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Originally Posted by California98Civic
2012 Chevy Sonic with the 6-speed manual. Quiet inside! Quiet!! And with the Civic VX level tall gearing you'll get insane FE on the freeways anytime you choose, wickedly superior FE without trying much at all, and excellent FE while deploying your radar detector.  |
US Interstate travel is far from what it used to be in the 1960s as it was being built, and up to "truck deregulation" in 1978. 1966-1979 pretty well covers the good old days of open road and high average speed.
A radar detector would have been useful in running above 55-mph (realistically, 62) after 1974. But increased commercial traffic, suburban sprawl and, now, zombies filling the roads far from cities have pretty well ruined what was once pleasurable.
Anyone who finds themselves on a rural Interstate surrounded by the car zombies has failed elemental driving safety. A gap of 200' or more out front with next to no one bride or behind is ideal.
Those who tailgate (70' or less) are Gods own fools. Wouldn't count on his reported protection of drunks, children and fools, however.
The focus is average speed. From engine-on at trip start, to engine-off at end. For the engine hours recorded, the time enroute divided into trip miles.
Anyone lane changing, braking, passing, etc isn't interested in FE. The point of such isn't in remaining the same fool with a more efficient car. It's in using FE as a marker to reduce overall transportation cost. Other markers are brake and tire life.
But all are secondary to safety.
Do the experiment:
(1) Average speed at the usual high rate.
(2) Then average speed at a set speed that keeps one from constantly mixing with the idiots. Which is everyone these days.
Twenty years ago it was packs here and there. Today it's 99% pack behavior. East of IH35 where most Americans live, 58-62/mph is the province of RVs and some slower trucks. 63-66 is mainly trucks. 67-75 is idiot car drivers.
Many of whom sit in the left lane (with no right of way), and others trying to pass them. Both are in the wrong. Try to understand why that is so.
Running fast one will see a big discrepancy between a high set travel speed and the average speed. Running slower, that gap closes off. Closer the two -- average and set -- better FE markers.
Run a route on the IH using cruise control at above car speeds. Do it again. At sub-63.
Time won't be much different.
Also record acceleration and braking events. Record lane changes. Each is a penalty. You're trying to maintain 71-mph then do it. Passing and all.
You'll find no appreciable difference in actual travel time on sub 300 mile trips. But stress reduction, etc, will make that lower speed even better for driver and vehicle.
Report back.
Numbers do matter. Average mpg over a calendar year is one. Average travel speed is another. (The details on how to trip plan a journey is not covered here; but it will account for substantial gains with a lower set speed).