It's not what you drive...it's how you drive it!

[squirrelladdict]

Originally Posted by Mifunego

Hmm, this does all make me wonder though, what are our motivations here on ecomodder? The concept that I (perhaps mistakenly?) intuited from the name "ecomodder" would be modders (folks who modify) vehicles for reasons of economy (assumedly fuel economy). I think that modders are those who enjoy taking an active part in customizing vehicles for reasons of appearance, higher performance, or in this case, better fuel economy. I mean, right at the top of the page it says: "Wrench smart. Drive smarter. Save fuel." I interpret that as, "Mod your vehicle to use less fuel. Drive your vehicle in a way to use less fuel. These are ways your vehicle can use less fuel." I don't see, "Buy a Prius" as part of the philosophy. If that's all it took, this would be a pretty boring website.

I may be wrong though.

That's only partially true. Some vehicles are designed so poorly from the factory that you must change the motor or transmission or other items to make any noticeable difference in FE. Design plays a huge role in how fuel economy is achieved. My 1.6L integra got the same fuel mileage as my 2.3L accord. The reason is technology and gearing and many other things. My point is that sometimes your gains will be minimal now matter how much work you put into it and the only solution is to start from a completely different design.

[cfg83]

Mifunego -

Originally Posted by Mifunego

Hmm, this does all make me wonder though, what are our motivations here on ecomodder? The concept that I (perhaps mistakenly?) intuited from the name "ecomodder" would be modders (folks who modify) vehicles for reasons of economy (assumedly fuel economy). I think that modders are those who enjoy taking an active part in customizing vehicles for reasons of appearance, higher performance, or in this case, better fuel economy. I mean, right at the top of the page it says: "Wrench smart. Drive smarter. Save fuel." I interpret that as, "Mod your vehicle to use less fuel. Drive your vehicle in a way to use less fuel. These are ways your vehicle can use less fuel." I don't see, "Buy a Prius" as part of the philosophy. If that's all it took, this would be a pretty boring website.

I may be wrong though.

I think that's partially right. I am going to take the liberty of quoting MetroMPG :

People are drawn to ecomodding for many reasons...

- The "eco" in ecomodder suggests concern for the environment & conservation;

- But "eco" also points to the economic factor - the desire to save money by saving gas;

- Many are concerned with issues surrounding energy independence & security;

- And in true gearhead fashion, some of us simply enjoy the sheer sport of it! Squeezing the greatest distance from the least amount of fuel is a daily challenge against ourselves and other like-minded efficiency enthusiasts.

- Of course, no two ecomodders are alike. People bring different combinations of interests & motivations, and there's a place at Ecomodder.com for the full spectrum.

CarloSW2

[2win2rbo]

The testing grounds used here are very inefficient. We really can't compare the our lowly Corolla to an Audi R8.

The Prius is designed to be driven with economy and efficiency in mind and the "full throttle" can't be in the Prius's driving manual. People must really learn how to treat the gas pedal with special care. People must learn such to prevent "sudden acceleration" which can happen on almost any car.

[Mustang Dave]

But sometimes "sudden acceleration" is necessary. Like when someone's about to T-bone you in a 4-way-stop intersection because (S)He's DWHUA.