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Gas usage on departure???
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#21
 
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Re: Gas usage on departure??? -
04-21-2007
, 07:43 PM
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"Tomes" ... "Jeff Strickland" ... "Go Mavs" ... Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? IN A RELATED MATTER It is also a good idea from a fuel consumption perspective to maintain a longer following distance and to reduce your speed by lifting off the gas pecdal when you notice the next light is red. If you follow by a longer distance, 3 or 4 seconds instead of 1 or 2, then you can adjust your speed by lifting off the gas when you see brakes lights ahead. Many times, you can coast as traffic slows, then regain your speed gradually as it gets going again, all without applying the brakes. If you drive in a manner that requires the use of brakes, then you also are likely to use the gas too agressively. If traffic is moving along at any speed, and youi follow by about 3 seconds, you may find that you can avoid the use of the brakes in about 80% of the times when the driver ahead is using his. I used to drive a winding mountain road on my commute, and I noticed that the guy ahead of me used his brakes on nearly every turn, and I was able to simply lift off the gas and coast the entire way down the grade. I would select whichever gear in wanted, typically 4th or 5th, and use the gas very lightly and never use the brakes. The cars in front of me would be using the brakes at every turn, and I assume the gas too. Using less gas and less brake is also more comfortable for your passengers. I agree with this completely, and practice this as my normal driving pattern. However, it will annoy some folks behind you that just gotta get to that red light as quickly as possible. I am hoping that as gas savings become more and more important, folks will adjust the driving habits. I cannot hold my breath for this, but I can hope... Tomes When the guy behind starts paying your fuel bills, then he can complain about how you drive. |
#22
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"Tomes" ... "Reasoned Insanity" ... I have actually been recently thinking about asking about shifting the transmission like that. I do it all the time and usually get about 32mpg combined city/hw when my car is only rated for 30. Not bad for a 17 year old Geo. I puzzled a friend of mine the other day when I told him my car was an automatic, but I drive it like a stick. What do you do exactly? Do you move the gear shift lever? Or do you use a foot technique. The reason I am curious, is that if you are using the lever, it only limits what gear it tops out at, instead of forcing it into a higher gear. Curious Tomes I use a foot technique and just let off the gas slightly so it goes up in gears when I want it to. This is a good technique and I have used it as well. It is one that not |
Tomes
#23
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On 21 Apr 2007 11:23:05 -0700, ronbon <n... (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 20, 4:56 pm, "Go Mavs" <GoM... (AT) GoMavz (DOT) com> wrote: Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? What Jeff Strickland is saying is, in effect, defensive driving. When I was teaching truck drivers I used a combination of two tecniques, defensive driving and the "Smith System". I took Liberty Mutuals "decision driving" but liked the other two methods better. Situational awareness is the biggest part of both systems. What I found managing a large fleet of over the road and local delivery trucks was that the drivers with the lowest accident rates and least problems with their vehicles also had the longest intervals between brake jobs. I found that fascinating. Ron I'd like to hear more about your method of teaching....sounds fascinating. -- Scott in Florida- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
exercise is to think about braking. Acceleration in a different
direction. Every time you step on the brake it is energy lost which
must be regained. To think that defensive driving is just a way to
delay or hold up traffic is a fallacy. I was a very aggressive driver
when I was younger but studied driving on long commutes. The best
teachers on long commutes are poor drivers. Study them and learn what
not to do. One exercise I did like from the decision driving course
was each driver in a van, while driving, would comment on everything
he or she saw, no matter what. Situational awareness. Some see
everything, some see very little, but commenting makes you more aware.
Good, efficient, drivers take driving very serious. Practice,
practice, practise.
As an aside. My wife was following me while delivering a truck and
remarked, I noticed you don't step on the brake very often.
It's been a long time since I taught but it's like riding a bike, you
never forget. If your from Ma my commute was from Arlington to Raynham
8-to 5. My goal was to do the trip without using the brakes. Amazing
what you can do when you are bored with the commute.
Ron
#24
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On Apr 21, 2:27 pm, Scott in Florida <askifyouw... (AT) mindspring (DOT) net wrote: On 21 Apr 2007 11:23:05 -0700, ronbon <n... (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 20, 4:56 pm, "Go Mavs" <GoM... (AT) GoMavz (DOT) com> wrote: Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? What Jeff Strickland is saying is, in effect, defensive driving. When I was teaching truck drivers I used a combination of two tecniques, defensive driving and the "Smith System". I took Liberty Mutuals "decision driving" but liked the other two methods better. Situational awareness is the biggest part of both systems. What I found managing a large fleet of over the road and local delivery trucks was that the drivers with the lowest accident rates and least problems with their vehicles also had the longest intervals between brake jobs. I found that fascinating. Ron I'd like to hear more about your method of teaching....sounds fascinating. -- Scott in Florida- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - You must have at least a cursery knowledge of defensive driving. One exercise is to think about braking. Acceleration in a different direction. Every time you step on the brake it is energy lost which must be regained. To think that defensive driving is just a way to delay or hold up traffic is a fallacy. I was a very aggressive driver when I was younger but studied driving on long commutes. The best teachers on long commutes are poor drivers. Study them and learn what not to do. One exercise I did like from the decision driving course was each driver in a van, while driving, would comment on everything he or she saw, no matter what. Situational awareness. Some see everything, some see very little, but commenting makes you more aware. Good, efficient, drivers take driving very serious. Practice, practice, practise. As an aside. My wife was following me while delivering a truck and remarked, I noticed you don't step on the brake very often. It's been a long time since I taught but it's like riding a bike, you never forget. If your from Ma my commute was from Arlington to Raynham 8-to 5. My goal was to do the trip without using the brakes. Amazing what you can do when you are bored with the commute. Ron |
you suggest. My '92 Corolla wagon has good engine braking which makes
not having to use the brakes pretty easy.
Here in Florida it seems EVERYONE NEEDS to be in the left (high speed
lane) all the time. I've found that the right lane becomes a great
lane to practice driving smoothly in.
The only problem with using the slow speed lane on interstates is the
fact that people don't have a clue of how to merge....
--
Scott in Florida
#25
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On 21 Apr 2007 20:55:55 -0700, ronbon <n877 (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 21, 2:27 pm, Scott in Florida <askifyouw... (AT) mindspring (DOT) net wrote: On 21 Apr 2007 11:23:05 -0700, ronbon <n... (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 20, 4:56 pm, "Go Mavs" <GoM... (AT) GoMavz (DOT) com> wrote: Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? What Jeff Strickland is saying is, in effect, defensive driving. When I was teaching truck drivers I used a combination of two tecniques, defensive driving and the "Smith System". I took Liberty Mutuals "decision driving" but liked the other two methods better. Situational awareness is the biggest part of both systems. What I found managing a large fleet of over the road and local delivery trucks was that the drivers with the lowest accident rates and least problems with their vehicles also had the longest intervals between brake jobs. I found that fascinating. Ron I'd like to hear more about your method of teaching....sounds fascinating. -- Scott in Florida- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - You must have at least a cursery knowledge of defensive driving. One exercise is to think about braking. Acceleration in a different direction. Every time you step on the brake it is energy lost which must be regained. To think that defensive driving is just a way to delay or hold up traffic is a fallacy. I was a very aggressive driver when I was younger but studied driving on long commutes. The best teachers on long commutes are poor drivers. Study them and learn what not to do. One exercise I did like from the decision driving course was each driver in a van, while driving, would comment on everything he or she saw, no matter what. Situational awareness. Some see everything, some see very little, but commenting makes you more aware. Good, efficient, drivers take driving very serious. Practice, practice, practise. As an aside. My wife was following me while delivering a truck and remarked, I noticed you don't step on the brake very often. It's been a long time since I taught but it's like riding a bike, you never forget. If your from Ma my commute was from Arlington to Raynham 8-to 5. My goal was to do the trip without using the brakes. Amazing what you can do when you are bored with the commute. Ron I get about 100K on a set of brake pads, so I do some of the things you suggest. My '92 Corolla wagon has good engine braking which makes not having to use the brakes pretty easy. Here in Florida it seems EVERYONE NEEDS to be in the left (high speed lane) all the time. I've found that the right lane becomes a great lane to practice driving smoothly in. The only problem with using the slow speed lane on interstates is the fact that people don't have a clue of how to merge.... One time when I was paying my auto insurance online I notice a discount |
course online, so I did, the course cost 40 bucks and saves $80.00 a
year, took a couple of hours to take it and pass it and they mailed me a
certificate for the insurance company. I drove a motorcycle a lot when
I was younger and learned quickly what defensive driving really is,
basically you drive like you are invisible and never assume anything, be
ready for anything. We also had signal 30 films in high school and
that taught me the seriousness of driving. I got my share of tickets
when I was younger but I never had a serious accident that was my fault,
yet.
I can tell you some accidents are unavoidable and broken ribs are
very painful until they heal. My Toyota has 70K on it and the brake
pads might be half worn, I think they are original, my pickup has 60K
and 3 of the tires are original. I drive like an old man anymore. I
even use the cruise controls in town so I don't exceed the speed limits.
Funny how things change as we get older, I could care less who gets
to the next stop light first anymore.
#26
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Scott in Florida wrote: On 21 Apr 2007 20:55:55 -0700, ronbon <n877 (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 21, 2:27 pm, Scott in Florida <askifyouw... (AT) mindspring (DOT) net wrote: On 21 Apr 2007 11:23:05 -0700, ronbon <n... (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: On Apr 20, 4:56 pm, "Go Mavs" <GoM... (AT) GoMavz (DOT) com> wrote: Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? What Jeff Strickland is saying is, in effect, defensive driving. When I was teaching truck drivers I used a combination of two tecniques, defensive driving and the "Smith System". I took Liberty Mutuals "decision driving" but liked the other two methods better. Situational awareness is the biggest part of both systems. What I found managing a large fleet of over the road and local delivery trucks was that the drivers with the lowest accident rates and least problems with their vehicles also had the longest intervals between brake jobs. I found that fascinating. Ron I'd like to hear more about your method of teaching....sounds fascinating. -- Scott in Florida- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - You must have at least a cursery knowledge of defensive driving. One exercise is to think about braking. Acceleration in a different direction. Every time you step on the brake it is energy lost which must be regained. To think that defensive driving is just a way to delay or hold up traffic is a fallacy. I was a very aggressive driver when I was younger but studied driving on long commutes. The best teachers on long commutes are poor drivers. Study them and learn what not to do. One exercise I did like from the decision driving course was each driver in a van, while driving, would comment on everything he or she saw, no matter what. Situational awareness. Some see everything, some see very little, but commenting makes you more aware. Good, efficient, drivers take driving very serious. Practice, practice, practise. As an aside. My wife was following me while delivering a truck and remarked, I noticed you don't step on the brake very often. It's been a long time since I taught but it's like riding a bike, you never forget. If your from Ma my commute was from Arlington to Raynham 8-to 5. My goal was to do the trip without using the brakes. Amazing what you can do when you are bored with the commute. Ron I get about 100K on a set of brake pads, so I do some of the things you suggest. My '92 Corolla wagon has good engine braking which makes not having to use the brakes pretty easy. Here in Florida it seems EVERYONE NEEDS to be in the left (high speed lane) all the time. I've found that the right lane becomes a great lane to practice driving smoothly in. The only problem with using the slow speed lane on interstates is the fact that people don't have a clue of how to merge.... One time when I was paying my auto insurance online I notice a discount if I completed a defensive driving course. Turned out I could take the course online, so I did, the course cost 40 bucks and saves $80.00 a year, took a couple of hours to take it and pass it and they mailed me a certificate for the insurance company. I drove a motorcycle a lot when I was younger and learned quickly what defensive driving really is, basically you drive like you are invisible and never assume anything, be ready for anything. We also had signal 30 films in high school and that taught me the seriousness of driving. I got my share of tickets when I was younger but I never had a serious accident that was my fault, yet. I can tell you some accidents are unavoidable and broken ribs are very painful until they heal. My Toyota has 70K on it and the brake pads might be half worn, I think they are original, my pickup has 60K and 3 of the tires are original. I drive like an old man anymore. I even use the cruise controls in town so I don't exceed the speed limits. Funny how things change as we get older, I could care less who gets to the next stop light first anymore. |
In Florida there is a defensive driving course for us old farts. It
takes a percentage off your auto insurance for three years.
http://www.floridadrivingcourse.com/...er-program.php
--
Scott in Florida
#27
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"Go Mavs" <GoMavz (AT) GoMavz (DOT) com> wrote in message news:4O9Wh.54$1M1.6 (AT) trnddc01 (DOT) .. Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? IN A RELATED MATTER It is also a good idea from a fuel consumption perspective to maintain a longer following distance and to reduce your speed by lifting off the gas pecdal when you notice the next light is red. If you follow by a longer distance, 3 or 4 seconds instead of 1 or 2, then you can adjust your speed by lifting off the gas when you see brakes lights ahead. Many times, you can |
(highway). I also look ahead to see if an upcoming light is red and
just coast. By the time I get near the light it's green again. I do
take others into consideration and try not to be the roadblock. Most
people here drive faster than the speed limits so just dropping down
to around the speed limit is usually enough. Also, I drive an
automatic so it doesn't slow down all that much when coasting....
oh, and I accelerate smoothly. I figure this will save me some gas and
also reduce wear.
Quote:
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coast as traffic slows, then regain your speed gradually as it gets going again, all without applying the brakes. If you drive in a manner that requires the use of brakes, then you also are likely to use the gas too agressively. If traffic is moving along at any speed, and youi follow by about 3 seconds, you may find that you can avoid the use of the brakes in about 80% of the times when the driver ahead is using his. I used to drive a winding mountain road on my commute, and I noticed that the guy ahead of me used his brakes on nearly every turn, and I was able to simply lift off the gas and coast the entire way down the grade. I would select whichever gear in wanted, typically 4th or 5th, and use the gas very lightly and never use the brakes. The cars in front of me would be using the brakes at every turn, and I assume the gas too. Using less gas and less brake is also more comfortable for your passengers. |
#28
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Maybe some of you who love cars can explain this too me. Do you lose more fuel if you take off faster from your location? i.e. intersection? Does it matter if you gas it or creep? make sense? |
fuel economy, it is the brake pedal. If you drive in a manner that minimizes
brake usage, you'll get good fuel economy. Accelerating quickly, only to
have to brake sharply, wastes the most gas.
Ed
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