[Graeme]

Six gas mileage myths

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')o Americans care about fuel economy as oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico and gasoline hovers around $3 a gallon? You bet they do, though they also have a fair number of misconceptions about how to squeeze a few more miles out of every drop.

The Consumer Federation of America's (CFA) most recent survey says that if we had a 50-mile-per-gallon car fleet today, we'd save more oil than the entire proven reserves in the entire Gulf of Mexico. And people care about that.

According to Jack Gillis, author of The Car Book and a CFA spokesman, 87 percent of respondents said it is "important that the country reduce its consumption of oil," and 54 percent said it is "very important."

An amazing 65 percent of Americans surveyed support a mandated transition to a 50-mpg fuel economy standard by 2025. That's a tough standard, some 15 mpg better than the ambitious goal set by the Obama Administration (35 mpg by 2016).

"The expectations of American consumers are reasonable and achievable," Gillis said in a conference call." CFA says that Asian carmakers, compared to the U.S. competition, are offering twice as many vehicles with 30 mpg or better. "It's shocking that so few of today's cars get more than 30 mpg," he said.

Mark Cooper, CFA's research director, noted that in five years of the group's polling, the public's views have stayed remarkably consistent: Americans want less dependence on Middle Eastern oil and higher fuel-economy standards.

People care about fuel economy, but they're misinformed about how to actually achieve it. The federal government's fueleconomy.gov site (very useful to check cars' mpg) just published the "Top 10 Misconceptions About Fuel Economy."

Here are a few big myths:

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '[')b]Six gas mileage myths

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')
People care about fuel economy, but they're misinformed about how to actually achieve it. The federal government's fueleconomy.gov site (very useful to check cars' mpg) just published the "Top 10 Misconceptions About Fuel Economy."

Here are a few big myths:

[MrEnergyCzar]

The "Kiwi MPG" $100 device tells you your actual MPG as you are driving and your cumulative average MPG since the last time you reset it....

MrEnergyCzar

[litesong]

Instantaneous MPG instruments are good. I had a computer monitoring my fuel consumption (v. similar to present monitors) on one of my very early cars. Helped me somewhat, altho I was already driving pretty good for good MPG. One of the least expensive devices to help you cultivate good MPG is a vacuum gauge. But generally, careful driving with a real desire for good MPG will let you average over the estimated EPA highway average. Normally, I am averaging 10% to 15% over the EPA highway average & generally get 20+% better MPG than leadfooters. I have gotten 51MPG with my 22 year old Ford Festiva while mountain driving over 11,000 feet of mountain passes, driven a 2008 Hyundai Accent (EPA highway---32MPG) to 45MPG while ascending & descending a 1400 foot pass & gotten 42MPG while ascending & descending 5500 foot Chinook Pass near Mt. Rainier.

[litesong]

Oh, yeah. Here's tips to get better MPG. When approaching hills or mountain slopes (lots of them in my Washington state), slowly ease your velocity a bit faster than your normal pace, BEFORE the hill starts rising. As you begin to ascend, carefully don't lose speed at the bottom of the hill (but don't accelerate either). As you approach the steepest part of the hill, carefully & slowly decrease your speed, till you ascend to the very flat top of the hill & are going a bit slower than your usual pace. With the varying slope of the hill, my instructions can be difficult to master, but keep trying. Once you are on the flat top of the hill, slowly bring your speed back up to your normal pace. This method is called flattening out the hill. Tho you lose MPG as you accelerate above your usual pace before you begin ascending the hill, you decrease fuel consumption a lot, as you lose a bit of speed in the steepest part of the hill.

If the hill descends immediately after you obtain the flat of the hilltop, DON'T immediately accelerate to your normal pace. But as you begin descending & best if you wait till the steepest part of the descent, let the hill give back your speed till you are at your usual pace. Basically, you are trading your kinetic energy BEFORE the bottom of the hill, for the hill's potential energy (due to its altitude), while extracting the least amount of fuel energy out of your gas tank, through the drive system of your car.

[litesong]

Blast from the Past on how to reduce fuel consumption while ascending & descending hills. Other posts about neglected fuel reduction tips would be appreciated:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('litesong', 'O')h, yeah. Here's tips to get better MPG (on hills). When approaching hills or mountain slopes (lots of them in my Washington state), slowly ease your velocity a bit faster than your normal pace, BEFORE the hill starts rising. As you begin to ascend, carefully don't lose speed at the bottom of the hill (but don't accelerate either). As you approach the steepest part of the hill, carefully & slowly decrease your speed, till you ascend to the very flat top of the hill & are going a bit slower than your usual pace. With the varying slope of the hill, my instructions can be difficult to master, but keep trying. Once you are on the flat top of the hill, slowly bring your speed back up to your normal pace. This method is called flattening out the hill. Tho you lose MPG as you accelerate above your usual pace before you begin ascending the hill, you decrease fuel consumption a lot, as you lose a bit of speed in the steepest part of the hill.

If the hill descends immediately after you obtain the flat of the hilltop, DON'T immediately accelerate to your normal pace. But as you begin descending & best if you wait till the steepest part of the descent, let the hill give back your speed till you are at your usual pace. Basically, you are trading your kinetic energy BEFORE the bottom of the hill, for the hill's potential energy (due to its altitude), while extracting the least amount of fuel energy out of your gas tank, through the drive system of your car.

[vtsnowedin]

Best gas mileage tip is to avoid the trip altogether by better planning and or car pooling. One shopping trip a week on the way home from work instead of several hops down to the market for two items etc. Three people riding to work in the same car in effect gives your 25 mpg car 75 mpg in utility. Do those kind of things when you can and you can skip the driving with a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator.

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'D')o those kind of things when you can and you can skip the driving with a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator.

[vtsnowedin]

I'll admit to being a lead foot today with gas at $2.35 a gallon. Whizzed past a cop the other day doing 82 mph and he didn't even bat an eye. If you set the cruse control to 72mph there will be a steady stream of cars passing you and at 75 you won't catch and pass many. But let gas get to $4.00 and I'll drive like a little old lady if I go at all and staying home is a very good option for me.

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', ' ')But let gas get to $4.00 and I'll drive like a little old lady if I go at all and staying home is a very good option for me.

[GHung]

The link took me to "Yahoo Health". Didn't see a thing about gas mileage. I guess after 6 years the article went POOF!

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GHung', 'T')he link took me to "Yahoo Health". Didn't see a thing about gas mileage. I guess after 6 years the article went POOF!

[KaiserJeep]

IMHO the biggest fuel economy myth of all is that new car purchasers buy the cars that they prefer in surveys. They say they admire the efficient electric or hybrid car, they buy the three ton truck with a giant gas V8 or a turbo diesel engine, the one you feel shaking the pavement as it passes.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('litesong', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', ' ')But let gas get to $4.00 and I'll drive like a little old lady if I go at all and staying home is a very good option for me.

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') am already sitting on the doom stead they think will save their family, and know how to farm it in a subsistence profitable way , and don't need many new laborers to make it go post collapse.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('litesong', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') am already sitting on the doom stead they think will save their family, and know how to farm it in a subsistence profitable way , and don't need many new laborers to make it go post collapse.

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'W')hat makes you think that has all not been in place for years?

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('litesong', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'W')hat makes you think that has all not been in place for years?

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('litesong', 'A')h.... you're a gunsmith, keeping your powder dry. Remember to wildcat that 30-06 for its excellent versatility. Doom, doom, doom..... all is doom!!!

[litesong]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'T')he last working firearm in America will probably be a bolt action 22LR.