Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
Damned funny, DD. I didn't realize there were so many traffic lights on your commute, thus I am even more impressed. Congratulations.
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Thanks, there's actually 20 lights on my way to work (two places where there's a light that only affects the traffic on one direction).
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
I had a run out from Corpus Christi yesterday past the little town of Artesia Wells (about 170-miles) then down 12-miles of lease road to a drllling rig. Several routes could be chosen (the main E-W ones) and I always choose the "bigger" road (shoulders, markings, etc) and fewest stops. (I'll make an exception for turns, somewhat). One of those routes has more than [18] stoplights thus I avoid it religiously as stop-n-go at 74k lbs is no fun at all; time or fuel burn. Even though "shorter" in road miles, but barely at all in elapsed time (as getting back to highway speed can take literal miles at this weight). The preferred alternate route is about 12-miles farther. There is no quesiton of better FE as a result . . a tradeoff somewhere between more miles and better overall mpg needing to be understood for each load and each vehicle.
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Yeah, there's definitely a tradeoff when it comes to route selection. When it comes to maximizing "total economy" pick the route with the lowest amount of fuel burned, i.e. (miles)/(mpg) is the lowest. If the additional mpg makes up for the additional miles, then you're ahead--not counting your time.
A few months ago I made a tweak to my route, opting for a route with a couple more lights, but no stop signs (pretty much the same distace). Early on I got about the same FE, but after I learned the lights, my new route is almost always better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
I concur on the stoplights . . I tend to know their characteristics (in order to shift up or down as I approach based on traffic backed up; in order to not have to stop), and, as such, count "making the light" a daily high point.
Bet you know every crack in the road, don't you, ha!
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Yep, that's the goal. It seems like every red light has it's own "personality" (and some aren't very nice
). I've gotten so if I go anywhere other than my normal commute, my mileage isn't as good as it is commuting--even if the route is theoretically better than my commuting route (fewer lights, fewer stops, less traffic, etc.). There's really not a substitute for know your route well.
