EnviroLink Forum

I'm in my 70s now, and I remember when I was a child I read car magazines, because cares were the cell-phones of the day.

Each year the car manufacturers participated in the "Mobil Economy Run".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobil_Economy_Run

Mobil Economy Run was an annual event that took place from 1936 to 1968, except during World War II. It was designed to provide real fuel efficiency numbers during a coast-to-coast test on public roads and with regular traffic and weather conditions. The Mobil Oil Corporation sponsored it and the United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned and operated the run.

I remember an interview with a driver who said to get maximum fuel economy he (1) accelerated slowly, as if there was an egg shell between his food and the accelerator, and (2) anticipated braking by taking his foot off the gas pedal and coasting as much as he could. He added that when you use the brakes, you convert fuel you used into nothing but useless heat.

For my work, I use the smallest minivan that will hold the gear necessary for me to do my job. I drive them for at least 200,000 miles and only get a new one when something happens that makes me question their dependability.

So I adopt these driving habits:

• I accelerate slowly, almost painfully slowly until I got used to it. To be courteous, I do this in the right 'slow' lane
• I anticipate braking: When the light turns red up ahead, I immediately take my foot off the gas. In my normal driving roads, where the speed limit drops, I know exactly where to take my foot off the gas so I can get to the lower speed without using the brakes.

Results:

• I get an additional 5 miles per gallon over what the car is rated at. With a 20 gallon tank that means an additional 100 miles with the same amount of gas. That saves me money, and spews out much less greenhouse gas out of the tailpipe
• Bonus #1 - I get about 100,000 miles on a set of brakes
• Bonus #2 - My last minivan went >200,000 miles and never needed a quart of oil between changes

Note:I immediately got about 3mpg better, and as I learned how to do this better, I increased that to at least 5mpg better than the vehicle's rating.

So do I get where I want to go slower? Yes. But not enough to make a difference. In an cross-town trip the difference is usually about 5 minutes. So I leave the house 5 minutes earlier. At the price of gas, that's pretty good pay per minute of my time.

So I challenge others to try it, and spread the word to others who care.

Bob

Since I work in the oil and gas industry, I do my best to consume as much as possible. Any tips on lowering my fuel mileage?

I have heard that many in Texas have routed their exhaust pipe into the passenger compartment. It does not lower the fuel milage, but it does result in the loss of the few brain cells required to do the math to know what your mileage is. A side benefit is that you also lose the ability to troll.

_________________
With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

Well, we wouldn’t want that. I don’t have a lot to spare.