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$5.00 per gallon gas strategy

Yes, but you never see the ones you don't pass. Think about it. :)

You can tell from behind what they're doing, too - the lean and the cranked over head while driving is a dead giveaway. The supermajority of Prius drivers can be seen doing this.

Since I often ride more than 200 miles a day between Dallas and Fort Worth, I'm pretty sure I've seen the majority of the local Prius population at one time or another. For that matter, it isn't just me, many other people I know have observed the same thing.
 
Everyone has a right to their opinion. Your evidence is anecdotal. I can find people saying the same about hooliganism on motorcycles. That doesn't make it correct.
 
Commercial drivers have observed the same thing and there was at least one of them taking a survey of what he and his partner saw on the road. Lots of Prius drivers playing video games is what they noticed - so pretty sure it is true.
 
Everyone has a right to their opinion. Your evidence is anecdotal. I can find people saying the same about hooliganism on motorcycles. That doesn't make it correct.

+1

You can't hooligan on shadow if you have a bum leg.
 
This doesn't have much to do with $5 gas but while I was waiting on my girlfriend to come out of HEB one day, I was sitting there watching people come out of the store with carts and loading their cars with groceries. I started to pay attention to those that put away their carts in the coral and those that didn't. There were 2 noticeable characteristics. One is that older people put away their carts more often than younger people. The other was that people who drove smaller cars more often than not, put their carts away while more of the SUV and pickup drivers tended not to.

Just an observation, far from scientific but it would be interesting to do a real study to see what turns up.
 
There were 2 noticeable characteristics. One is that older people put away their carts more often than younger people. The other was that people who drove smaller cars more often than not, put their carts away while more of the SUV and pickup drivers tended not to.

Got me pegged as I qualify on both counts and always return my cart.

I also like to park next to the cart corrals. My thinking is someone will be more likely to return a cart when they're close to a corral. Less loose carts means less chance for paint dings.

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Not only do I return my cart, but I gather any between me and the corral, I also straighten up the corral.
 
I don't know what you guys are taking about. I love driving my truck, I think it's fun to drive, and it will probably outrun most of your small sporty econoboxes :trust:
 
I don't know what you guys are taking about. I love driving my truck, I think it's fun to drive, and it will probably outrun most of your small sporty econoboxes :trust:

I like the diesels trucks that run 10 sec quarter miles at Baytown, that looks like fun.
 
I like the diesels trucks that run 10 sec quarter miles at Baytown, that looks like fun.

yeah some of those big diesel trucks will surprise you.
A few years back I had a Subaru WRX wagon. Turbo charged, all wheel drive. Man I loved that car, great handling, not the fastest thing on 4 wheels but it was quick and very fun to drive. I was following 2 big Dodge 1 ton diesel 4x4 trucks on the highway. We were runnin a good clip, nearly 100 mph, sometimes more. We hit some traffic, and had to slow. We eventually all made it through with out driving like dooshes or maniacs. Once past the traffic, those guys "put the hammer down", and I couldn't even hope to keep up. I didn't catch up again until they were slowed by the next pack of slower moving cars.
 
I don't know what you guys are taking about. I love driving my truck, I think it's fun to drive, and it will probably outrun most of your small sporty econoboxes :trust:

It should outrun them as it's using twice as much gas. haha

Fun to me is good handling and a manual transmission. Most trucks don't have either.

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It should outrun them as it's using twice as much gas. haha

Fun to me is good handling and a manual transmission. Most trucks don't have either.

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Don't get me wrong, I LOVE driving sporty manual trans cars. And I love driving sports cars with big v8s also. I think I just like driving, almost anything really. Heck, when I'm driving the wife's mini-van, or TMV (tactical mini van) as I like to call it, I try to race every vette and mustang I come across :rofl:
Trucks are a different kind of fun, but IMO still fun
 
Socialist! :lol2:

No, it's socialist if the government or authorities demand it or mandate it. It isn't socialist if someone decides to do it on their own. That's the difference.

A better example -

Man decides to give all his money and possessions away to other people who didn't earn it = philanthropist.
Government decides to take all of a man's money and possessions and gives them to other people who didn't earn it = socialist.

Also, I don't usually return my cart and I don't usually drive tiny toy cars.

Of course, the reason I don't return my cart is because I usually didn't use one to begin with. Can't return what you don't have.
 
I just don't think people should be allowed to procreate without a license. :D
 
Also, I don't usually return my cart and I don't usually drive tiny toy cars.

Of course, the reason I don't return my cart is because I usually didn't use one to begin with. Can't return what you don't have.

So is that also why you don't drive a "tiny toy car"? You can't drive what you don't have.

Back on topic.

Don't overlook the best way to save on your fuel costs, alter you driving habits. Usually when that is said people think only in terms of easy acceleration, coasting, drive at slower speed, etc. All true but I'm talking about the free things that don't even alter the way you drive only the how and when you drive.

  • stop warming up your car, after starting drive away.
  • stop using drive thru's and burning gas idling. Park and walk inside.
  • stop daily trips for newspaper, cigs, milk, coffee, etc. Subscribe, buy in bulk, make at home instead.
  • combine short trips. Once your car is fully warmed up (after about 5 miles) you get much better mpg.
  • schedule trips outside of high traffic times of day. Less stop and go equals better mpg.
  • if you're stopped waiting then turn off the engine. I see the daily SUV line waiting in front of the schools. All with windows up so engines running. Same goes when waiting at train tracks.
  • plan ahead when possible and order online instead of driving across town to purchase.
  • check tire air pressure weekly. Don't use factory psi recommendations, keep inflated to highest pressure at which you can accept degraded ride comfort.
  • if you drive an older carbureted car make sure it is tuned up and has a clean air filter. FI cars need air filter maintenance but it won't impact mpg.
  • don't buy mid grade or premium gas if not required. If your vehicle doesn't need the increased octane to prevent knocking then it is wasted money.
  • carpool and rideshare whenever possible and convenient. Not just work, but school, church, games, events, organizations, clubs, etc.

_
 
my gas saving tip? Move to within 5 miles of work. I put less than 5000 miles on my car a year.
 
Back on topic.

Don't overlook the best way to save on your fuel costs, alter you driving habits. Usually when that is said people think only in terms of easy acceleration, coasting, drive at slower speed, etc.
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Researchers have found that you can actually get lower gas mileage by accelerating too slowly. My personal experience, how I accelerate makes little difference in mpg. Some of my best results were obtained by employing surprisingly brisk acceleration, both with my car and motorcycle.
The kinetic energy that your engine has to give your car is not wasted energy, it's stored energy, it's not wasted unless you throw it away with your brakes. Most people who have a habit of accelerating hard also have a habit of using their brakes a lot and that is why they get bad gas mileage.

When you accelerate a 2400 pound car from zero to 60 mph, your engine has to give that car about 290,000 ft lb of energy. That energy is exactly the same if it took 4 seconds to do the acceleration or if it took all day. Thinking that you can somehow get around having to provide that energy by slowly sneaking up on the cruising speed is a lot like thinking your house will cost you less if you take out the longest possible mortgage.
 
So is that also why you don't drive a "tiny toy car"? You can't drive what you don't have.

Back on topic.

Don't overlook the best way to save on your fuel costs, alter you driving habits. Usually when that is said people think only in terms of easy acceleration, coasting, drive at slower speed, etc. All true but I'm talking about the free things that don't even alter the way you drive only the how and when you drive.

  • stop warming up your car, after starting drive away.
  • stop using drive thru's and burning gas idling. Park and walk inside.
  • stop daily trips for newspaper, cigs, milk, coffee, etc. Subscribe, buy in bulk, make at home instead.
  • combine short trips. Once your car is fully warmed up (after about 5 miles) you get much better mpg.
  • schedule trips outside of high traffic times of day. Less stop and go equals better mpg.
  • if you're stopped waiting then turn off the engine. I see the daily SUV line waiting in front of the schools. All with windows up so engines running. Same goes when waiting at train tracks.
  • plan ahead when possible and order online instead of driving across town to purchase.
    [*]check tire air pressure weekly. Don't use factory psi recommendations, keep inflated to highest pressure at which you can accept degraded ride comfort.
  • if you drive an older carbureted car make sure it is tuned up and has a clean air filter. FI cars need air filter maintenance but it won't impact mpg.
  • don't buy mid grade or premium gas if not required. If your vehicle doesn't need the increased octane to prevent knocking then it is wasted money.
  • carpool and rideshare whenever possible and convenient. Not just work, but school, church, games, events, organizations, clubs, etc.

_

just responding to the red highlighted area.
I don't recomend this, the minimal gas savings will go away when you have to buy new tires too soon from driving on over inflated tires. You'll soon wear down the center tread to an unsafe depth.

my gas saving tip? Move to within 5 miles of work. I put less than 5000 miles on my car a year.

already there :mrgreen:

Researchers have found that you can actually get lower gas mileage by accelerating too slowly. My personal experience, how I accelerate makes little difference in mpg. Some of my best results were obtained by employing surprisingly brisk acceleration, both with my car and motorcycle.
The kinetic energy that your engine has to give your car is not wasted energy, it's stored energy, it's not wasted unless you throw it away with your brakes. Most people who have a habit oon overf accelerating hard also have a habit of using their brakes a lot and that is why they get bad gas mileage.

When you accelerate a 2400 pound car from zero to 60 mph, your engine has to give that car about 290,000 ft lb of energy. That energy is exactly the same if it took 4 seconds to do the acceleration or if it took all day. Thinking that you can somehow get around having to provide that energy by slowly sneaking up on the cruising speed is a lot like thinking your house will cost you less if you take out the longest possible mortgage.

I find the thing that makes the biggest difference in my truck is keeping the RMPs below 2k. That seems to yield the best highway mileage and it keeps me from speeding :lol2:
 
my gas saving tip? Move to within 5 miles of work. I put less than 5000 miles on my car a year.

That's the ticket. A house is an appreciating asset (at least it has been to this point) and even with taxes and maintenance moving closer to work beats buying a more fuel efficient car or changing driving habits. The biggest expense of car ownership isn't fuel, its depreciation. You can cut depreciation costs by keeping a car a long time or by buying used, but until the cost of fuel goes a lot higher its still the largest part of the equation.

Scott Burns answered a reader's question in today's paper about replacing a car that gets 25 mpg with one that gets 50 mpg. When you look at the cost of driving per mile, which includes depreciation, maintenance, fuel, and insurance, you'd have to drive a whole lot of miles to see any savings at all. That calculation can change if the price of fuel skyrockets.

While a motorcycle gets better fuel mileage, the maintenance costs are generally higher than a car (anyone replace their car tires every 10K?) so you need to look at the cost per mile of ownership instead of just MPG.
 
just responding to the red highlighted area.
I don't recomend this, the minimal gas savings will go away when you have to buy new tires too soon from driving on over inflated tires. You'll soon wear down the center tread to an unsafe depth.

already there :mrgreen:



I find the thing that makes the biggest difference in my truck is keeping the RMPs below 2k. That seems to yield the best highway mileage and it keeps me from speeding :lol2:

That's true, but most tires wear out on the outside because owners don't keep them inflated to the minimum pressure or maintain their vehicle's wheel alignment.
 
... Most people who have a habit of accelerating hard also have a habit of using their brakes a lot and that is why they get bad gas mileage...

That is the biggest point of easy acceleration, avoiding jackrabbit starts and hard brake driving. Easy acceleration in stop and go driving keeps you from having to use your brakes as much. Instead of hard acceleration and hard braking to stop briefly for a traffic light better you get up to speed slower following the speed limit and anticipate the light often needing to apply brakes less or not at all by cruising right through on green.

Over doing it and creeping too slowly up to speed is not beneficial either like you say. Same goes for over doing short shifting. You need to know your engines most efficient rpm range and try to stay within it. This is different for every vehicle. A real time gage plugged into your OBD II port will tell you everything you need to know and much more.

Even while cruising at speed a light and precise foot can save you gas. I can be on the highway at steady speed of 65mph and steady pressure on the gas pedal. By ever so slightly easing up on the gas pedal I can still maintain the same speed but pick up an additional 5mpg.

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That's true, but most tires wear out on the outside because owners don't keep them inflated to the minimum pressure or maintain their vehicle's wheel alignment.

this is also true.
I came across an article in an off road about setting proper tire pressure.
You need chalk and about 100 ft of flat road/pavement.
Set tires to recommended psi, and drive drive forward 100 ft. Check your calk line and see if it is rubbed off evenly. If more rubbed off on the outsides, add are. Likewise if more is rubbed off on the inside let out out air. Do this for all tired until the chalk line rubs out evenly and write those pressures down. Doing this gives you an even footprint of tread and gives you max tire life.
 
just responding to the red highlighted area.
I don't recomend this, the minimal gas savings will go away when you have to buy new tires too soon from driving on over inflated tires. You'll soon wear down the center tread to an unsafe depth.

Not true unless you take air pressure up to an extreme. Going from say 32psi to 40psi it won't happen and you'll actually get longer tire life. Manufacturer psi recommendations are a compromise for load, handling and ride comfort. If you can live with slightly reduced comfort of higher psi then your tires will have less rolling resistance and reduced heat which prolongs their life. You won't gain that much mpg though but every little bit helps, especially when it's free. For me going from 32psi to 38psi gave me a true 1-2mpg increase which translates to about $40 a year. Over 38psi and I felt handling diminished so I wasn't willing to give up any fun factor.

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