Fuel-efficient Driving

[dlb]

As someone who used to have to drive a lot (36K+ miles per year), and once had way too many speeding violations (enough to where, on the last one, my lawyer said, "I can't help you after this."), I've found that there are many skills one can practice to overcome the tedium of driving. Probably the best is trying to be the "perfect" driver. You can't imagine how difficult it is to follow all the rules, maintain proper following distances & etc.

However, my current behind-the-wheel pass-time is attempting to get the highest possible mpg out of my Mazda MX-5. At last fill-up, I was up to 29.888, from a previous high of 29.884. I'm working to break the 30 mark.

Here are my techniques (some require a manual transmission). If others have any, I'd love to hear about them:

- Never be in a hurry to get to a red light. If the next traffic light is red, I'll push in the clutch and coast. Also, along my regular routes, where I know the lights well, I'll start coasting toward some lights if they're green when I first see them (since I know that driving at a normal speed will only get me to a red light sooner).

- Coast down hills. Once I've crested a hill at the speed limit, I can push in the clutch and coast a decent ways past the bottom before my speed gets below the limit.

- Coast into and around turns. Why spend fuel heating your brake pads? If I know I'll be turning soon, I reduce my speed by pushing in the clutch, re-engaging only after I've finished turning.

- On open-access 4-lane roads, stay out of the right lane whenever possible. These are those 35 - 45mph roads that have an entry to some retail or office complex every 50 feet or so. If you're in the right lane, you'll have to slow down and speed up more often, a real gas waster. So I stay in the left lane unless I'm planning to turn into one of those retail or office complexes.

- Accelerate moderately; this is my least favorite, as it's so much fun to come off the line quickly in the MX-5.

There may be a couple of others, but that's all I can think of right now.

[dlb]

I see this thread has developed something of a cult following. Just an update, I broke the 30mpg barrier on my last fill-up.

[AlexdeLarge]

I drive pedal to the medal, blowing the horn and flashing the bird all the way. Old habits are hard to change

[jtur88]

Your first principle is dead on---that your brakes are absorbing your drive energy, and wasting it as heat. every time the pads touch. You have used fuel to gain kinetic energy, and by braking, you convert that energy to heat in your brake pads. instead of forward motion.

However, holding your clutch in is going to burn out your throw-out bearing. Just flick it into N and let the clutch back out. I'm assuming your car is a 4- or 5-speed. You can skip a gear or two on the way up, as long as you make a fairly gentle acceleration demand when in too high a gear. For example, when starting from a dead stop in low, just let the clutch out enough to get it rolling, and shift up to second, which will handle it as long as you have built up a bit of roll and don't try to accelerate too briskly.

I assume you do a lot of steady highway driving, as well. If the countryside is at all hilly, you can save gas using the "constant throttle" strategy---try to hold the foot pedal in the same place, so your car goes up hills slower and down faster. I hate cruise control, for a number of reason. One is that it tries too hard to suck your car up a hill at speed, which wastes gas. The second reason, unlrelalted to economy, is that it inclimes me to play chicken too much---if I will need to change lanes but have to wait for an opening, how close to the car in front can I go before I have to kick out of cruise? The third thing I dont like is the idea of turning over driver control to a machine, which reduces my sense of the road.

And, here's another fun road pastime: Watch for the highst license number in your state, and report it to
LicensePlates.cc: The license plate collector’s portal.

[Nordstrom]

My driving habits have evolved from the Alex school of insanity to taking my time and enjoying the ride.

The fun and satisfaction I get is through pissing off people like Alex by ... going the speed limit!

[AlexdeLarge]

Originally Posted by Nordstrom

My driving habits have evolved from the Alex school of insanity to taking my time and enjoying the ride.

The fun and satisfaction I get is through pissing off people like Alex by ... going the speed limit!

I have tendonitis and arthritis in both my middle fingers, and it is caused just from driving

[Grandstander]

dlb extending his gas mileage.....

[dlb]

I tried that for a while, but got tired of looking at Grandstander all day.

[Grandstander]

Some more dlb gas saving tips:

1) Select a vehicle no larger than your actual needs:


2) Anything which minimizes breaking saves fuel:



3) Keep acceleration slow and gradual:


4) Teach all family members to drive with fuel saving in mind:


5) Don't let the impatient drivers behind you ever pressure you into going more than 25 mph:

[SugarBaby]

Originally Posted by dlb

I tried that for a while, but got tired of looking at Grandstander all day.

Don't you mean you got tired of looking at Grandstander's a$$ all day?

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by SugarBaby

Don't you mean you got tired of looking at Grandstander's a$$ all day?

No, he means GS is the horse's a$$.