Just slow down

[cbaber]

My commute is 50 miles each way, 5 days a week. Going 60 vs 70, I spend an extra 86 hours behind the wheel each year. That's 10 minutes each way.

That may seem like a lot of wasted time, but considering I just watched 4 cat videos on YouTube, I think there are plenty of other things we can eliminate that are less productive than driving slower to save fuel. I know I save time, but honestly the challenge of getting good gas mileage is worth it (plus I save some $$).

[The Other Andy]

Originally Posted by cbaber

My commute is 50 miles each way, 5 days a week. Going 60 vs 70, I spend an extra 86 hours behind the wheel each year. That's 10 minutes each way.

That may seem like a lot of wasted time, but considering I just watched 4 cat videos on YouTube, I think there are plenty of other things we can eliminate that are less productive than driving slower to save fuel. I know I save time, but honestly the challenge of getting good gas mileage is worth it (plus I save some $$).

For those of us with long commutes (35 miles each way, though I'll be moving closer soon), hypermiling is a good way to gamify our time spent in the car. It takes a great deal of boredom and stress out of the commute.

[Sovereign]

Originally Posted by bestclimb

I have noted that when I try to hurry along at 65+ vs 60 max the total trip time does not change that much and there is a great deal more traffic. Lower in city speed and stop lights tends to dominate the average.

The longer the trip, the more savings there are to be had from speeding up. For example, a friend of mine and I were in a rush because we had an orchestra concert that ended at 10PM, a 2 hour drive (normal speed), and she had work at 6:30AM the next morning. By driving 90MPH, she cut 30 minutes off the 120-ish mile trip, but that's a longer drive than most commutes and significantly higher than "just 5MPH over."

When I drive 30 miles north to see friends, I've discovered the time difference between 55 and 70 is not worth it.

[Joggernot]

I go with picking a place near where you work. My longest commute has been 80 miles one way (for three months until we could move) and the shortest 1.5 miles. Most have been bicycle or small motorcycle distance, thus saving the cost of a second car and all the gas for the commute. In northern VA I picked a place within walking distance to a metro station. Again saving gas and personal hassle. Look for work close to where you live or live close to where you work is a no brainer.

Now I have taken up the hypermiling techniques just to get around Texas...

[elhigh]

I used to have a 10 minute commute on a 40mph highway; timing the lights could get me through almost the entire thing with only three or four stops.

Then I moved to a little town and my commute is about 25 minutes, 22.3 miles. I wouldn't switch back.

Loving where you live is worth a lot. I didn't like my old neighborhood. Now I'm walking distance to church, walking distance to a little village grocery store and the Post Office, walking distance to the town's library, my in-laws, my other in-laws, and lots of pleasant hikes.

Three of us carpool every day so we get to spend that half-hour or so catching up with each other. It isn't time wasted. If I didn't spend it driving, what would I be doing? Surfing the internet, watching TV? Riding with my wife and son are a good time.

[Miller88]

My Taurus was a bit of an anomaly. I took it on many trips and had many, many tanks of gas on the highway.

It would do 34MPG at 70MPH. 65, 60, 55 were all 29. Never understood that.

I have exact numbers, but can't remember. The Focus seems to be:
55: 48
60: 45
65: 40
70: 35

[Xist]

It is 169 miles each way to my parents' house. I could drive 70, 75, or even 80. Many people do.

I drive fifty-five.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Miller88

My Taurus was a bit of an anomaly. I took it on many trips and had many, many tanks of gas on the highway.

It would do 34MPG at 70MPH. 65, 60, 55 were all 29. Never understood that.

I have exact numbers, but can't remember. The Focus seems to be:
55: 48
60: 45
65: 40
70: 35

That bottom-bracket first-gen Taurus could be a long-legged cruiser. With the four-pot and the five speed, once you got it up to speed - eventually - you could motor along in the fat part of the torque band and have a pretty relaxed trip.

[niky]

I've started driving 80 km/h (50 mph) as our local highways have a 100 km/h (62 mph) upper limit and a 60 km/h (37.5 mph) lower limit.

I'd go 60, but some cars do terribly at that... many seem geared for best economy between 70 and 80, so using an 80 reference point, I'm swinging between 70-90, depending on whether I'm going uphill or downhill.

Give our gas costs about $4.40 a gallon, I actually save between two to four dollars (depending on what I'm driving) on my 50 mile commute into the city when I have to go to the magazine or visit the in-laws. Granted, I get free fuel most of the time, but I dislike wasting gas when I don't have to.

[Mustang Dave]

I tried driving from Barstow to Flagstaff at 65 MPH last Summer instead of the 70 MPH(California)and 75 MPH(Arizona) speed limit as I drove the trip the previous two years.
Compared to the previous two years, I got 32.9 MPG vs 27.9 MPG.

The speed difference cost me 35 minutes over 350 miles.
The drive was less stressful. Yes, it was worth the extra time. I had enough fuel left over to commute to work for three days.