How to get my wife to drive smarter

[GRU]

I had the same problem with my ex-wife..just did not care about doing any better when it came to saving fuel and she didn't care about money, because she didn't have to pay for it...good luck

[UltArc]

I had a similar situation. My wife lives in another part of the state, and I commute to be with her when I can. This reason makes mpg very important.

She is having a hard time financially, and we mostly try to stay out of each others finances.

I told her, I will mod her car. No expense flr labor, or parts. Anything above EPA, she pays me. The 3 dollar role of duct tape I bought has since paid foritself. When she wants somethin in a store, I bring it up. A new car? Better internet? Cable? A kitty cat?

Less fuel used, means more money. Your experience will depend on your wife, and her goals, and your situations. Surely you are happy. If you had problems, you most likely wouldn't be on here commenting on this lol. But if she doesn't care about money, fuel, dinosaurs, so on, then it won't work. I taught my wife not to race to red lights, as step one.

People fly past as I coast to a red light. Get there, it is turned green, second gear, and gone. Less fuel, less brake, and past them. When she realized momentum is better than being the first to a red light, the seed was planted amd she started growing.

I hope the circumstances work out to your liking

Post Script: what if you challenged her in that you matched her fuel savings on here? For a trip, or whatever. If she sewed, a new machine, so on. After the first gift giving holiday you put it towards, tell her she can keep saving money by just driving that way. College fund for your young lady? Fees for sports? Either way, I hope it works out. I know the anguish when someone puts on air con when , in my personL opinion, God has blessed us with free air con outside.

[Basexfe]

My wife learned "old school" - a 66 Chevelle 6 cylinder with 3 on the tree. She nailed the shift points right away.
Upgraded to a Chevy Citation 4 speed, she loved that car.
Then came kids, and its been automatics for her ever since. But I wouldn't hesitate to have her drive the XFE.

[myrefugeisintheLord]

I just had a few thoughts. Mostly perspective thoughts.

~ Your wife could be driving a car that gets a lot lower EPA to begin with.

~ Consider your savings as a part of her savings. You save for the both of you!
PaleMelanesian gets great mileage by not doing any mods, just driving techniques. And there are some things you can do to the car that your wife wouldn't care about - tire pressure up, synthetic oils. Lol, if you had some time to work on the car without her observation, you might even be able to install a WAI. She'd have less power too. I would suggest a gradual transition with that one. You wouldn't want her thinking the car is having problems.

~ Adding an Ultragauge or SG would be good too. Don't say anything, just put it in. Off to the side but still in view. Subtle is a good way to encourage change.

~ Give it time. It may take her years to come around, but when she does it will be well worth it. The best things don't happen over night.


~ This might sound unrelated, but the philosophy still applies. If you want her to take an interest in something you like, take an interest in things she likes. She may reciprocate the interest. And through that you can also continue to strengthen your marriage at the same time. That is NEVER a bad thing!!