confessions from a reformed @$%$# driver
 

Hi everyone! just wanted to share a bit of my story in how I have smartened up on my driving and my attempt to be environmentally responsible. Until recently I have not cared about how much gas or tires I burned up. I have always accelerated hard and braked hard. Whenever somebody would mention fuel economy I would often joke that if we are going to run out of oil then I am going to get my share before we do ;) Until recently my vehicles have always been viewed and driven as toys. almost all have had straight pipes with no cats and any of that "silly emissions crap" removed. One of my cars, an 85 cutlass supreme with a SB 400 and 3.73 gears... I kept track of my MPG on a tank and got just over 6 mpg... admittedly it was my favorite car... Now I am going to try and make up for the way I have been :D My van is now a tool and the size is a necessary evil. I am going to attempt to do as good as I can in it though :thumbup: within reason anyway :p unless I can think of a way to store cabinetry in a boatail i don't think i will be adding one to the Astro :D This is my first week practicing my hypermilling and after a week of driving my gas gauge is just at the full line usually i would be at the 3/4 by now... so huge improvement just by learning to drive all over again. It has been hard though I think it is ingrained in my DNA to drive quickly... recovery will be a long road :D

I was like this aswell my last car i had i was constantly racing friends doing 100+ bumper to bumper, after 7k miles of buying the car the oil pump quit only had 118k miles on the car when i bought the car im currently driving i had did a lil bit of quick accelerating just because of all the extra power i had never had. but wen i filled up and was getting 16mpg when the combined for my car was 20 and i was driving all country roads with no stops. i decided it was time to try something new not only for better Fe but to save this car for a while

Good to hear, i think many of us used to do the same untill we opened our eyes.

So you have an astro van? what type of driving do you do?

The upside is that you're used to carrying a good deal of momentum through the corners.
Not slowing down for a bend means you don't have to accelerate again afterwards ;)
Works great when you're coasting along.

Congratulations on your first week. This is the home of the 100+ step recovery program 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com.:D

Don't forget to post our car and your fuel usage to the garage.

New driving habits develop fast as the old ones fade away.
It is challenging to drive economically, which I find replaces the challenge of getting to my destination in a record time.
Beating your best record mpg achievement is a huge challenge to take on, Trying to get more miles per tank takes as much concentration as beating all the lights on a speed run,perhaps more.

I used to drive all crazy too, racing on the highway, drifting corners, until I pushed it too far one day, took a corner at 55 (which was marked for 15) and flipped a mid-size pick-up truck with my '85 civic hatchback, totaling both vehicles.

But these days I find hypermiling to be just as challenging and engaging and fun as high speed driving was, but with the upside of saving cash and the bonus of being good to life on Earth

So, I'm curious: what prompted the change?

(Guess: shortage of "change" in the change dish?)

I agree with the sentiment others have made: I spent many hours at lapping sessions on race tracks in my misguided youth. It was challenging and fun - and rewarding to see skills improve. (And I'm only joking about the "misguided" part ... as far as it relates to track sessions anyway. That style of driving is a huge waste of fuel, but I also learned a heck of a lot about vehicle dynamics, traction & car control that made me a better driver in the long run.)

Driving for efficiency is also challenging and fun, and extra "rewarding" as skills improve. And as a bonus, it's something you can do all the time on public roads without breaking laws and/or putting your licence at risk.

Glad to see I am not the only one :) the main reason I have decided to change my driving habits is due to age I assume? Just realizing how reckless and wasteful I have been. Saving money is a bonus for sure! But not the only reason. I have become more aware of the environment in general. I recycle bottles and am trying to get a composter approved for my condo/strata. I like to encourage repairing cabinetry vs replacement (when feasable) even though I would make more $ putting in new... I do mostly in town driving but go on the highway enough that I would like to improve aerodynamics. Planning on installing a swaybar in the rear so I can corner without wasting momentum. Also planning on removing mechanical fan and ac...

Filled up my tank yesterday for the first time in just over a month :D I got 17.7MPG with no mods other then tires inflated to 50psi. I relapsed for a couple days but got back on track and am pleased with the results. I look forward to my next fill-up... never thought i would say that :eek:

edit: my mpg was imp, i guess i have no reason to celebrate yet :(

It's not a confession, consider it new frontier to explore and perfect. You will find that every part of your vehicle will last longer and you will save on replacements of parts you used to wear out at an astounding rate. Driving efficiently will make you a much better driver and might even save your life as well as your passengers, or avoid serious injuries.

In my lifetime of almost 62 years something like 2,000,000 people have died on US highways. Many more have suffered a lifetime as the result of serious injuries caused by poor driving habits. While vehicles have become much more safe, drivers have many more distractions that did not exist decades ago.

Welcome to our obsession. In my youth I was a wild man and drove some very powerful cars like a 67 383 Formula S Barracuda that got 10 MPG no matter how you drove it.
When the first energy crunch hit in 1973 I started driving more efficient cars and now people fall asleep riding in my car.

regards
Mech

Ain't that the truth. Any trip longer than an hour and EVERY SINGLE passenger is sound asleep. I've been tempted to do a brake check just to wake them up.

The first car I bought for myself without any help from anyone and all on my own was a salvaged 1995 Acura Integra. It was a red sports car with 170 hp. As a 19 year-old, I absolutely loved it and added all kinds of stuff to make it go faster. It would be rare to see me doing anything below 80 in the left lane. I had the sunroof open and all the windows down. It didn't matter if it was hot or cold, I had the AC and heater blasting in my face. I loved the exhilaration of wind in my hair. I weaved around traffic like I just didn't care braking hard often so that I could squeeze myself into the next lane.

As a 21 year-old, I thought the car made an incredible racket even at a sane speed of 60 mph where the engine was screaming at 3000 rpm. My 25 mpg meant I had to fill up once a week and sometimes twice with premium which got annoying fast. My left leg got sore in rush hour traffic because the tightly spaced ratio manual meant a constant 1-2 and 2-1 shift where an economical manual I could leave it in 1st or 2nd and creep along (My friend's Mazda 3 for example, I could just leave in 1.) I secretly made plans to get rid of her when an elderly gentleman did me the favor. He rear-ended me ending the life of the Acura.

I now drive an economical plain jane Honda Civic. I prefer a manual but the automatic had higher highway EPA due to a taller overdrive I believe. My commute is 90% highway so it was the sensible choice. Kudos to you for making the change. I hope you join me in the right lane hypermiling.

i feel it im selling my intrigue right now with 215hp and now driving a '99 ford zx2 5speed, jumped from 22mpg to 30ish still haven't filled the tank to see what it gets but i know its high from hypermiling