Boy the commute to work was fun today. I had about a 25 mph head wind the whole way. I felt like a boxer being knocked around the ring as I fought with the gas pedal to make the car go forward at a reasonable speed and to try to eek out as much MPG as I could. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got to work but was able to manage a 60MPH result that I was pretty proud of.

Who else has stories of fights they had to get decent MPG under adverse conditions?

 

Driving in the rain is also challenging. In Dallas, there is often wind when it rains. I've noticed that unless the rain is really heavy driving at highway speeds, the airflow will deflect the rain completly off the Insight's hatchback window.

My worst FE ever was an evening commute on December 15, 2000. The trip was 25 miles. Left early from work and traffic was good for the first 20 minutes, then it was a 2-3 mph parking lot the next four hours. Got 25 mpg on that trip, when 55-60 would be typical.

 

I drove from Austin to southern Oklahoma this Sunday, and averaged 62.2 mpg according to my HCH's readout. On the trip back home on Monday afternoon, I watched my FE average drop and drop and drop, down to 53.9 by the time I pulled in to my driveway. I attribute the great mileage going north and crap mileage going south to high winds from the south.

Speaking of Dallas, I escaped a 4-car collision by about six inches, right where before where one exits from 35-north to 75. The wreck began when the person two cars ahead of me sideswiped the car in the far-right lane, and the truck in front of me began fishtailing as its brakes locked up. That trucks rear bumber clipped the rear bumper of the left car as he skidded to a stop. The car to my right rear ended the wrecked cars. I ended up stalling my car because I forgot to put the clutch in as I came to a near-complete halt in the middle of the busy freeway. Luckily, restarting the HCH MT is as simple as putting it back in first and, in the case of restarting in the middle of a busy freeway... STOMPING ON IT! For what it's worth, no one seemed to have gotten too badly damaged, and I doubt anyone was hurt.

I HATE driving the freeways through downtown Dallas!

 

Hi Tbaleno:

___And how given those **** Chicago winds this morning! I was sitting on a 51.2 mpg tank in the drive last night. I woke up this morning and looked out to see the flags standing almost straight out with that 10 - 15 + mph wind right out of the South. The problem with that is that I was heading South within the hour! If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that wind was howling my name to do a head to head battle Royale! The PZEV dropped to 50.8 at less then a mile out (expected given I just touched it on an up tick as I was coming off the Rt. 132 off-ramp last night in autostop warp ) but I never again saw 51.2 Once parked, I was thinking ok, I will have a great tailwind all the way home and could easily push this one back into record territory. WRONG! That strong South wind had shifted some 90 degrees by early afternoon and was now directly out of the West! I had to fight that SOB all the home as well She is sitting in the drive at 50.8 which isn’t bad but it was a completely wasted roundtrip commute imho

___On days like today, I should do the world and myself a favor by calling in and staying home …

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Next Austin to OK trip, taking I35W instead of I35E will be shorter and avoid the Dallas traffic. I35E is the most dangerous Dallas freeway - it runs parallel to Harry Hines (the red light district road).

The area you describe is known in Dallas as "The Canyon" - where I35E, US75, I30, and Woodall Rodgers Fwy meet. If you remember the Dallas TV intro, they show it as they pan south of the downtown Dallas from the south.

 

More wind today! I can't believe these heavy winds. I'm still managing slightly below 60mpg each way so I am not to upset. I just wish the winds would give me a break so I don't have to work so hard.