Quote:
Originally Posted by kafer65
In my SUV I have a mpg gauge. When I'm climbing a hill or accelerating it may read 8 mpg (heavy "load" or strain). When I'm on a smooth flat road maintaining my speed I may see 60 mpg (light "load"). I may be running 3000 rpm but the engine is not working very hard so its not using very much fuel. My car is geared to spin pretty fast on the highway. I don't have a choice to change my RPM if I want to maintain my speed, but I can request more fuel with the gas pedal. It may not go any faster but it will make more noise. Its under more of a load. It takes practice to find the best spot for your vehicle. It's kind of like riding a 10 speed and finding the right gear to keep your legs from burning. Sometimes pedaling faster makes it easier sometimes not.
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My car must have taller gearing because when I'm driving 55 MPH, it's right at 2,000 RPMs.
Hills are my biggest challenge because I still have not mastered the hypermiling techniques for them yet.