Re: Gas mileage on long road trip
The next biggest influences on fuel economy (FE), besides keeping under 65mph and drafting, are the following:
- Use AC sparingly and avoid MAX AC.
- Maintain constant speed (try to keep RPM between 1500-2000) and coast as much as possible, leaving several car buffer zone in front of you. Many believe the cruise control does worse on FE.
- Even if your vehicle is relatively new, check the tire pressure. A vehicle that requires its tires to be inflated to 35psi will have an increase in rolling resistance of approximately 12.5% if the tires are allowed to become under inflated to just 28 psi. Best FE would be maximum cold inflation.
- Cut down air resistance by not putting anything on your luggage rack, many of us take the racks off when not using.
- Don't carry what you don't need, e.g. minimize weight.
I just saw a CNN segment on FE tips today, since gas prices now average over $2.50 today, that included some of the above (their best tip being to buy a car with good FE).
Have an enjoyable trip,
-Dan
PS: One of the unexpected perks of owning a hybrid came to me on my first road trip where I got stuck in slow & go traffic, which used to really bug me, but I experienced an upbeat attitude as I watched my MPG slowly rising while driving for miles in stealth mode.
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