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Old 09-28-2012, 06:08 AM
 
Location: NH
4,178 posts, read 3,702,137 times
Reputation: 6686

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I have a 2012 Passat TDI. I can drive 80mph on the highway and get in the high 40s for mpg. Retroit, your right if I drive the speed limit I can achieve in the low 50's, but compared to my Expedition, the high 40s is economical enough for me. As far as spending extra money on fuel....im very stubborn, but I would rather pay more in fuel than be aggrevated by the longer commute times. I guess, the fact I drive a diesel means that I am driving economically in my eyes.
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Old 09-28-2012, 08:25 AM
 
Location: North of Canada, but not the Arctic
20,849 posts, read 19,322,755 times
Reputation: 25335
Quote:
Originally Posted by Engineer_Guy View Post
Driving speed relative to the speed limit has nothing to do with fuel economy. The speed limit changes where as the "sweet spot" for fuel economy depends on the car and environment, not the speed limit. This speed could be anywhere between 40-60mph depending on the car.
First off, I didn't mean to imply that driving speed relative to the speed limit had something to do with fuel economy. I was simply trying to say that the faster you go, the more fuel you burn. So if you drive slower, you will save gas. I mentioned the speed limit because I didn't want people to think I was advocating driving 15mph on the expressway. I admit, I could have worded it differently.

The second part, referring to the "sweet spot" is something that I often wondered about. Are you referring to driving at a speed just higher than when your car shifts into the highest gear? I thought the same thing. However, the fuel economy in my car decreases linearly with speed, with no noticeable drop occurring at speeds just above the gear change points. I actually did a long term experiment with my car, keeping track of the fuel economy at various speeds then plotting them on a graph. (I know: nerd!)

Of course, this is using the fuel economy gauge in the car, which I know may not be precise enough to prove/disprove the theory. Also I should mention I have an automatic transmission, not manual.

If you can shed more light on this or have more info, I would be delighted.
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Old 09-28-2012, 09:03 AM
 
Location: East Terrell Hills
1,158 posts, read 1,724,829 times
Reputation: 1268
Make sure that your tires are inflated to the correct specifications. Replace the dirty air filter. Add BG 44k to your gas tank once a year. BG 44K removes carbon deposits and restores gas mileage. I have a 2006 Honda Civic with 93k miles and I still average 29mpg.
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Old 09-28-2012, 09:41 AM
 
458 posts, read 1,240,536 times
Reputation: 306
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retroit View Post
First off, I didn't mean to imply that driving speed relative to the speed limit had something to do with fuel economy. I was simply trying to say that the faster you go, the more fuel you burn. So if you drive slower, you will save gas. I mentioned the speed limit because I didn't want people to think I was advocating driving 15mph on the expressway. I admit, I could have worded it differently.
That's not true though. Most cars will get better MPG going 40 mph than they do going 20 mpg. Many cars continue to get the best MPG upwards of 50-55mph.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Retroit View Post
The second part, referring to the "sweet spot" is something that I often wondered about. Are you referring to driving at a speed just higher than when your car shifts into the highest gear? I thought the same thing. However, the fuel economy in my car decreases linearly with speed, with no noticeable drop occurring at speeds just above the gear change points. I actually did a long term experiment with my car, keeping track of the fuel economy at various speeds then plotting them on a graph. (I know: nerd!)
The Ideal Vehicle Speed for Best Fuel Economy « Broken Secrets

Basically the negative effects of increasing speed, like wind resistance, are negligible up to a certain speed. That's your sweet spot. Because your engine consumes fuel even when going 0mph you want to go the fastest you can without the adverse effects of things wind resistance, etc.

As far as gears go, you will lose MPG if you are in the highest gear and continue to increase speed because you start to lose the mechanical advantage of the gear so your engine has to work harder which burns fuel.
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Old 09-28-2012, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
13,715 posts, read 30,993,781 times
Reputation: 9270
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Marnix View Post
I drive 60 miles round trip to work, 5 days/week, through West Los Angeles freeway traffic.

Had an 11 year old, 6 cyl SUV, gasoline $50 every 4 days. Maintenance was getting expensive as parts need replacing.

Spent $25k on a new hybrid, paying $500/month, gas is $30 every 8 days. I should have done it sooner where Cash for Clunkers scheme was available.
So you spent $25,000 (actually more with financing costs) to save about $3,000 per year. If you were going to replace the SUV anyways, you made a good choice. But replacing a paid off thirsty vehicle earlier than needed with an economical new one can take many years to achieve payback.
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Old 09-28-2012, 12:14 PM
 
458 posts, read 1,240,536 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoffdano View Post
So you spent $25,000 (actually more with financing costs) to save about $3,000 per year. If you were going to replace the SUV anyways, you made a good choice. But replacing a paid off thirsty vehicle earlier than needed with an economical new one can take many years to achieve payback.
Depends on how you look at it. Three grand a year in gas saving is not insignificant. That's a good chunk of his car payments each month. And in 5-6 years he will own a reasonably young vehicle rather than spending most of that money on gasoline and owning a 16-17 year old vehicle that will need a replacement. Though I don't like hybrids so I don't know if I like his choice either way. Probably should have just gotten a fuel efficient compact instead.

Edit: Just noticed his payments are 500/month, I expected he would be paying a bit less than that lol.
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Old 09-28-2012, 12:46 PM
 
Location: Maine
1,151 posts, read 2,022,127 times
Reputation: 1848
I just drive safely. In many cases, driving safely is also the key to driving economically. It saves tickets, but also gas.

#1. Drive the speed limits. Wind resistance gets to be a bigger factor the faster you go. It takes more gas to maintain 80 than 65. In my old truck, that 80 vs 65 on the Interstate was the difference between 18 and 23 miles per gallon. In my current car, 34 vs 38 mpg.

#2. Anticipate. Anticipate. Anticipate. You see that yellow light ahead of you, why is your foot still on the gas when you know you're going to have to stop anyway?

#3. Drive a steady speed, unless you're in the hills. Then use the downhill grade to build up speed for the uphill; allow yourself to slow down going uphill. This is usually easier on the car as well. Try not to accelerate going up hill.

#4. Don't tailgate. Constantly slowing down and speeding up with the guy in front of you is a huge waste of gas. Stay back, and when he slows down, you can coast down as opposed to using your brakes.

#5. Any time you touch the brakes, you've wasted gas that's already been burned. Try to anticipate slowdowns and stops so you can coast down as much as possible, rather than braking.

#6. Keep your car well-maintained. Change your spark plugs when recommended; change the oil when recommended; change the air filter when it gets dirty; change the fuel filter when recommended; if the check engine light is on, find out why and get it fixed; keep your tires properly inflated. All of those things not only lead to better gas mileage, but will make your car last longer with fewer problems as it ages.
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Old 10-02-2012, 02:20 AM
 
142 posts, read 314,720 times
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thanks everyone for the advice

- i would like to add that i seen a drastic improvement in my mpg thanks to all your advice ,and would like to share that i seen my mpg when i dont drive with boots !!!!!
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Old 10-02-2012, 06:57 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,243,414 times
Reputation: 7137
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bx4Life View Post
thanks everyone for the advice

- i would like to add that i seen a drastic improvement in my mpg thanks to all your advice ,and would like to share that i seen my mpg when i dont drive with boots !!!!!
Very cool. Lighter shoes can make a big difference when driving, I find, but more for comfort. I do usually change shoes to drive to lightweight loafers, especially if I am wearing dress shoes.
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Old 10-02-2012, 09:41 PM
 
142 posts, read 314,720 times
Reputation: 55
hey ,

i use air force one's as the bottom is smooth against the pedal.. great driving shoe in my opinion
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