Tunawife's fuel saving article

https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/increase-fuel-economy

Enjoy, folks!

Because the lazy like to click.

https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/increase-fuel-economy

Stampie said:

Because the lazy like to click.

https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/increase-fuel-economy

Thanks! I forget foruming sometimes

Nice article for the target audience. I've seen people that should know better fall for a few things listed.

One thing though, don't know if it can be edited. "Breaks"

Spelling corrections needed:

- Brake universally misspelled as break

- Same with manufacturer misspelled as manufactorer

- pedal misspelled as peddle

- increasig

- diffeence

- skeptism

Good on you tunawife!

Especially calling out the roofracks. Its amazing how many people don't think about simple aero and mpg.

s/useing/using

As an interesting data point on the "slow down" portion.  I've found that in my Excursion I actually get better highway mileage at 70-75mph than I do at 60.  I've measured that by looking at pumped gallons versus miles driven.  It also appears - but I haven't really been able to test it, per se - that if I give the truck moderate acceleration away from stops versus a very slow and gradual acceleration to speed, I get better mileage around town by a hair.  I'm not talking about flooring it by any means, but somewhere about mid-way to two-thirds of the trucks acceleration capability maybe.  But then, I guess three-quarter-ton trucks are a different beast when it comes to that sort of stuff.

wae said:

s/useing/using

As an interesting data point on the "slow down" portion.  I've found that in my Excursion I actually get better highway mileage at 70-75mph than I do at 60.  I've measured that by looking at pumped gallons versus miles driven.  It also appears - but I haven't really been able to test it, per se - that if I give the truck moderate acceleration away from stops versus a very slow and gradual acceleration to speed, I get better mileage around town by a hair.  I'm not talking about flooring it by any means, but somewhere about mid-way to two-thirds of the trucks acceleration capability maybe.  But then, I guess three-quarter-ton trucks are a different beast when it comes to that sort of stuff.

I did have her point out that accelerating briskly is going to give better fuel economy. The speed thing does happen sometimes (It did with her old Civic) and I suspect it's a peculiarity of some engines.

Thanks for the spellcheck, she wrote it late last night and I'll have her correct them

So waiting for $5 gas and the panics it caused. When this happened the last time everyone was dumping their gas guzzlers for little money.  
 

I remember an old grm friend buying a v10 excursion that was less than 10 years old for $5k due to the owner panicking. 
 

now that I've effectively  grandstanded.  The article is solid advice.  I'd say tire pressure is such an under rated helper for fuel mileage. Many of the manufacturers bias toward comfort on their recommendations. 
 

Apparently her spell checkers were not working properly. I went through it with her and fixed them. Thanks for the alerts and patience. All updated now.

https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/increase-fuel-economy

Thanks guys! She was a bit embarrassed, but we appreciate the help.

Fueled by Caffeine said:

So waiting for $5 gas and the panics it caused. When this happened the last time everyone was dumping their gas guzzlers for little money.  
 

I remember an old grm friend buying a v10 excursion that was less than 10 years old for $5k due to the owner panicking. 
 

now that I've effectively  grandstanded.  The article is solid advice.  I'd say tire pressure is such an under rated helper for fuel mileage. Many of the manufacturers bias toward comfort on their recommendations. 
 

 

The last sentence is undoubtedly true, but I also don't want to tell a bunch of Moms to potentially overinflate their tires.

Good article, but missed the #1 fuel saving tip:  drive less!

Great write up, stuff Ive been doing for a LONG time. 

While not a hyper-miler, I am always hoping to get as much as I can out of my little Fiesta. I started trying to save fuel about 10 years ago when I had a Nissan Pathfinder (03 model, V6). I got that and realized that 20mpg highway SUCKED. But at the time I had a GREAT job in sales that paid almost $700/month to each sales person for gas and maintenance...though some weeks were 1000 miles a week...

It got far worse when I started back in college and was driving 500+ miles a week for school and work. At that point Im only working 20 hours a week at Home Depot, saving gas was critical to my wallet. 

The habits I adopted then carried over to the Fiesta. 

I do notice that certain speeds/rpm at cruising will net a higher MPG than just slowly poking along at a lesser speed...but go to high and it starts reducing again. 

Her point about braking is an excellent one, and one that could have a safety aspect too - for me Im always looking ahead to come off the throttle early and coast (when no one is behind) a bit. Saves a miniscule amount on my brakes, doesnt 'waste' the fuel, and keeps me looking far ahead which is a great safety thing, being prepared. 

Im curious if we'll see another 2008, where gas shoots up and people start dropping their trucks and SUVs. If so Imma capitalize lol I need a small/midsized SUV or truck

Yeah remember last time when CRX HF prices were climbing to stupid heights? I expect this time it would be cheap EVs like old Leafs.

ProDarwin said:

Good article, but missed the #1 fuel saving tip:  drive less!

 

 

Bingo! It takes a lot of small efficiency gains to outdo even 5 or 10 minutes of zero gas consumption. Plus if you walk or bike instead, you are getting a FREE exercise. 

Aaaaaaand if the car trip would take 10 minutes but the walk is 30, you are getting a 30 minute exercise done in only 20 extra minutes. Which is about as close to time travel as you're likely to get.

Great article, I was only a little disappointed she didn't mention the Bolt!

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

ProDarwin said:

Good article, but missed the #1 fuel saving tip:  drive less!

 

 

Bingo! It takes a lot of small efficiency gains to outdo even 5 or 10 minutes of zero gas consumption. Plus if you walk or bike instead, you are getting a FREE exercise. 

Aaaaaaand if the car trip would take 10 minutes but the walk is 30, you are getting a 30 minute exercise done in only 20 extra minutes. Which is about as close to time travel as you're likely to get.

I wasn't saying this from an exercise standpoint (although that works), more optimizing travel.

Obviously the #1 factor here is to reduce your daily circle - live closer to work/school/whatever.  But also, minimize extra trips.  Don't go out, come home, go back out, come back home, etc.  Do everything in one trip and its a more efficient use of your time and money.  A lot of people are guilty of pointless extra trips.  If you are concenred about the fuel you consume, you should be concerned about the impact of this type of behavior.

I was always amazed at the # of people on ecomodder who are hitting pretty impressive mpg #s but live a crazy distance from work.  Like thats great, but if you lived a reasonable distance from work you could drive a dump truck and still use less fuel.

I found when I switched from LRR tires on my car to stickier meats it reduced fuel economy by about 5 to 7 percent. Significant, but the added control, safety, and fun of driving was worth the trade off. Big knobby off road tires, by contrast, only make your truck look tougher and help with off road traction.  I've actually been looking at lowering my truck a few inches, to make getting in and out, and loading it, easier. It should help with mileage, too. 

Some vehicles do make more power with higher octane fuel, so in theory they should get better fuel economy, too.  Depends on the vehicle. 

Cruise control can be a mixed bag. In my experience, I do as well or better without it. Cruise is especially bad on hilly roads. Going slower up the hill and building up free speed going down gives better fuel economy than holding a steady speed. 

The rest of the article is pretty solid advice. A big pet peeves of mine is people racing to get up to a stop light. I'll coast along, and get there a few seconds later.  You save no time and burn more gas driving like an asshat.   Likewise with tailgating. In fact, leaving a larger space in front of you not only saves you gas, but it saves the people behind you gas as well, since you won't be making as abrupt speed changes, they won't have to, either. 

I question whether air filters don't affect fuel usage. A dirty filter reduces the "suck" efficiency of the otto cycle, which means the engine has to work harder to draw in the air. A modern engine will adjust the fuel input to compensate, so it won't be as bad as a clogged filter on a 68 Malibu, but it still should make a difference.