All the way on green (traffic lights) = 52.1 mpg
 

I've set quite a few goals for myself, and acheived many of them, but one goal had always eluded me until today--to travel my entire commute without having to stop for any red lights. Tonight I made it home (24 miles) through all 18 red lights on green! This resulted in a new evening commute record for me of 52.1 mpg, breaking my previous record of 49.0 mpg. After over 15 months of trying, I finally did it!

I'd always thought that I'd do this on my morning commute--the traffic patters are laid out better. Several times I've made it all the way to the last red light before work until getting caught by it. Typically, I don't stand a chance of getting perfect lights on my evening commute, becuase there are a lot of light fairly close together right as I leave work and there's usually fairly heavy traffic as everybody's leaving work. Today, I got to work late because of a doctor's appointment, so I stayed until after 6 pm to make up for the lost time. Leaving when I did, the traffic was light enough to allow me quite a bit more freedom than normal. That, and some luck, and I finally made it!

Thanks for letting me toot my own horn :D

Jaw droppingly amazing!! Congrats!!

Damned funny, DD. I didn't realize there were so many traffic lights on your commute, thus I am even more impressed. Congratulations.

I had a run out from Corpus Christi yesterday past the little town of Artesia Wells (about 170-miles) then down 12-miles of lease road to a drllling rig. Several routes could be chosen (the main E-W ones) and I always choose the "bigger" road (shoulders, markings, etc) and fewest stops. (I'll make an exception for turns, somewhat). One of those routes has more than [18] stoplights thus I avoid it religiously as stop-n-go at 74k lbs is no fun at all; time or fuel burn. Even though "shorter" in road miles, but barely at all in elapsed time (as getting back to highway speed can take literal miles at this weight). The preferred alternate route is about 12-miles farther. There is no quesiton of better FE as a result . . a tradeoff somewhere between more miles and better overall mpg needing to be understood for each load and each vehicle.

I concur on the stoplights . . I tend to know their characteristics (in order to shift up or down as I approach based on traffic backed up; in order to not have to stop), and, as such, count "making the light" a daily high point.

Bet you know every crack in the road, don't you, ha!

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Thanks, there's actually 20 lights on my way to work (two places where there's a light that only affects the traffic on one direction).


Yeah, there's definitely a tradeoff when it comes to route selection. When it comes to maximizing "total economy" pick the route with the lowest amount of fuel burned, i.e. (miles)/(mpg) is the lowest. If the additional mpg makes up for the additional miles, then you're ahead--not counting your time.

A few months ago I made a tweak to my route, opting for a route with a couple more lights, but no stop signs (pretty much the same distace). Early on I got about the same FE, but after I learned the lights, my new route is almost always better.

Yep, that's the goal. It seems like every red light has it's own "personality" (and some aren't very nice :)). I've gotten so if I go anywhere other than my normal commute, my mileage isn't as good as it is commuting--even if the route is theoretically better than my commuting route (fewer lights, fewer stops, less traffic, etc.). There's really not a substitute for know your route well. :D

..."idling" absolutely "KILLS" your fuel economy numbers!

MPG = MILES / GALS

...so that when you're stopped, the MILES-number stops incrementing but the GALS-number continues to increment, resulting in the MPG-number going down, down, down.

Exactly. That's why, when I do stop my engine is off.

It must be my lucky week. This morning I made it all the way in all on green!

...better think about getting those Lottery Tickets...NOW!

Yes, but that means I'd have to stop at a gas station. I try not to stop at those places more than once a month ;)

As it is hurricane season (until well into October, but traditionally the western Gulf is less affected after September) I've been topping off the tank weekly. I've not kept good records, only a peek at the average.

Also gives me a look at how my new life is composed in terms of fuel burn. The average mpg is down, but so is the consumption. I am going to start using SHELL exclusively (just too many reports on their higher fuel quality) so am including the few local stations that sell that brand in my errand running trip planning. Am also going to try increasing cetane via additive after a discussion elsewhere on the Net.

After a long overdue valve adjustment is done I'll take a run up to San Antonio for lunch one day when I'm off, but at 75-mph; a 320-mile trip. Starting to see some signs of injector problems [now at 186k miles], so first step is an Italian tune-up. But it also gives me a chance to better dial in my tire pressures, too, according to CapriRacer guidelines on pressure rise after 1.5/hrs at steady state speed (7,950-lb truck at present; fairly well 50/50 distribution FF/RR & port/starboard after 4-wheel weighing).

The heat is also a factor, so am looking for that rise of no more than 3-5 psi at both 75-mph and 100F+ temps and at 1,100-lbs heavier than stock (all within DODGE guidelines, but narrowed down to the Final Five psi). Failed tires are in evidence everywhere in Texas once daytime temps reach 97F on a regular basis. You can almost chart it by tire remains on the highway.

I don't wish to be on the side of the road in the event of a hurricane evacuation due to tire problems and a heavily loaded truck & trailer in tow. That's a different direction to take a thread on 52-mpg & green lights, but closer to "true" mpg for the fantastic work one of these trucks can do when called upon to be the family Conestoga.

Stop-n-go has quite a few connotations. 3-5 mph is the expected evacuation speed, and so is 3-5 mpg. The Honda Civic isn't the "winner" in these events, but the vehicle with the biggest fuel tank. One must be able to make it past 150-miles inland from the coast before breathing that sigh of relief that the availability of fuel and services is at a "norm".

What else are you planning to play with at this point, DD?

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