I have some obsession with driving economically.

zyran

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Joined
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Malaysia
OCD driving must've taken over me, well, in some cases.

I can drive aggressively when i want to but most of the time i want to drive economically according to what jeremy has said.

If i'm going to a stop or a speed bump or a corner I accelerate appropriately far before it and just lift off the throttle and let the cars momentum bring it thru (slowly) to the stop or a speed bump or corner. Though, I find it hard to do when there's a car behind me, I wouldn't want to annoy them. And at times where I don't feel to warm or when I'm really low on fuel I turn off the air-conditioning.

I most of time am able to overcome the OCD thing but not to be all weird, I get a thrill getting a lot of milage off my car. I managed to do 50km more than the times I drive aggressively.

My friends or anyone my age brag about how fast they can get from point a to point b, I brag on how much km-age i can get. Weird, I know.

But I think TG failed to point out some other ways to drive economically.
If I remember reading somewhere driving around 70-90km/h is the most economical speed because of the gear/rev ratio, but if you go any higher, wind resistance will take its toll and you waste fuel.

I've got a question anyway, does the engine burn the same amount of fuel when at 2000rpm @ 2nd gear vs. 2000rpm @ 4-6 gear. Does it work that way? Velocity of car < 100km/h

***From www.fueleconomy.gov***

SPEED.gif


Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

I hope I don't turn you off gearheads. I'm still a gearhead. If i have a sports car I wouldn't give a shit about gas milage.
 
I see you point, I do the same, but it's not an obsession, I just do it to save money.
The funny thing is, I just made an excelsheet with my yearly costs.
I came to 458 euros on gas alone...I was kinda shocked..

I always let the car slow down on the engine, drive 100km/h on the highway where 120 is allowed (if there's not much traffic). But in general I take the train, and now I've seen what I spend on gas I'll take my bike more often.
 
I usually spend around 150~200 ? on fuel each month. Sometimes more, I think. That's the payoff for wanting to trade my 7,5l spender for a 11l guzzler...
 
Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Faster you go, the more air resistance you oppose so less gas mileage
 
Yeah, sometimes, I also try that...
With my mother's Toyota Yaris Verso, I try to stay below 7 liter/100 kilometer (that's 33 miles to the gallon according to our friend Google)
That's quite good for a car like that I think.

but on the end of the trip, i'm always exhausted from having to concentrate :)

You can drive economically for the environment, but you also have think about yourself ;)
 
I do the same thing, but because I can't drive fast. If I don't drive fast I get bored so I keep myself amused by trying the eek the most miles out of every gallon. I get 36 MPG on the highway at 65 mph, yay saab and their obsession with aerodynamics.

But I think TG failed to point out some other ways to drive economically.
I remember that episode, I was laughing cause Jeremy was freezing when he could have turned on the heater. :lol:
 
I have fuel economy on my mind when I drive too. I rarely push the gas pedal to the floor or go above 120km/hr on the highway. If I restrain from being overzealous with my right foot I can get over 500km on one tank(55L) of gas :p
 
haha604 said:
I have fuel economy on my mind when I drive too. I rarely push the gas pedal to the floor or go above 120km/hr on the highway. If I restrain from being overzealous with my right foot I can get over 500km on one tank(55L) of gas :p

Damn you. Damn the 401 though. Past 4 days I've average 130 km/h and have hit 160 once and 150 on more than one occasion. True, mileage goes way down. This week I'll be taking the back roads which means 100 to 110 km/h and I'll see what the mileage will be.
 
after I sold my car, i've been driving like a 80 year old :( no fun in the minivan.. i swear it's been months since i even drove in the fast lane in the highways :( waiting to get a new "real" good car to terrorize the streets :twisted: although am afraid thats gonna take a while :cry: :cry: (plus the 2nd reason why I drive really economically is because am broke :( .. since i started driving the minivan, i've never filled it with more than 30 $ which is like 2/3 of the tank, 1/2 if am lucky and prices drop)
 
I had a BMW with those MPG meters. The car gets the best mileage when there is less load on the engine. The source of the load comes from numerous different places--drivetrain, engine accesories, tires, wind, etc.

An engine at 3000rpm going up a hill will burn more fuel than the same engine at 6000rpm coasting on level ground. Modern EFI systems are programmed to save as much fuel whenever possible.

I've heard that an engine runs most efficiently at around 500rpm below its maximum torque output. Although it's running most efficiently, it doesn't mean it's burning less fuel. (I assume it means it produces the best power to fuel consumption ratio.)

The only things we can do to increase mileage on our cars is the following:
1) get a higher flowing air filter
2) run a lower viscosity engine oil
3) run a smaller width tire (also larger diameter for cruising)
4) add aerodynamic aides to decrease aerodynamic drag

But the most important of all is to make sure every component on your car is in good, working condition. <-- This makes the most improvement above all!
 
Re: I have some obsession with driving economically.

zyran said:
OCD driving must've taken over me, well, in some cases.

I can drive aggressively when i want to but most of the time i want to drive economically according to what jeremy has said.

If i'm going to a stop or a speed bump or a corner I accelerate appropriately far before it and just lift off the throttle and let the cars momentum bring it thru (slowly) to the stop or a speed bump or corner. Though, I find it hard to do when there's a car behind me, I wouldn't want to annoy them. And at times where I don't feel to warm or when I'm really low on fuel I turn off the air-conditioning.

I most of time am able to overcome the OCD thing but not to be all weird, I get a thrill getting a lot of milage off my car. I managed to do 50km more than the times I drive aggressively.

My friends or anyone my age brag about how fast they can get from point a to point b, I brag on how much km-age i can get. Weird, I know.

But I think TG failed to point out some other ways to drive economically.
If I remember reading somewhere driving around 70-90km/h is the most economical speed because of the gear/rev ratio, but if you go any higher, wind resistance will take its toll and you waste fuel.

I've got a question anyway, does the engine burn the same amount of fuel when at 2000rpm @ 2nd gear vs. 2000rpm @ 4-6 gear. Does it work that way? Velocity of car < 100km/h

***From www.fueleconomy.gov***

SPEED.gif


Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

I hope I don't turn you off gearheads. I'm still a gearhead. If i have a sports car I wouldn't give a shit about gas milage.

No. Wind resistance becomes much greater at higher speeds (5th gear @ 2000rpm). To keep the velocity constant you must use more fuel.

Also getting the car to these speeds requires alot more fuel. A car travelling at 62mph (~100kph) requires 4 times the amount of energy than a car travelling at 31 mph (~50kph)

E= 0.5mv^2
 
Jostyrostelli said:
The funny thing is, I just made an excelsheet with my yearly costs.
I came to 458 euros on gas alone...I was kinda shocked..

I wish my yearly costs would be that low...
Here's my fuel consumption stats.
From 1.1.2005 to this day, my fuel expenses have been 676.46 euros.
Total fuel expenses from mid-June 2004 from when I bought the car is 2318,53 euros. That's less than a year.
I estimate 2700-2800 euros per year fuel costs.
 
I really feel for you guys in Europe who have fuel that is so heavily taxed.

In America, petrol is a "bargain" at <$3.00 a gallon. However, we don't enjoy the kind of mass transportation network that Europeans have. Without a car, we literally cannot go anywhere! A trip to the market would be a half a day's walking expedition!

Too bad Nissan doesn't sell their new Skyline or their Fuga in Europe. Those have amazingly low drag coefficients. The Fuga has 0.22 ! ! !
 
Re: I have some obsession with driving economically.

Leppy said:
No. Wind resistance becomes much greater at higher speeds (5th gear @ 2000rpm). To keep the velocity constant you must use more fuel.

Also getting the car to these speeds requires alot more fuel. A car travelling at 62mph (~100kph) requires 4 times the amount of energy than a car travelling at 31 mph (~50kph)

E= 0.5mv^2

I agree with that , except this is neglegable if you are driving out of town/stopping less then once per mile. The wind resistance while at a certain speed gives a much bigger contribution to the fuel spendige. Its true that the air resistance is proportional to the square of the velocity, thus the increased fuel consumption at higher speeds.
 
i drive 100mph+ on highways but on normal roads i try to save as much as posible... not always
 
aqualung said:
Jostyrostelli said:
The funny thing is, I just made an excelsheet with my yearly costs.
I came to 458 euros on gas alone...I was kinda shocked..

I wish my yearly costs would be that low...
Here's my fuel consumption stats.
From 1.1.2005 to this day, my fuel expenses have been 676.46 euros.
Total fuel expenses from mid-June 2004 from when I bought the car is 2318,53 euros. That's less than a year.
I estimate 2700-2800 euros per year fuel costs.

But you have an income?

May be not very much for your standards but I study and don't really have that much money. I NEED the 500 euros now..for books :thumbsdown:
 
Re: I have some obsession with driving economically.

Wooptidoop said:
Leppy said:
No. Wind resistance becomes much greater at higher speeds (5th gear @ 2000rpm). To keep the velocity constant you must use more fuel.

Also getting the car to these speeds requires alot more fuel. A car travelling at 62mph (~100kph) requires 4 times the amount of energy than a car travelling at 31 mph (~50kph)

E= 0.5mv^2

I agree with that , except this is neglegable if you are driving out of town/stopping less then once per mile. The wind resistance while at a certain speed gives a much bigger contribution to the fuel spendige. Its true that the air resistance is proportional to the square of the velocity, thus the increased fuel consumption at higher speeds.

Yeah I know but he asked about 2000 rpm in 2nd gear and 2000 rpm in 5th. Going by my lancer, thats a huge difference in speed.
 
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