[Fat Charlie]

Cruising speed has nothing to do with average speed. It's and ideal that is only hit for a tiny percentage of a tank's time.

When the limit on my local backroad "highway" was 35, I did a bit over 40. Now it's 45 in places and I keep to the same speed. When the speed limit on my local multilane divided highway was 55, I generally stayed 50-60 and let people go by as they saw fit. Now it's 65 in places and I generally keep it over 60- but when no one's around I'll take it lower when stretching the downhill glides.

I'm not blocking anyone and what speeds other people want to drive at isn't my concern. We had an argument along these lines here a few years ago and I had to ask "How does your right to travel at whatever speed you want somehow trump my right to do the same thing?" He never answered. As long as I'm somewhat near the posted speed limit, leave me out of your angst. Instead, contact your state representative to try to raise the limit in that area. If he doesn't listen to you, why should I?

I spent years tearing it up out there. I still can and enjoy it thoroughly when I do. But it's not my job to do it just because you want me to. Besides, the slowpoke (if he really is) in the front isn't causing the blockage. It's the wimp behind him that's too scared to make a one-car pass that's holding everyone up: he pretends he's in a hurry but won't pass, even though he has the easiest shot out of anyone. Everyone more than two or three cars back, they're just stuck in traffic is all.

It's not like the open road really exists anyway. There's someone else ahead of me, and someone else ahead of him. I spent years scrambling to make one car length in traffic, and I still make it to work on time even though I'm not fighting through traffic any more. So I don't have sympathy for people who get upset about me not pointlessly stressing about it.

But this morning I was doing 40-50 in 35-50 areas and 30-35 in 25-35 areas and got ~60 mpg on that leg. Then I did 40-50 in 35-50 areas, sat idling waiting at a horrible light, cheated my way around it and did 80 on a long stretch that varied 60,65 and 70. I got 43 mpg on that leg. The distance for both together was probably 60/65 miles. I'll be filling up tonight and I expect the tank to still be over 50 mpg even though I've had to do that stretch three mornings and two evenings this week.