Looking for opinions on my commute route

[tyronasauras]

so... if a trip used 1 gal of gas for route A, and you got 2.3mpg better FE with a route B, and it was 2.3 miles further, it would be a break even.

Your route B is only 18 miles and if you got 24 mpg that would only be 3/4 of a gal of gas used. Your commute would have to be further (24 miles) or get a bigger savings than 2.3mpg to make B worthwhile, IMO. I think you Would see about 2.3 MPG better on your right route do to the higher speeds. Our tanks seem to get better FE above 55. Good luck with the testing

Of course, it seems the right route would yield a better FE log for an ecomodder., and some of us spend a obsessive amount of time and money to achieve high MPG numbers and not overall cash savings. lol, I am guilty.

[Frank Lee]

Economical commuting (presumably solo) in 20 mpg barges- I LOL'd.

My electric bicycle could handle that distance and cost pennies for "fuel".

[Frank Lee]

15.8 and 18.1 miles one-way or round-trip? Edit: removed 1-way #s

170 miles/week @ 21mpg = 8 gal/wk x $3/gal = $24/wk
x 52 wks/yr = $1248 commute fuel/yr at today's price range.

It may be considered affordable but it isn't efficient.

[cowmeat]

Economical commuting (presumably solo) in 20 mpg barges- I LOL'd.

I know, right?

I've been dying to suggest selling off one of the lead sleds for something remotely practical, but I've been holding it in! Oh, crap!

[Fat Charlie]

A tank of gas is a lot cheaper than a car. Unfortunately, each low mileage tank makes you a little less able to buy another car.

[svt98t]

The distances are one way.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to sell one of my sleds. Just not happening. I like these cars way too much.
The Tank gets close to 30 mpg highway, and my current best was 24 mpg city.
It's only going to get better with the aluminum block swap. And eventually, I'll have a manual in there too.

We're all here to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency with our vehicles. And I know these Panthers very well.
So I'm gonna make this thing get great mileage. Because I can.

I should take some dashcam video of each hill. That might make it easier to understand besides my crappy maps.


-ryan s.

[cowmeat]

Lol, I'm not knocking what you're getting in those beasts. That's crazy good mpg considering I was getting 12 mpg in my Land Rover back in the day. It's just funny seeing you do it the hard way! I finally surrendered and traded in the Disco for a Festiva, and then the Festiva for an Insight, and now we can afford food AND electricity!

You definitely see a bigger percentage leap with every mpg you can squeeze out of that Detroit rolling iron. A 1 mpg gain is like a 5% jump for you, whereas it's only around 1% for me. 2 mpg and you're at 10% already

[svt98t]

No prob.
I need the space. Plus the RWD helps is fun in the yards of snow we get every year.
My backyard is Lake Ontario.
Literally.
And hey, maybe my hardheadedness may help out someone else trying to gain a few easy mpgs.

I'll let you guys know more.

Thanks.


-ryan s.

[Grant-53]

I am familiar with the area and agree any day you can bike that distance is a great plus. Yes, I know snow having lived in East Aurora and West Seneca with in-laws from Eden and Lawtons. Mountain bike tires and a fairing do the trick. The Niagara peninsula is fairly flat. Just keep an eye on wind direction.

[Grant-53]

If you have a physics book and a calculator or spreadsheet, try making a rough simulation of the energy needed to move the mass through the motions of each route. It won't be in mpg but something like ft-lb/sec. If there is a marked difference, it will tell you which route is more energy efficient for any vehicle. Clean up the aerodynamics as best you can and try to save the land yachts for trips over 25 miles.