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Originally Posted by jajohnson
brick
I usually drive at speed limit to speed limit +5. I have a gentle foot and accelerate smoothly. I anticipate and slow down in advance of traffic stops. I usually use cruise control when possible (light traffic), but find I can generally match cruise control performance using my foot. On my other car I can consistently get better than 30 miles per hour highway, even though it is only rated for 27. Trips are generally from PA to FL and back several times a year plus an odd trip from PA to VA or PA to MA.
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John- It sounds like you have the right kind of driving style for fuel economy. I think that the single easiest improvement you can make would be to keep your highway speeds under 65 (preferably 60 and under) to reduce your drag penalty. That might be tough in places like FL that have higher limits (70mph+) but when conditions permit you should realize a measureable improvement. Dropping from 70mph to 65mph results in a ~15% reduction in the power required to maintain speed on level ground. Dropping from 70mph to 60mph would reduce load by more like 30%. (The curve isn't linear, obviously, so the higher your cruising speed the more difference a few miles per hour can make.) If you are skeptical, just try it once or twice and see what happens.