My church has "Wednesday Night Workshops" in step with the school year. The first installment started last week, and since they liked the fuel efficiency idea that I pitched a while back, they let me teach one. Two people showed up.
One guy I would characterize as somewhat of a gearhead. The other fella doesn't know a spark plug from a crescent wrench, but he's very intellectual. Not a bad audience, really.
I've decided to organize each weekly session into four basic catagories;
General Information, Driving Techniques, Common Myths, and Vehicle Modifications.
Last week I started out with How To Compute Your MPGs (General Info).
Then I talked about how to use the car smarter to save gas, (Driving Techniques) like consolidating errands, and using the more efficient or warmed up vehicle if given a choice, etc. Then I presented the crazy concept of slowing down. This was received with less resistance than I anticipated. Or maybe they were just being polite. I'm gonna hit it every session.
For Myths, I asked them what they have heard about what gets better mileage, and we came up with a pretty decent list. We covered a few (intake turbulators, fuel line magnets) and saved a few that I want to cover in more detail next week (HHO, pickup tailgates, and windows vs. AC).
For Vehicle Modifications I talked about tire pressure, weight reduction, and synthetic oil.
For "homework" I assigned them to calculate a tankful's MPG, and check their tire pressure.
Next week I plan on covering Newtons Laws of Motion, DWB, Scangauges/Ultragauges, and grille blocks.
I hope they come back.