Gas Prices and Driving Speeds

ton12, you hit it right on the nose. That's exactly the point I tried to make. The ones that really bug me are the state owned cars. When one of them flies by me at 80+ MPH, it drives me berserk. Not only are they wasting fuel, but they're doing it with my tax dollars.

Welcome to the Civic Hybrid world! I did the same thing on a recent trip out West, and got 55 mpg in Utah (with a tailwind) I have found that, even locally, by slowing down to just below the speed limit, I can get a few extra mpg. Around town, I'm getting about 42-43 mpg. Love the Hybrid!

Joel

On the 29th, I completed a 5600 mile jaunt from L.A. to Iowa, Mississippi, New Mexico and back home. We used the speed control and drove the speed limit almost all the way. (I don't usually drive that slow on my own!) I did find in areas of extended 55 MPH, my MPG increased by about 2 MPG.

I also noticed that most everywhere, I was getting blown off the road by traffic, especially semis.

5600 miles, no encounters with law enforcement, no need to show my own badge

drive your car to say 75mph, engage your cruise control
after a minute, disengage the cruise control - and see the rpm come down to say 2000 and your speed say to 65mph and re-engage your cruise control.
if able ( like on my Maxima) check the calculated mpg display
in my car i get as much as 35mpg on the highway

If you want to keep track of mpg you should try the scangauge
Trip Computer - Digital Gauges - Scan Tool
The integrated Trip Computer provides realtime feedback while simultaneously tracking three sets of trip data. The Digital Gauges give you realtime data for your vehicle and the built-in Scan Tool allows you to read trouble codes and diagnose potentially expensive problems before they get out of hand.

www.scangauge.com

I've owned a diesel truck for 5 years. Diesel fuel has been higher than regular gas for 4 of those. It doesn't make sense since diesel requires less refining---gas comes from refined diesel. You can get more diesel than gas out of a barrel of oil. I've decided that the reason is that diesel is less price sensitive. Freight is moved mostly by diesel and that is going to move regardless of price. Since almost everything we buy moves by freight, we are all paying the price of diesel. Those of us with privately owned diesel vehicles are just paying more.

The price/reward factor for diesel engines is about 20%. In other words, you get about 20% more mpg with diesel than you would with gas in a same-size engine. So, if you are paying 20% more for diesel than gas, it evens out (like $4.00 for gas and $4.80 for diesel).

Here in Texas, pickup truck capital of the world where speed limits are 65 even on back-country roads, I've noticed a lot of trucks going 55. The bigger the vehicle the bigger the reward for slowing down, I guess because of wind resistance profile. I'm now doing it too, and people seem to understand what you are doing---no tailgaters (of course everyone is armed).

Well this is obviously a question of supply and demand. Most preferred to be driving their Hummers and getting 10mpg. Up until now, there hasn't been any demand. 2009 should be different, if it isn't, go to Canada and buy one.... You'll have plenty of choice up there and if the Canuck buck drops against the US greenback, what a bargain it will be ( just don't forget to add on the import taxes! )

Sorry guys, but if people can afford the gas, let them drive.

This is still a free country for the most part. I don't need another Jimmy Carter forcing me to drive 55 across the country. If you cant afford the gas dont drive. Get a smaller car, or a Diesel that gets 50mpg.

I dont need anyone telling me what i can and can not drive. If I can afford a bus to drive, then great. We arent going to save the world! The world doesnt need saving!

From all that I've read, we're exporting a lot of diesel to Europe. They have lots of diesel cars over there and I'm guessing they a bit less price sensitive, they're already paying a lot more than we are. Hopefully that changes over the next few months because heating oil which is basically the same as diesel will be a wallet buster this winter. Anyway, shipping diesel to Europe has tightened supply here and caused prices to rise more than they would have otherwise.

If you drive faster, you get there quicker and it saves you money!!!

I like the people that speed to the next light-a lot of lights here have the sensors in the road, so if you drive like an idiot and pass me, you'll be waiting at the light while I gently cruise on through. I was coming back from the burbs last night and actually had my car up to 62 MPG at one point, but due to a number of red lights I "only" got 58.2 by the time I made it home.
Diesel cars rock!

I read not only do we export it but we subsidize it for them...I'm not an isolationist but if I have a choice between me and some guy in Paris being cold this winter...all I can say is "s'habiller chaudement"

Regards, Ted

I hate people who drive slowly in Austin, Tx. Why? They all drive slowly in the left lane when they can go just the same in the other 2 lanes that are open and going the same speed as them. I'm one of those that drives about 5-6 miles over the speed limit so it comes out to about 70mph here in the middle of Texas. But I find that speed impossible to maintain cause there are people out there that cut me off forcing me to brake only to go slower that my original speed. I especially hate it when there is a large enough gap behind me for them to change lanes safely.

But, Austin is another world compared to other cities (yes even California). Here, the motto is bigger the better so everyone drives SUV's and Trucks. To top it off, most of them don't know how to drive and seem to love to change lanes without looking. I have a friend that does that and I hate it when I'm in the car with him driving. Gas prices haven't made a dent in traffic or anything else. The public transportation still goes mainly unused (I travel by bus a lot). I find myself shaking my head side to side when I see all these people cutting the bus off while the bus is braking going downhill. The sheer stupidity of drivers out there is what needs to change in order to have smoother flowing traffic and thus less gas wasted (breaking followed by acceleration burns a hell of a lot of gas for no good reason).

I wonder if this is going to fly? It's a debit card, deducting gallons instead of money.

http://www.mygallons.com/index.html

Might be worth a try. Kinda sounds like the Chrysler deal where you are guaranteed $2.99 a gallon for 3 years (up to 12K miles per year). I doubt that we'll see gas prices decrease, so the speculation might just pay off.. Could also depend on the price they want to charge when you sign up (National average price vs what you currently pay)... For us in GA, that might not be too good a bargain.. AND, several states are currently cheaper than GA, which use to be the lowest in the nation.

Joel

I just do not see that many people jumping in to buy 200+ gallons in one shot. Though they would benefit, I think people are struggle just to make ends meet and living off credit cards. I have noticed more people pushing cars to the next exit ramp lately.

Paul

If $10 or $15 per week saved in gas money by slowing down 10 miles per hour is so important to you, you obviously are in lousy financial shape, and should probably give up your car, put some money in the bank so you don't have to go on welfare and have society support you if you loose your job.

That is around $520-$780 a year in savings. Now that is for one car. If every car was like that imagine the savings. Using around 200 Million people everyone's savings combined would be $1,040,000,000-$1,560,000,000 Per Year.

The time you save driving faster isn't that much. 2 to 5 minutes maybe and I don't know of anyone where the time they save made a difference to their schedule. IMO most people don't have a GPS and view the ETA to see what time they actually will save speeding. If they knew they may slow down. (or not!) The driving like I want to get there before anyone else and I can't stand anyone in front of me needs to change in order to conserve energy for the future. I was delayed by construction on my last trip and was surprised how little time on the ETA was lost because of it. It only makes sens to slow down if you can save gas!

Why no Kangaroo gas? Please do not use the "It's cheap gas"? No such thing in this country today.

This is a myth that will not die. Now there is old gas in the ground. Do not buy the gas where they do not turn the tank every couple of days.

The brain fart did not occur in Germany.

Volkswagen suspended the sale of diesel models in the North American market due to the whole California-diesel-emissions debacle.

Ultra Low-sulfur diesel fuel, as well changes to the catalytic converter, among other engine modifications, are required for new vehicles to pass California's -and the other four states that use- new emissions limits. Ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel is not yet widely available in the US (mostly dispensed at on-highway stations today).

Once these new limits were in effect, VW stopped selling diesels for 06 and 07, but at the same time went back to the shop, and for next year there are models available, that are 50-state legal.

And how's this for a kicker? Plain old diesel not efficient enough to offset the high cost of fuel? How about an almost 70 MPG Diesel-Hybrid then? *Hopefully* in the near future.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/03/revealed-volksw.html

All this aside, makes me wonder why the EPA, in their great wisdom, set the limits for nitrogen oxide emissions in such a way that permitted fuel guzzling trucks and SUVs to continue to be manufactured and sold unchanged, but restricted smaller, fuel efficient vehicles, that still generate less (NO2) by volume?

Krieger

I think you would be AMAZED at the number of families in the country today where an extra $15 a week might keep them OFF welfare WHILE THEY HAVE A JOB.

Your statement reeks of insensitivity, eliteism and a failure to grasp what is really going on.

I think you will find that we have passed the deadline for all "highway" diesel to be the new formulation several months ago.

And as for a government agency having ANY wisdom.....Ha, ha, ha,......

If I am not mistaken, the 55 MPH speed limit hasn't changed since the highway systems were built in the 1950's and 60's. In those day's bench seats, solid steering columns and no seatbelts were the norn.

Automobile safety has come along way since then. Manditory seatbelt laws, airbags, crumple zones, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, are just a few examples of the changes we take for granted today.

Sholdn't our modern interstate highway speeds reflect our tools to more safely drive at those speeds today?

Looks like a senator is suggesting a national speed limit of 55 MPH just like back in the Arab oil embargo in 1974.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/03/national/main42334...

Another bleeding heart liberal helping to send us down the road to perdition. By the way the correct spelling is elitism, not eliteism. Yes I do have an attitude that seems to be unique in America today. It is called living within your means and not expecting others to pay my way.

Well, $10 to $15 per week comes out to $520 to $780 per year. How much were Bush's tax rebates that were supposed to save the economy?

The federal 55 MPH mandate was made in 1974 in response to the (then) fuel crisis. It was estimated at the time that dropping one's speed from 75 to 55 would save 15% in fuel costs. Prior to that, most roads were 65 MPH+.

Not enough. Remember it is YOUR money that the thieving blood suckers in Washington are confiscating and redistributing to whom they want to buy off.

John how old is you car?
I have a couple cars one being a 98 GM Buick Regal and the oldest with a 3800 engine getting 29 miles per gallon on the road, no difference with air on. Now with the air off and the drag created with the windows open, I lose about 3 miles per gallon on a long trip cruising the interstate.

Older cars that had the huge compressors where hogs on horse power and gas mileage, however they have engineered most of that problem away unless the 4 cylinder models have a problem I don't know about.

I should have know better.
This forum is not here to be a political soapbox.

I've seen several stories on the news about people cutting back on food or medical/dental care because of fuel prices. If they work in an area without public transit, they have no choice. They need fuel to get to work. If they can save $700 per year by slowing down, it is important to them.

Besides helping with individual hardships, there are other reasons to slow down to save fuel. If everyone did it, the supply/demand situation for fuel would improve. Maybe the price wouldn't continue going up. And reduced use of fossil fuels helps the environment.

Funny, I just finally traded off my 98 Supercharged Regal. The sales manager was joshing me a little about keeping it for so long. So I pulled out the window sticker from the glove box and compared specs and features from the 98 Regal to the 08 Taurus Ltd that I replaced it with. 10 years later, the EPA rating was 1 MPG better, and with less horsepower. "That's it? 10 years of technology and you squeezed a whole 1 MPG out of a V6?" Humorous moment.... And yes, you're right, that Regal with a 3.8L pushed close to 30MPG on the highway and gave me 25MPG in city traffic back and forth to work. As long as I stayed out of the supercharger, of course.

It's the very small cars that see more effect of engine load. Even adding a couple passengers can make a noticeable difference in acceleration and mileage. My son has an older Mazda with a 1.4L that fits this profile. Following the discussions above, I did a little Googling and was surprised to see a couple mfr statements that verified it was usually more efficient to use A/C with the windows closed than A/C off and windows open when traveling at highway speeds. That would reverse with low speed city driving, though.

Yes it is only 1 MPG more. However the new Taurus is 200 lbs heaver and has a 300CC smaller engine. Therefore the smaller engine is working much harder to maintain the cruising speed and to accelerate.
The Taurus is producing 260 HP at 6250 RPM 20 HP more than the Buick, 240 at 5200 RPM.

As an immigrant, I sometimes run into a language barrier. I shall apply myself more diligently to the task of understanding what was written.

david

Glenn I am sorry to tell you this but in some states you can get a tivket for this. Not all states are the same. Know the state you are going into
jolleyr

????

The post before yours was removed.

Miss POI

Dear Miss POI,

Thank you. It was perhaps a fit of pique that overcame me when I read the now-deleted post. We are all human.

david

You can get a speeding ticket in California while driving the speed limit if it's not safe to do so...i.e. traffic, weather, etc... That's more than likely true in most states...

You might get a ticket in some state for driving the posted speed limit and impeding traffic. But I doubt you would be convicted of the charge.

How about torque? I think the torque would be higher with the Regal. Anyway, the Regal was a VERY impressive balance of horsepower vs MPG.

I was in Victoria, British Columbia last week as part of an Alaska cruise. It was interesting to hear that Canada exports oil to U.S.A. yet, they are paying the equivalent of $5.50/gal for gasoline, according to our guide. It was also interesting to see all the taxis-Priuses and other hypbrids.

It seems that many in the U.S.A. forgot the lessons of the gas rationing in the 1970s. So, now we will have to feel the pain of high fuel prices to make the needed changes. The 3 major U.S.A. auto companies are now paying the price for depending on profits from big SUVs and trucks, focusing on short-term profits over long-term strategies.

Henry

The Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega came out of the 70's oil crisis, not good competition to what Toyota, Honda, and Nissan had to offer, giving the Japanese a foothold in the U.S. market. You would have thought the big three would have learned from that. Now again they don't have much to sell and there is talk of bankruptcy. I wonder how their executives justify their million dollar salaries.

Do a search on that company before signing up.

http://consumerist.com/tag/mygallons/?i=5022061&t=bbb-says-m...

1998 Buick Regal FWD

Horsepower: 240 hp Max Horsepower: 5200 rpm
Torque: 280 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 3600 rpm

2008 Ford Taurus FWD

Horsepower: 260 hp Max Horsepower: 6250 rpm Torque: 245 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 4500 rpm

That is possible only if we have an alternative method of travel comparable to what they have in Europe. London is the most expensive city in the whole Europe, however they also have one of the best underground (tube) system in the whole world. I live in Dallas, and the public transportation DART (dart.org) is hilarious compared to European system.

On the flip side, the whole UK (Great Britain) is smaller than the state of Texas alone. The travel from one city to another within UK takes a matter of minutes (way less fuel cost). One can travel from one end of the country to another within a few hours. Going from eastern border to western (or vice versa) within TX alone takes a good 8-10 hours. How about Los Angeles to New York, or Seattle to Miami? Of course, the per capita would have to be extremely high in US. I am surprised that it's only 3 times.

And when it comes to certain things like technology (including fuel efficient cars, hybrid cars, solar powered cars, or even cell phones) - for some reason, going from east to west (Japan, middle east, europe, north america), US is mostly last one in the race!

Moon

Dear Moon,

I was born in London. The family would take the overnight "sleeper" train to visit my grandmother in Inverness (which has a slightly more northerly latitude than Moscow). The distance would be about 600 miles by road.

You say it "takes a good 8-10 hours" to travel across Texas. How long would it take you to drive from London to Inverness?

david

P.S. John O'Groats is 874 road miles from Lands End.

Thank you Miss POI

Bob