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Old 01-13-2015, 08:31 PM   #1 (permalink)
dongs
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Cascadia
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b@stard child - '02 Chevrolet Cavalier
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Longer route with steady speed vs. short stop n go route

I've got 2 routes I can take to work, the first is 11 miles and starts out with a nice gentle 2 mile slope from about 500' to around 50', after that the route is full of undulations in the grade of the road, and a fair deal of stop lights. The last mile or so goes from 50' up to 400' and is quite steep but unavoidable no matter what route I take. The speed limit is 35 the whole way and it's pretty heavily trafficked on my drive in at 1:30 in the afternoon. There's been ongoing utility work and repaving for some time at night so I've avoided it for the most part.
Route 2 is I-5 and the I-205 belt route. Its considerably longer at 17 miles but traffic is always moving and the speed limit is 55 for the first half so I don't irritate many people. The I-205 stretch goes up to 65 but trucks are limited to 55 so I generally hang in the right lane and let them act as wind breakers
I've done some very basic measuring of each route on a tank to tank basis but it's not really the most accurate since I do drive more than just to work and back. At least from what I can tell the freeway yields much better mpg but it's also a longer stretch. The road on the other hand is pretty unpredictable and also includes 2 railroad crossings.


Last edited by dongs; 01-13-2015 at 08:41 PM..
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