Recently I’ve been doing a bit of soul-searching as far as fuel economy is concerned. Being the co-founder of EcoModder and an active user on the forums, it’s obvious that the interest is there. But recently, I’ve been wondering how there it really is.
Earlier this summer I swapped a new engine into my CRX, which quickly bumped up my mileage quite a bit. Nowadays, with a little ecodriving, it’s fairly easy to get 60 MPG, and I’ve only failed in that pursuit once, due to a lot of center city Philadelphia driving. Now that I’m back at school and the only traveling I do is back and forth between here (NH) and home (NJ), I’ve gotten a little lazy.
It used to be that, in order to save some gas, you might see me cruising along on the interstate at a solid 55-60 mph (conditions permitting), but these days I’ll be flying down the road at up to 75 mph down hills that I usually would’ve been content to coast down. So what’s changed?
Now that I have an efficient car, I’ve become satisfied with 60 mpg. It’s not costing me horrible amounts of money when I need to drive and I’m really not using much gas, so I’ve stopped trying to push the envelope. Thinking about this, I wonder where everyone else’s point of satisfaction is? Let me know in the comments!
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{ 18 comments }
Personally I won’t be satifisied until I can base my MPG on energy that does not come from foreign sources, so that means until a decent all electric or electric/diesel vehicle hits the market, I will just hypermile the bajeesus out of used cars until the auto makers start producing what I want.
I’m striving for 60 in the summer, that would make me happy.
With a family and the non-reality of buying newer cars that have much improved aerodynamics and engine efficiency… if I can get 30 mpg around town and 40 on the highway with a common car like a 92-96 Toyota Camry would be awesome. Anything over that would just be icing on the cake.
About 50 is good “enough” for me; 55~60 makes me happy; anything more is just showing off.
I think 60 is a good average but I want to hit 100+
Depends on the car, I’m trying to hit 50+ with my Civic. When I see GM trying to pimp their “X# of cars that get better than 30mpg” I just laugh…do they really think that will cut the mustard these days? I would hope that we Americans have seen what a *really* efficient car is like, and will now demand more. On a new car, I don’t get interested until it gets over 40mpg on the EPA tests. Remember, efficiency is the best energy policy (immediate impact, cheap to implement, saves consumers money instead of costing us).
STILL trying to get over 40 with my Vibe. I aint satisfied yet!
P&G and EOC does get tiring. I wish I could get 50-60 and just DRIVE.
40 in mostly city driving in my one-kilo-dollar Ford Escort bucket would be *most* satisfying. I’m averaging 39 right now, but cold weather approaches, so I’m not hopeful. Eh, whatever, I’m still enjoying the fact that my Prius-driving neighbor will have to keep his car for 46 years to catch me in total outlay* **.
*assuming 18000 miles/year, I’m getting 39 mpg, he’s getting 55 (which he’s not), and ignoring maintenace, which over the next 46 years, I’m betting would be about even between a stone simple ’94 escort which I wrench myself and a Prius. No knock on a Prius, it’s a wonder of engineering.
*yes, I know a Prius is 100 times nicer to ride in, if that kind of thing were important to me, I’d spend the extra $23,000. Apples and oranges, whatever. Don’t spoil my fun.
On my profile, I have 45 mpg without my kayaks and roof rack and 35 mpg with. I would be happy with 60 mpg without and 50 mpg with. This would make my whitewater kayaking trips more affordable and abundant. Of course this won’t be easy. We are talking about double EPA rating for an 05 Mitsu Lancer ES and I am still struggling to pass the 40 mpg mark. I have a very hard time going that slow when traffic is heavy and buzzing past me on the interstate to and from work.
It became apparent to me that the comfort at which one can reach better gas mileage is a very important factor. I can get 45 mpg in my ’07 Civic, but it takes a lot of effort and discipline to do so. I can get 40 mpg quite easily, and that with just the cruise control set at the speed limit. 35 mpg in town without P&G, vs. 37 with P&G.
Yes, I get better gas mileage if I push it, but it takes more traveling time, effort, and may cause more wear and tear with bump starts etc.
When you get 35 mpg driving as you like, then racing the Tahoes and Expeditions off of street lights makes it double the fun: They get at best 15-20 mpg when trying hard, whereas I can “just drive” and get 35.
Currently getting 30+ is a nice thing for me. I have worked with my 2004 Impala w/3.4L v-6 and on highway have broken 37mpg but 33 is more normal for it. City driving… well let us just say I do have to work on getting good economy there, mostly from having to resist keeping up with the flow of traffic instead of doing my best to drive sensibly. Having said that, I am looking into the new 6 speed transmission of GM’s to see if it will be compatabile for my Impala, and already studying a revised injector set that should let me gain 5-7 mpg with only a projected loss from 0-60 of .2 seconds. With some of the information I have read about what has been kept or bought and hidden from the common consumer, I feel that we should be “expecting” 30mpg from pickup trucks and our common small sedans should be getting closer to 70mpg. Got to figure in the need for the stoplight races though… and I see that common production of such vehicles is going to be a miracle.
+2mpg more than what I’m currently getting.
I am quite happy with 2o.4 average mpg. This is in a 13 year old 290 horsepower RWD Lincoln Coupe. Yes, its a v8. And i wouldn’t have it any other way
I want 742.5! 742.5!!!!!!
SEVEN HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO
POINT FIVE!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!
I will not buy a new vehicle until they go electric and able to get me 500 miles on a single charge. Otherwise, on a gas vehicle, 60mpg posted on the window, will be the goal before I walk out to buy another new vehicle.
@Terry and superchow,
I agree. Ecodriving requires concentration. Unfortunately, when I “just drive”, my foot is on the accelerator and hardly ever coasting.
I just took a 400 mile road trip to St. Louis. I was getting about 30 mpg in my 2008 Toyota Sienna, but my wife noticed that I was driving too close to the speed limit and cajoled me into speeding up. I immediately lost about 4 mpg.
I really wish that the cruise controls could be more fuel efficient, keeping constant pressure on the gas instead of constant speed. I’m guessing that might make a difference on slightly rolling hills.
Well, I’d be satisfied with a solid 100mpg. My truck is never ever going to get that, not without I pull the engine and start over from scratch, and that just isn’t going to happen.
Since starting to hypermile in June I’ve attained 33% over epa for 22mpg in my 2005 4runner. I only have a 4 mile commute to work with 2 lights and little traffic so increasing my mpg with constant motion and pulse and glide on highways isn’t possible for me more than a few miles here and there each month. I’d be happy with 24 in the summer months and 21 in the winter months as goals for now without any major mods to my vehicle (using just psi, limit ac/heat use, p&g).
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