Quote:
Originally Posted by California98Civic
One thing I realized soon after starting EOC on local roads is that I can get far better averages on the local streets than on the freeway. Add effective DWL and there is little point in comparing: the local roads are the way to go whenever practical in terms of time and distance.
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Ahh, but you are what we call a flatlander. I have nowhere within 500 miles that's actually flat road. My morning commute starts with an 8.5 mile descent before I even start the car. Thus, when I talk about highway driving, I'm talking about climbing for 30 minutes at 20mpg, then descending for 20 minutes with the engine off before the next big hill. My previous record included climbing to the 11,300' Eisenhower Tunnel and the 10,600' Vail Pass on my way to the town of Glenwood at 6,400'. Heck, even when I'm not EOC, I get to go down valley at 70mph getting 46-51mpg because of the 0.5-1.0% grade in long stretches. Coming back there's usually a tail wind and so 36-38mpg isn't uncommon. That leads to spectacular averages out of car EPA rated at 22/28mpg.
Saw my first CR-Z in the parking lot at work today. Green with envy. Now there's a car I could have fun with AND get 50+mpg without even trying. Too bad the ol' Acura is aging gracefully and probably has another couple of years left in 'er.
I remember when 140k miles was the end of a car's lifespan and you were lucky to make it that far. Now it's middle age.