It's a fact, and you don't say the word "fact" unless you mean it, that driving conservatively is better for gas mileage than driving fast and furious-like. I have to admit, I fall much closer to the fast and furious side than I do the conservative side. I don't like being passed at normal speeds. If you're going 75 or higher, go get yourself a ticket, I don't want to be involved. I don't like being burned off the line at a stoplight only to be also beaten to a merge in the road. And I don't like driving behind people who drive as if they have nothing better to do and hitting every stop light is their desire. All these things are very competitive driving concepts that I realize are stupid and are not the safest and conservative ways to drive. Which brings me to my point, that my desire for competition is in direct contrast to my desire to live a frugal, money-saving lifestyle.
The question I am aiming to solve in April is: Is it really worth my time and money to drive as conservatively as possible? How much money can I save in gas by driving slower and accelerating slowly?
You've probably heard of the "hypermilers" right? People who squeeze out as many MPG's as they can on their cars. There are stories of crazy people getting 60 MPG using a Honda Accord. Some of their methods are nuts and should not be attempted, like turning off the engine when you realize you are going to be stopping soon. But I'm wondering, if I tried to maximize my MPG on my Mazda 3 by driving intelligently, what would my MPG for the month look like?
So here's the plan:
- Drive as much as a hypermiler as possible without using insane tactics (like over-inflating my tires).
- Keep track of my MPG every time I get a tank of gas.
- Translate the saved miles into gas money, will it make a difference?
So what is the math I'm dealing with?
- According to fueleconomy.com, my car is supposed to get 22/29 MPG and average out to 25MPG.
- My car has a MPG calculator on it, and reports that for the life of my car (the last 5 years), I have averaged exactly 24.0MPG.
- Over the last week, after filling up today, I have gotten 25.45MPG.
So starting on Friday April 1st, I will be resetting my car's MPG calculator and begin collecting my gas receipts and doing the math on just how much money I save by driving frugally. I'll also be blogging periodically on what techniquess I'm using to save MPG and what I've learned along the way. Who knows, if it's enough, I may just convert and make driving frugally a lifestyle change. I just need my car to... SHOW ME THE MONEY!
5 comments:
I like this one, cause it's something that Ash and I do already. When we got her hybrid back in 06 we kinda took it up as a challenge to get that MPG indicator as high as possible. For a competitive person you're really going to get a lot out of this. It totally changes what your goals are when you get in the car.
You mentioned a number of driving challenges related to driving fast, and this kind of thing can totally replace that cause you're paying more attention to what you get out of your car instead of if you're getting onto the merge first or second (for example). I don't know if you can get to 30mpg for a tank, but it's definitely worth a shot!
By: Mike Brody on April 1, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Mike! Amen to everything you said. It totally changes how I feel about driving and my awareness of what I'm doing.
The only thing I don't like so far is getting my butt ridden on when I'm going the speed limit. My slow driving has turned me into all the people I've hated the last 15 years of my life.
Based on my drive to work, and my driving during lunch, getting 30 is going to be a challenge FOR SURE. We'll see though.
By: Fulton on April 1, 2011 at 1:15 PM
Well I'll tell you that I don't necessarily find that driving slow is the key, but just driving less aggressively. Less fast acceleration, as much coasting as possible particularly when stopping as opposed to hard stops at the last minute. Cruising at 5 over or so with your foot barely on the gas to just keep you going with the flow of traffic isn't any less efficient than going right at the speed limit. I think I read somewhere that 55mph is the most efficient speed for many cars, because you can maintain most of the momentum necessary to stay there without using the gas too much.
By: Mike Brody on April 1, 2011 at 1:40 PM
Awesome! I agree with Mike Brody that you can definitely be competitive with driving efficiently. I naturally drive pretty efficiently (read: cautiously), but I was able to improve my mpg from 33 to 35 when I set the goal in 2007. (I've been tracking my mileage, fuel consumption, and fuel price since I bought my car in 2005. Overall mpg: 34.5; Worst tank: 23.0; Best tank: 41.7.)
My main strategies:
- Use the brake as infrequently as possible:
a) Maintain good distance between you and the car in front so you can coast to slow down rather than putting on the brakes.
b) Take your foot off the accelerator sooner than you think when approaching a red light, ideally reaching the intersection as the light changes, so you never touch the brake. (Note: I get cut off a lot when doing this.)
- Never drive more than 5 mph over the speed limit.
Good luck!
By: Lynn Garcowski on April 2, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Nice - good luck. I now walk to work - 8 min door to desk. Also walk to bars, restaurants, running trails, friends houses whenever possible. I pay a crazy amount in rent but I'm trying to make it worth it.
Most of the miles I put on my car are for client meetings, so I expense them back, so the few times I do drive I make a point to run to the grocery store on my way home so I don't make unnecessary trips.
Good luck!
By: Jess Redman on April 4, 2011 at 9:27 PM
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