbeaming me, giving me the finger as they passed, lol.
 

Heisenberg

Lifer
Dec 21, 2001
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So I guess now the real question is if the 2 mpg savings is worth the extra time it takes to get to work.
 

Krazy4Real

Lifer
Oct 3, 2003
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Now try the same experiment going 45-55 mph. I bet your fuel econonmy would be even better.
 

m2kewl

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: lsman
no traffic in NJ? ... you must out in mid-of night..

werd. no traffic in nj - hell froze over or you working the graveyard shift??
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
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Try driving 25 in 5th gear the entire way. Or ride a bike.

It's all about time savings. If 2 mpg is worth your time, then go for it.

Say you're driving 60 miles. That's 45 minutes @ 80 or 1 hour @ 60.

15 minutes each way, 5 days a week, is 2.5 hours per week, saving approximately $2.76 in gas per week (assuming $2.39 per gallon).

Is $2.76 worth 2.5 hours to you? That's like a dollar an hour!
 

psteng19

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: Heisenberg
So I guess now the real question is if the 2 mpg savings is worth the extra time it takes to get to work.

Well, tough question to answer.
I haven't timed it, but I would guess it's an extra 7-10 minutes to get to work, which is about 38 miles away.

As far as savings go, at 38 mpg, I would have to fill up once every 5 days.
41 mpg, I can fill up once every 6 days, so there's time savings in not having to go to the gas station as frequently.

At 15k miles a year and $2.50/gal, an extra 2-3 mpg probably saves me $75 a year :p

I also have peace of mind in not having to worry about cops and speeding tickets.
 

psteng19

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: m2kewl
Originally posted by: lsman
no traffic in NJ? ... you must out in mid-of night..

werd. no traffic in nj - hell froze over or you working the graveyard shift??

Used to do 9-5pm, now doing 10-8pm (extra hours OT).
It's pretty clear on the GSP at 9.30am and even more dead at 8.30pm.
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
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Originally posted by: psteng19
My daily commute consists of 95% highway and with my current hours, I don't much traffic.

Usual rate of speed @ 75-80 mph gets me about 38 mpg during the winter (summertime is considerably better).

My average speed this past tankful was about 55-60 mpg. I got close to 41 mpg.
So a difference of approximately +2 mpg.

It was painful at first, but I got used to doing the speed limit, not on the far left lane of course.
But cars were still riding my ass, highbeaming me, giving me the finger as they passed, lol.


optimal gas mileage for US transmission is 55mph
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: psteng19

But cars were still riding my ass, highbeaming me, giving me the finger as they passed, lol.

Sorry about that :eek:

What do you drive?
Edit: nevermind
 

ahurtt

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
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Originally posted by: joshsquall
Try driving 25 in 5th gear the entire way. Or ride a bike.

It's all about time savings. If 2 mpg is worth your time, then go for it.

Say you're driving 60 miles. That's 45 minutes @ 80 or 1 hour @ 60.

15 minutes each way, 5 days a week, is 2.5 hours per week, saving approximately $2.76 in gas per week (assuming $2.39 per gallon).

Is $2.76 worth 2.5 hours to you? That's like a dollar an hour!

I think when people advocate this driving slower, they are talking more about the collective savings of all the people commuting. Imagine that $2.76 per week savings multiplied by say. . .100,000,000 people. That's 276 Million dollars less worth of foreign oil we have to be dependent on as a nation each week. . .Like a $1 Billion per month. It adds up. You have to think about the big picture and about what's best for America in general. Not just about yourself.

[Edit] And please don't take these figures as literal. ... I'm just illustrating a point. I'm sure they aren't 100% accurate, I just pulled what seemed like reasonable numbers out of the air. I'm sure that the actual savings per week would vary from person to person.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
60,167
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Originally posted by: ahurtt
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Try driving 25 in 5th gear the entire way. Or ride a bike.

It's all about time savings. If 2 mpg is worth your time, then go for it.

Say you're driving 60 miles. That's 45 minutes @ 80 or 1 hour @ 60.

15 minutes each way, 5 days a week, is 2.5 hours per week, saving approximately $2.76 in gas per week (assuming $2.39 per gallon).

Is $2.76 worth 2.5 hours to you? That's like a dollar an hour!

I think when people advocate this driving slower, they are talking more about the collective savings of all the people commuting. Imagine that $2.76 per week savings multiplied by say. . .100,000,000 people. That's 276 Million dollars less worth of foreign oil we have to be dependent on as a nation each week. . .Like a $1 Billion per month. It adds up. You have to think about the big picture and about what's best for America in general. Not just about yourself.

Not exactly. 100% of that 276 million dollars doesn't go to the foreign oil interests. I forget what the exact percentage is, though.
 

ahurtt

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
4,283
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Originally posted by: joshsquall
Try driving 25 in 5th gear the entire way. Or ride a bike.

It's all about time savings. If 2 mpg is worth your time, then go for it.

Say you're driving 60 miles. That's 45 minutes @ 80 or 1 hour @ 60.

15 minutes each way, 5 days a week, is 2.5 hours per week, saving approximately $2.76 in gas per week (assuming $2.39 per gallon).

Is $2.76 worth 2.5 hours to you? That's like a dollar an hour!

And for cryin out loud. . .What are you in such a hurry to get to work for anyway? :laugh:
I'd drive 40 to work and 80 goin home :)
 

psteng19

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: iversonyin
Originally posted by: TuxDave
Originally posted by: goodoptics
What kind of a car is it?

I speculate he has a Prius or Civic Hybrid

EDIT: I was wrong

That's the awesome part.
I get hybrid-like mileage without paying the premium for the car (obviously not as low emissions as a hybrid).
Best part is I only paid $1500 for the car.

And mileage gets even better during the summer. I get around 43 mpg, max I got was close to 45 mpg.
 

iversonyin

Diamond Member
Aug 12, 2004
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Originally posted by: psteng19
Originally posted by: iversonyin
Originally posted by: TuxDave
Originally posted by: goodoptics
What kind of a car is it?

I speculate he has a Prius or Civic Hybrid

EDIT: I was wrong

That's the awesome part.
I get hybrid-like mileage without paying the premium for the car (obviously not as low emissions as a hybrid).
Best part is I only paid $1500 for the car.

And mileage gets even better during the summer. I get around 43 mpg, max I got was close to 45 mpg.


Wow, thats a good deal for 1996 sentra. I should look into getting one. How can you drive in NJ without AC on in the summer?!
 

oboeguy

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 1999
3,907
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Originally posted by: psteng19
I also have peace of mind in not having to worry about cops and speeding tickets.

And you should have less of a chance of an accident if it weren't for the morons (like you in the past) who feel the need to drive too fast.