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DucFanDan · 06-21-2013, 09:55 PM

Hi all,

So I have a conundrum. It is apparent both from reading and first-hand experience that driving on gravel reduces mileage. All the advice I can find simply says to avoid it. Well... it's 5 miles of gravel from my home to the paved highway on my way to work. Going "around" (which still entails 1 mile of gravel) is a 20 mile detour. Obviously it uses less fuel to just do the 5 miles of gravel.

So my question is: how do I achieve peak economy on gravel?

The vehicles are a 2013 Outback 3.6R (5-speed auto) and a 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500HD (Duramax+Allison).

Yes, I know manuals are better. Trust me, the Subaru would be a stick if it were an option, but it wasn't (only the base model is available with a stick). I have a stick-shift Golf GTI, but it's a resto-mod project, so not used for the daily commute. I also have a Cagiva Gran Canyon motorcycle that I commute on when weather permits, and that saves quite a bit of fuel.

Please, no "advice" about buying/selling/trading vehicles. Not an option. The objective here is to maximize fuel econ with the vehicles I have.

Thanks!

06-21-2013, 09:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
DucFanDan EcoModding n00b Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Klickitat County, WA Posts: 11 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Best Economy on Gravel Hi all, So I have a conundrum. It is apparent both from reading and first-hand experience that driving on gravel reduces mileage. All the advice I can find simply says to avoid it. Well... it's 5 miles of gravel from my home to the paved highway on my way to work. Going "around" (which still entails 1 mile of gravel) is a 20 mile detour. Obviously it uses less fuel to just do the 5 miles of gravel. So my question is: how do I achieve peak economy on gravel? The vehicles are a 2013 Outback 3.6R (5-speed auto) and a 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500HD (Duramax+Allison). Yes, I know manuals are better. Trust me, the Subaru would be a stick if it were an option, but it wasn't (only the base model is available with a stick). I have a stick-shift Golf GTI, but it's a resto-mod project, so not used for the daily commute. I also have a Cagiva Gran Canyon motorcycle that I commute on when weather permits, and that saves quite a bit of fuel. Please, no "advice" about buying/selling/trading vehicles. Not an option. The objective here is to maximize fuel econ with the vehicles I have. Thanks!