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Old 07-02-2008, 04:39 PM   #6 (permalink)
millenniumtree
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Stoughton, WI
Posts: 55

Polymer - '89 Honda Civic Hatch Std 4 speed
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Woodstock - '69 MG Midget 1275

Nekobus - '06 Scion xB
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
My car has no power steering, and braking force is only marginally decreased once I run out of vacuum.
If I do happen to lose vacuum (after 3 _FULL_ depressions of the pedal!!), I still have plenty of braking ability, in addition to a very good parking brake.

I need the engine on so often anyway that I realistically never run out of booster vacuum. It's all little hills around here and I need to restart every time I go up one. EOCing down the rocky mountains, I could see as dangerous and I would never do that. (You'd need to engine brake anyway!) Besides, that's what DWBing is for. You shouldn't have to touch your brakes - if you do, you're emergency stopping anyway, and your booster will hold out for that unless you have a catastrophic vacuum leak, in which case you shouldn't be driving it anyway!

I NEVER do more than 5 over.
I rarely fall more than 5 under unless there is no one behind me for as far as I can see or it's a slow (35 or less) road with two full lanes.

All the above said, if people are tailgating or overtaking me, I will get the hell out of their way or drive "normal" to appease their sense of urgency without risking my life.

If I do any drafting at all, it's at least 5 car lengths back. Kissing a trailer's bumper for an extra 2mpg just isn't worth it!

One of my other cars is downright crippled without the engine on. The steering effort goes up a lot, and you just can't stop properly once the booster runs out. (You could use the parking brake though) Which is more dangerous, a car in which everything still works fine with the engine off, or one that turns into a railroad car??

Modern technology be damned.

I've gotten 3 speeding tickets (before hypermiling), and had a car totaled by a sun-blinded driver who went right through a red light. If you can't see the light, just assume it's green!!??!!
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