guys

like i said. Sorry for the rant. I aint the only one feeling like this,and I am glad its finally been said.



What I said stands. If you disagree , fine. I wont mention it again, but instead will just try to find common sense discussions and ignore the rest of it.

 

30 MPGs in a Prius? Wow, that seems pretty low.

It seems all the best tips have already been mentioned, though I will add one more, minimize idling.

Don't start up the car, go in for coffee, and load her up for the day, don't start the engine until you're going to move the car.

Take it easy on the pedal too, sometimes, if you watch your instant FE, you can tell that you're pressing too hard on a road, you can let off, and reapply less pressure to keep your speed the same, but improve your FE at the same time. (occasionally)

Good luck, and enjoy!

 

You are perfectly entitled to express your feelings. Please do not feel restricted just because some might disagree with you.

You should know that different people have different ideas about what "common sense" is. Clearly you have your own ideas and you find them reasonable as do many others.

What I find reasonable has changed over the years. When I was younger I drove like a mad man with zero reguard to MPG or tire life. In 1996 I bought my first car with a real time MPG meter. Having those numbers stairing you in the face all the time eventually gets you thinking. Like I said before it starts out with little things you start doing and a few (10) years later you can't imagine NOT shutting the car off on down hill sections. You start thinking that it would be crazy to leave the engine on.

If you had told me to kill my engine while driving back in 1996 (or earlier) I would have called you crazy. Even in 2000 I might have thought you were a nutbag if you killed your engine while driving. Turning into a hypermiler was a slow and gradual process but the numbers speak for themselves. Anytime you drive a car with a real time display you get instant gratification for your effort.

Anyway I'm not trying to sell you on anything. Bookmark this page and come back in 10 years and see how you feel then. You might feel exactly the same or you might be one of us "crazy people".

 

heh. And only two of them is specific to driving a hybrid car.

 

...and that's the point!

 

A couple of additional tips:

When driving on roads that are wet to the point where you can see the squeegied tracks of the preceeding cars, drive so that your tires are following in the tracks of the preceeding traffic. This can reduce a lot of the MPG loss associated with driving on wet roads. Also when driving in very heavy rain with LOTS of water running off the road, drop your speed down as low as traffic will allow. In addition to hydroplaning issues, an inch of water on the road can play havoc with your gas mileage and reducing your speed from 60 down to 30 MPH can greatly help reduce the MPG hit (think of the mileage that boats get).

If you can choose what time of day you can make your trip, try to plan it for the warmest part of the day in the winter or when temps will be in the 70F to 80F range in the summer. Also if you can, time your trip to avoid rainy weather and wet roads.

 

People always say drafting isn't safe, but I disagree strongly. I just make sure I've seen the truck's brakelights work prior to engaging it. The slower we're going, the closer I get. I just stare hard at one of his brakelights and the instant it comes on, I react. I've been a video game player for years and reflexes is one thing I have going for me. Also consider how much longer it would take for such a massive truck to come to a stop (much more than either of my cars)

I'd much rather be behind an 18 wheeler than in front or next to it.

 

What happens when something unpredicted distracts you from intently staring at the brakelights? It is amazing the silly things people will do to achieve slightly higer fuel economy. It is one thing for you to say that you think it is worth the risk, it is another to strongly think that it is safe.

 

I've seen an 18 wheeler's tire delaminate/blow out and get shed all over the highway at 75mph. I've also see them drive over road debris that a normal sized vehicle (non-SUV/pickup) would ordinarily avoid, but if you're tailgating/drafting you cannot see that and make the judgment yourself.

The only thing going for you is that tailgating semi's means you're at least putting your blind faith in *professional* strangers (people who are paid to drive for a living) vs. drafting off any Tom, Dick or Jane in their van/SUV/pickup -- strangers whom you cannot and should not make any assumptions about driving ability, attention span, or vehicle handling capabilities.

 

IMHO, it all boils down to how much you think you and your family's safety is worth. In my case, no amount of savings is worth rearending a semi (or having to swerve into an adjacent traffic lane unexpectedly), a real possibility when you consider the speed you are travelling as well as reaction and stopping times.

I personally have seen firsthand the effects of tire shredding as well as the ability of a semi to drive over road debris that would be a real problem to a normal vehicle. Unexpectedly having a mattress fly off the vehicle in front of you while driving on the Interstate in the middle of Chicago is enough to convince me to keep a safe distance, even a little more.

T'aint worth it (to me). Of course this is from an older driver (60), one who finally realizes they are mortal. When I was 20 and 30, driving 50K per year, I thought I could handle anything thrown at me, the same as several of my close friends who are now dead and/or disfigured from traffic accidents.

Guess it's time to get off my soapbox........