Will you use your GPS more now, with higher gas prices for a "cheaper" route?

http://www8.garmin.com/buzz/ecoroute/

The "Tips" are worth reading and there's some vehicles on the "Free Downloads", which I have not tried.

Shortest is not necessarily the least expensive. I would rather drive a few miles more at highway speed that be in stop and go traffic.

My Garmin doesn't always pick the "smartest" route. If I'm not sure where I am going its great. But my real life experiences helps me pick a better route than the ecoRoute feature.

I use on 'fastest' setting always.

The only time I used eco route it took me through streets and red lights not the interstate or a quicker route,I will not use eco route again.

EcoRoute is something that will give you a laugh. It is worthless. The routes weren't the best and it showed me getting better economy doing 70mph than 55mph. It changed drastically as to what it reported.

Why on God's Earth would you use a GPSr, In a area you already know? Stick with using it for making long trips or driving in unfamiliar areas.
GPSr routing costs money and doesn't save a dime in areas when you already know the shortcuts from point A to point B, something routing can't tell you. (i.e. school zones, rush hour traffic, ticket cameras, heavy shopping area's, un-timed red lights well you get the picture).

Do yourself a favor and forget about ecoRoute unless you really want to open your wallet for gas stops. If you feel you need a GPSr to traverse locally, then set it for fastest, use the highways and freeways.

Although I don't even have a choice, as my 260W isn't compatible, I can't imagine a situation where ecoroute would actually be that helpful. Maybe it would be useful for folks who are naturally lead-footed. Seems "fastest route" taken at a reasonable speed would most often be the most economical.

No I won't be using the GPS to save gas, just use it not to get lost.

As everyone else has stated, forget about ecoroute. It will only cost you money!

You should be more concerned with keeping your tires properly inflated, making sure your air filter's clean, and driving at a steady pace. That will do more to save gas than anything Garmin can do.

gas prices won't change the way I use the gps. I go the way I like (eg: better neighborhoods etc) and that's not going to change. I need the gps to help me find directions to somewhere I don't know

no matter how I set it (fastest, shortest, etc), locally, Garmin usually picks the most lame route...on that note, if I have to go someplace locally that I am unfamiliar with, I use the TT which, according to my empirical research, typically goes the way I would normally go. Alternatively, I drive to the general area as I normally would and then use the GPS to guide me.

That is why we have a brain....we need to use it more often than letting an electronic device always tell us what to do...

I can't imagine using my GPS locally. Why would you do this? You know better than the GPS. I drive from Arizona to Calif. a lot and really don't even need the GPS for that since I know the route so well. But what I like about the GPS is that it shows me the lane assist or how long to my next turn, and the ability to find a place to eat when my wife says find the next available whatever to eat or asks me when is the next rest area.

The GPS will somethings make a very short trip longer because I know side roads that make the trip shorter and faster.

I have lived in Tucson since 1982 that has now grown to over 1,000,000 people and I use my built-in Kenwood/Garmin GPS all the time. I also thought I knew the best and quickest way to get around and I found that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was.

Besides warning me about speed and red light cameras I have found new and quicker ways to go to places that I have gone to for years. I never knew the other quicker and better route existed until the GPS took me the new way. The other advantage is the traffic warnings and updates have many times saved me from getting stuck in a traffic mess.

A lot of roads have changed over the last 29 years that I was not aware of.

with my fellow Tucsonan rjrsw. My GPS is on much of the time I'm driving around town too, for many of the reasons he cites. I've only lived here for about 5 1/2 years, and know how to get where I need to go for the most part. However, there have been times when I've come across traffic and being one of those who would rather go a longer distance and keep moving, even if it takes a little more time, than just sitting and idling there, I can just go down a side street and let the unit route me to my destination a different way.

I'm also using the Ecoroute HD unit to keep track of various things, so even if I don't need the unit for navigation, it is serving a purpose just by having it running.

That being said, I don't use the ecoroute routing on my unit. I just keep it on "Fastest" and use the normal gas saving techniques; Keep my tires inflated, no jackrabbit starts, safely coast up to red lights and stop signs, use cruise control any time it is safe and appropriate to do so, etc., etc.

Best strategy I've found is to plan ahead, mentally going over the route and try to have alternatives in case of construction etc. I don't have Eco route, but I've found careful planning can significantly increase my mileage.

Nah.. not really. We only use our GPS when we go on vacations.. and very rarely (if any), around locally.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

yeah - I know I sure will. Gas is too expensive to waste these days.

No need for a GPS if the vehicle rarely leaves the garage any more.