So when you hypermile what kind of tunes do you guys like to listen to? Since this can be a big topic you guys want to keep it at the genres you listen to? (classic rock, rap, ect) I'm trying to get the impression hybrid drivers love their classical music but maybe there are owners whom love to rock and roll too or rap with their favorate homie g? How loud do you guys turn up your speakers and what are your favorate settings? (low bass, high treble, balance,) Are you guys still using old fashion cd roms or have you all surrended to the Ipod generation? Do you shake your head and turn it up like I do when your favorate song is playing? How about tapping on the steering wheel along with the beat and sometimes singing along if no one is on board your car?

Here are my answers to start out!

I listen to mostly European inspired Trance and Vocal Trance most of the time. I love to go into a state of "trance" when i'm driving (don't worry I still focus on the road), where the music does my thinking for me and my body does the motoring skills. Sometimes classical if my day is a little blue (nothing to look forward to and other genres when my friends want to share their songs), although my speaker settings is usually no bass and high treble since bass degrades the electronic instruments that I'm trying to hear out for. I like my music a lot to the point I blast it most of the time, as well shaking my head here and there as I try to whistle to the melodies from time to time. And yes my car is stock audio believe it or not considering the huge amounts of mp3's on my hard drive (40 gigs dedicated to trance), so I use a Sony PSP hooked up to a FM transmitter to output the songs to my car so I don't have to continously burn cds. (to the point where I had my burnt cds stolen over originals ) Although this method sometimes I get the static stick because you all know radio is not perfect.

What kind of music are you into?

 

I jam all kinds of music, Mostly Female Country, Teen Pop, and Dance music. I let iTunes build a seriously random playlist of highly rated songs for my 40gb iPod. Its connected via a cassette adapter. I generally keep the volume at about 40 out of 60 on the Prius JBL 9-speaker system. When a really awesome tune comes on, I crank it up to near max, but I generally turn it down after the song is done. It Rocks! My other settings are a the default, the treble might be tweaked up a little, but thats about it. Since I put about 2 hours/day into driving, music is the only thing that keeps my sanity! I also have a backup of some of my favorite songs on 3 CD's just in case something happens to my iPod!

 

Music? My tastes run somewhat diverse. My first CD is a recording of The Mikado sung by the Welsh National Opera, followed Wagner overtures, Jacob and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Phil Ochs, Camelot, and Tom Paxton.

But check with me tomorrow. I'm thinking of replacing Camelot with Tom Lehrer.

 

I prefer clasic rock or oldies. Though I ocassionaly throw in a weird all disk for fun. If a good song comes on I'll crank it up and start flailing like a wild man (well on the inside anyway).

 

Mellow tunes to keep the lead foot at bay? Jack Johnson is my answer. It is hard to be in a hurry when Jack's music is playing on the stereo.

 

95% of the time the radio is off. The rest is AM. I'll slide in a disk maybe once every couple months.
I'm listening to the mechanics of the car, tires, wind etc.

I used boycot FM for 9 months at a time so I can hear all 3 new songs.
Now I just don't bother.

My wife likes 60's to 80's rock and that's fine with me.

 

The 6 CDs in my Prius right now:

Little River Band's Greatest Hits
Kraftwerk - The Mix
Pierce Pettis - Making Light of It {since most haven't heard of him, I'll provide genre: folk}
Depeche Mode - Catching Up With Depeche Mode
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Big Audio Dynamite - Planet B.A.D.

Now, having provided that list, I have to admit that 95% of the time, I listen to a local news/traffic/weather station. 95% of my driving is commuting, and the traffic reports are essential. As I near my destination, I start ignoring it, but I usually forget to switch over to music.

If the radio isn't tuned to new/traffic/weather, then I bounce between a country station, an "urban music" station (rap), a "classic" rock station, and an alternative rock station. Whichever one I come to first that isn't playing a commercial or talking.

 

I forgot to mention in my prior post to this discussion. I do have to admit that I listen to traffic reports when trying to get out of the city, but I can't wait to put the music back on. I hate hearing talking and commercials while driving :-)
I've otherwise written radio off the list as a source of music -- too much extra junk being broadcast. As a matter of fact, I think commercial radio is a source of road rage! I actually used to feel mean, while commuting, back when radio was my only source of music. Nowadays, multi-CD changers & MP3 players have made a real difference.

 

me too. i'm afraid i'll dent or bend the steering wheel some day....

 

I have two 1GB CF cards full of MP3's I always keep in the car.

Bach's Toccata and Fugues for organ
Martha Argerich's recording of Chopin
Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, and Fanfare
George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue & An American In Paris
Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtracks (all three films) - can't wait for The Complete Recordings for TTT and ROTK
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
Strauss waltzes conducted by Bohm and Von Karajan
Some ballet suites by Tchaikovsky
Pachelbel's Canon and Concerto for Trumpet

That's only a small sampling but I've nicely filled out a classical collection. That's not all the music I like. I have a bucketload of soundtracks (mostly John Williams and Elmer Bernstein) that I should put in the car. Lately I've been listening to Beastie Boys and Beck on my PC and plan on acquiring some old school rap and some alternative stuff.