100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by hackish

There was a study published a few years ago that was comparing the number of head-on collisions with DRL equipped vehicles versus non-DRL equipped vehicles. As I recall the DRLs reduced your chance of being involved in a daytime head-on collision by about 25%.

HIDs may reduce power consumption as you're looking at about 20-30w versus 100-110w of power.

-Michael

Thanks, yeah I like having the headlamps on, I'll leave them.

And on the trolls who came posted in this thread saying what a waste of time it was......we all do different things for different reasons. They came on knocking what someone else is doing. Do they do the same thing on the gardening web sites telling them to buy carrots at the store because they are cheaper? Saving money isn't the only thing people have passion about, some just like to grow carrots!

Personally, I can afford to fill my tank, it isn't that big of a deal. And I am not super "green" I am not trying to save the earth (honestly, what can one person do?) but I'll give it my little try and damn it, I like to see what I can do.

Brian

[hackish]

All cars sold in Canada since the early 1990's must have DRLs so I find it sad when someone wants to remove a device that will ultimately improve their safety and the safety of other road-users. For the sake of a few pennies of gas per tank.

One other important point is that a reduction in fuel consumed does not always equate to a reduction in pollution created. For example, adding a few degrees of ignition timing during cruise may make an extra 1mpg but the NOX emissions go through the roof!

At this time I can't justify the cost of a 5 gas analyzer to prove it but I believe repeatedly shutting your engine off while driving to save a few drops of fuel is ultimately producing a LOT more pollution. (Cat drops below the necessary temp for operation, O2 sensors are inactive for 20-30 seconds after restart, startup emissions etc etc etc.)

-Michael

[Christ]

Glacial acceleration isn't good either, for various reasons, the most notable being that you're consistently keeping the engine far outside of it's efficiency area.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by hackish

There was a study published a few years ago that was comparing the number of head-on collisions with DRL equipped vehicles versus non-DRL equipped vehicles. As I recall the DRLs reduced your chance of being involved in a daytime head-on collision by about 25%.


-Michael

25%... of what?

If my odds of being involved in a head-on are 2,000,000,000:1 without and 1,500,000,000:1 with, well, I ain't gonna lose any sleep over it.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Christ

Glacial acceleration isn't good either, for various reasons, the most notable being that you're consistently keeping the engine far outside of it's efficiency area.

Thanks, that makes me feel better.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

25%... of what?

If my odds of being involved in a head-on are 2,000,000,000:1 without and 1,500,000,000:1 with, well, I ain't gonna lose any sleep over it.

I'm not thinking about head ons, heck, there is an island between me and the opposing traffic 99% of the time. I am more about people seeing me as they choose to pull out in front of me from a side street.

Brian

[greenman]

A suggestion:
Boycott traffic lights (find alternate routes and make a stink about new ones), I feel it is a conspiracy by the oil companies. I woul dlike the figure of how much gas is used in a dau idling at a light. What happened to lights that went to blinking after peak traffic times? I understand sometimes they are necessary, but often too I come up to a red light with a clear path through, and just before it turns green, numerous other cars are coming up to it from the other directions to get a red light for me to go through. It is a broken metthod for dealing with traffic flow I feel. Yes??

[hackish]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

25%... of what?

If my odds of being involved in a head-on are 2,000,000,000:1 without and 1,500,000,000:1 with, well, I ain't gonna lose any sleep over it.

With every study you will always find naysayers. In fact I think there was even a study done in the USA where the highway traffic safety board found no change in accident stats. Goes against the 20-30 other studies done internationally since the 1970's that show safety benefits.

A quick google for it shows an EU study:
25% of daytime multi-vehicle fatal accidents (11% of all non-pedestrian fatal accidents)
• 28% of daytime fatal pedestrian accidents (12% of all fatal pedestrian accidents)
• 20% of daytime multi-vehicle injury accidents
• 12% of daytime multi-vehicle property accidents

Thing is these are generally published and peer reviewed studies. If you don't care for it then do as you wish. Do you wear your seat belt when you drive? There are stats on that and crash fatalities too. There are stats on that and lifelong brain injuries from impacting the windshield too.

I live in Canada where you must have DRLs and from experience I find it greatly increases the visibility of other cars.

-Michael

[milesgallon.com]

but often too I come up to a red light with a clear path through, and just before it turns green, numerous other cars are coming up to it from the other directions to get a red light for me to go through.

And the ones that let just three cars through on a left turn even though there is 10 cars waiting, must be inefficient both in terms of fuel economy and how much traffic the lights can handle.

As a programmer I find most traffic light setups incomprehensibly stupid, inefficient and annoying. I can only assume the early lights had so little computing power they had to be stupid, now they just make them the same out of tradition.

I've seen a few newer light setups that are quite intelligent though and will be able to give me a green light with no stop even if it's red on arrival. And apparently they do some more advanced decision making as I haven't been able to predict when they switch.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by hackish

I live in Canada where you must have DRLs and from experience I find it greatly increases the visibility of other cars.

In Europe, the idea has trickled south from Skandinavia, where, as in Canada, it may be a good idea because of the geographical location, longer dusk, and harsher winters.

The European studies, predict an overall reduction in road casualties - but at the expense of motorcyclists and poorly or non-illuminated road users who will become less noticeable, even in daylight.
Right, the least protected road users are going to suffer to protect those in their cages ...


Using ordinary headlights as DRL is a waste of energy on top of that.
I've had my car's software updated after I bought it, to be able to switch off the lights.

Using LED-DRLs is far more energy-efficient and they don't have such a large bright surface to distract our eyes from seeing other or non-illuminated road users.