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4) I realize a long time ago that you don't really get anywhere that much sooner if you speed up especially in non rural areas where there are stop lights and signs. All you'd be doing is getting to the next stop light faster.
a guy getting onto I-78 today in Vauxhaull behind me decided he didn't want to ride with me and the 4 cars in front of me in the merge lane, so he cut accross the solid white line and cut into 78, then cut into the middle lane, all without really being able to see traffic coming. he got a nice jump...then about 10 miles later, i passed him. all that risk for literally no gain.
After living in NYC for over a decade and living in Essex County for a few months I've come to the conclusion that NJ has worse drivers. Quick to cut you off, lots of speeders and weavers on the highways and don't get me started about 4 way stop signs. Do they not teach you how to negotiate them in NJ?
The problem with people driving too slow is that many cars today are not geared to run comfortably at 55-60. It will hurt the car's fuel economy if you cruise at that speed.
Many new cars are geared for cruising at 70mph due to popularity and to achieve maximum mpg. For cars with very tall 5th gear, its likely around 70-75mph to have the engine at 3k rpm.
If you own a car later than 2008+ I would say try driving your car at 70mph for 20mi and then do the same at 60mph. You might notice a small fuel savings if you cruise at 70mph vs 60mph.
Many sports car like the Camaro can hit 60mph on 2nd gear and in order to get to the cruising gear like 4th you have to hit 75-80 in order to achieve maximum mpg.
fuel economy has far less to do with the transmission's gear ratios than it does with physics. wind resistence is too high once you get above 55-60mph, no matter how your car is built.
I was in Portland, Maine, once at a red light. I wanted to turn right but I wasn't sure if they allowed right on red or not. Just then the light turned green anyway and at almost the same time, the person behind leaned on the horn, so I figured it WAS a right on red and the person behind me wanted to turn also. Not so--as I turned the car flew past me and went straight ahead--Jersey plates.
- *Most* don't stop or see pedestrians at street crossing or shopping center crossings.
Agree with this one! I commute to NYC from NJ and walk home from the bus. Everytime I have to use a crosswalk, I feel like I am taking my life into my hands. The drivers simply could care less about crosswalks and pedestrians. I once watched a car go into the left lane around a father and his 2 small children who were in the crosswalk in front of a school so they wouldn't be inconvenienced by stopping.
- Very slow reaction times, when traffic light changes it takes about 3-8 secs for the lead car to move
I might be one of these folks. But after driving in this state for over 20 years, I am mostly used to people blowing red lights because they are clearly very important and shouldn't be required to stop.
- overly courteous drivers sometimes impede traffic by stopping unnecessarily to allow another adjacent car to come in stopping flow of traffic
I don't know where in NJ you have driven. I find NJ drivers to be miserably selfish, rude and dangerous.
fuel economy has far less to do with the transmission's gear ratios than it does with physics. wind resistence is too high once you get above 55-60mph, no matter how your car is built.
Of course physics is the primary source obviously.
What you're claiming is that driving on the highway at 2nd gear makes no difference than driving on 3-4th gear, BS.
Gearing is how automakers achieve their extra mpg today. Every car that claims to do high 30s to 40mpg is using electronic programs to upshift and downshift for the driver.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JustMeEC
I don't know where in NJ you have driven. I find NJ drivers to be miserably selfish, rude and dangerous.
On my way to work today on a busy 3 lane high speed road, a lady in front of me just flat out stopped so another adjacent car can turn into the road. The truck behind me honked loudly because her kindness could've lead to multi-vehicle accident. I always curse at female drivers because they don't use common sense.
This is my example, I've seen this more often outside of NYC.
Of course physics is the primary source obviously.
What you're claiming is that driving on the highway at 2nd gear makes no difference than driving on 3-4th gear, BS.
Gearing is how automakers achieve their extra mpg today. Every car that claims to do high 30s to 40mpg is using electronic programs to upshift and downshift for the driver.
On my way to work today on a busy 3 lane high speed road, a lady in front of me just flat out stopped so another adjacent car can turn into the road. The truck behind me honked loudly because her kindness could've lead to multi-vehicle accident. I always curse at female drivers because they don't use common sense.
This is my example, I've seen this more often outside of NYC.
that's not what i'm claiming at all. I have a 6 speed transmission, and i can easily get to 50-60mph in 2nd or 3rd gear, and if my goal is to get to 140mph, that would make sense. but if my goal is to cruise, staying in 3rd gear at 60mph is beyond idiotic. i'll cruise in 6th gear, watch my RPMs drop, and watch my MPG increase.
automatic transmissions use electronics and sensors to understand whether you're trying to accelerate or cruise. if you're cruising, i assure you you're not in 3rd gear.
and yeah...you're right. people in NYC don't abruptly stop...definitely not. especially not those yellow colored vehicles with the signs for Flashdancers on their roof.
And don't even get me started on the way people drive on the Goethals Bridge (usually out of staters). I could write a book of complaints on that topic.
what aspect of drivers on the goethels bridge bothers you? it bothers me when people are too scared to pass a car because the lanes are narrow. when i see someone who is afraid, ill usually mess with them. if i see a car going over the middle, ill get next to them and stay there. you cant not pass on the goethels because you are scared. the lanes are wide enough for huge trucks (but i dont fault huge trucks when they want to ride in the middle).
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doesn't it just drive you mad?!
