Started Driving Slower Again

[Whelan]

Not that I was a wreckless driver. But I would commonly do 70-80 on the highway and occasionally manuever if need be. Now with gas up again and fillups costing me $40+ I have taken to keeping the car 65ish, occasional 70 when passing and back over. No longer am I the passer but the passee which is fine. I typically am able to plug worthwhile gains with this so it makes it worth my time. It's funny cause I am still seeing people zip around like morons blowing through gas, guess they can more easily afford such things. I remember when we were at/over $4 last time around and you could really notice a difference on highways, people were typically driving closer to the speed limit and less erratically to save on the fuel.

[09vGT]

I will have to slow it down too.. *sigh*

[Kincaid]

These days I pretty much set the cruise control at about 4 mph over what ever limit there is. Doesn't bother me to be passed.When I was young and my cars had no cruise control, I'd find myself passing someone and then not wanting to be passed again, I'd notch up the speed a bit. Then I'd pass another and notch it up again. After passing another car (one that was usually speeding already) I'd feel like I can't afford to let the guy ever catch up and think I'm some kind of speeding jerk so I'd push the speed just a bit more. Pretty soon, I was zipping down the road at 80 mph (this was back in the 55 mph limit days) and wondering what the heck I was doing - stuck between fear of the police and fear of public disdain.

[jkm311]

I vividly remember driving the exact speed limit a few summers ago when prices shot up. No passing, when I could help it, anyhow. That's when I was driving 70 miles on the highway everyday. I kept any eye on my tach as much as my speedometer.Now, I'm 20-25 miles city everyday. Not much I can do there, except for watching how quick I am off the light. Overdrive on!

[lowincash]

It's times like this I'm glad I have a 4cyl car lol Just a few weeks ago I've been thinking about getting a 2011 dodge charger, but I'll wait on that for now haha

[ponta2147]

I still drive the same speed/way I always do... it's one of my guilty pleasures in life... lol. I guess I'll just pay the premium price for it and make sacrifices in other parts of my life! It helps that I don't have to drive very much anymore.(though to be honest, 50% of the time I drive pretty conservatively, so it's not ALL bad)

[tpollauf]

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid » Doesn't bother me to be passed.I related to that last summer Got passed up by EVERYBODY at 2am that Sunday morning on the way back from the Indy meet doing 55-60 at best The only bright side was the ACTUAL 37 mpg my 2.4L delivered Never again will I drive that slow I just had to prove a point back then

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »I still drive the same speed/way I always do... it's one of my guilty pleasures in life... lol. I guess I'll just pay the premium price for it and make sacrifices in other parts of my life! It helps that I don't have to drive very much anymore.(though to be honest, 50% of the time I drive pretty conservatively, so it's not ALL bad)I'm the same way.Around here the speed limit on the freeways is 75 - 80. Yes, Utah is ridiculously stupid and trying an 80 mph speed limit. I refuse to intentionally go under the speed limit unless adverse conditions are present, so I have to go 75 - 80 all the time.

[djkeev]

Good for you!When you think about it and do the math, unless you are driving HOURS and HOURS on end, any significant gain made by speeding is easily wiped out at a couple of badly timed traffic lights!You will find that you arrive at your destination a tad more relaxed and less stressed. Fighting cars in heavy traffic is quite honestly, wearisome!Don't be the 100 yr old fart putting along at 45 in a 65 zone but relax, see the sights, talk to fellow passengers, in short enjoy the journey.Dave

[epcIII]

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid »When I was young and my cars had no cruise control, I'd find myself passing someone and then not wanting to be passed again, I'd notch up the speed a bit. Then I'd pass another and notch it up again. After passing another car (one that was usually speeding already) I'd feel like I can't afford to let the guy ever catch up and think I'm some kind of speeding jerk so I'd push the speed just a bit more. Pretty soon, I was zipping down the road at 80 mph (this was back in the 55 mph limit days) and wondering what the heck I was doing - stuck between fear of the police and fear of public disdain.Haha, this was me too.

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by tpollauf »I related to that last summer Got passed up by EVERYBODY at 2am that Sunday morning on the way back from the Indy meet doing 55-60 at best The only bright side was the ACTUAL 37 mpg my 2.4L delivered Never again will I drive that slow I just had to prove a point back then It was the same experience for me when I went to the Wisconsin Dells last May and achieved my highest mpg of 33.9. The speed limit was 65 and I had the cruise set at 60 all the way down I 39. People were passing me left and right, but I was just enjoying the ride and like you said, I wanted to see what kind of 100% highway mileage I could get out of the 2.4L auto. I am hoping to do some longer trips again this year and see if I can't get even better.Quote, originally posted by djkeev »in short enjoy the journey.I couldn't agree more ! Everyone is in such a big a** hurry these days. No one takes time to just cruise and enjoy the sights, etc. anymore.

[csxt8058]

Geeze you guys need to come to northern NY and cruise around with me . Driving just 7 miles to work is sometimes ridiculous with people driving like maniacs. I usually do the posted speed limits or a little over and am always getting tailgated or cut off for no reason.I try to avoid the busier road to work and take a quiet two lane, right along the railroad tracks, the only trade off is this of year it's quite bumpy, but I can certainly take my time and enjoy the ride, and I'm sure it helps my mileage as I miss all the traffic lights and cruise along the posted limit of 30mph. JR

[vibolista]

Exactly, csx. I leave a couple of minutes early and take the easy 2 lane in to work. If I use the Interstate, I lose about 4-5 mpg, plus it's way more intense. I don't save a lot, but it does pile up after a while, plus the driving is a lot more pleasant and nerves aren't frayed. Easy does do it better.

[vibenvy]

I'm lucky because I work in the middle of nowhere, so there's no other way for me to get to work except a two lane, country road . Also, we live in the boonies, so even when we go to other cities, towns, etc. we know all the backways to take so we can take our time and enjoy the scenery and best of all, avoid the main highways, traffic, stop lights, etc.

[Kincaid]

A couple years ago I took my Civic, two kids and luggage and drove from Portland, OR to Yellowstone. On the way there I took it easy - driving an avg of 69 mph. I got about 38 mpg. On the last leg coming back we left La Grande, OR late and wanted to get home before dark. I was driving about 85 mph. Got about 23 mpg.

[star_deceiver]

I still drive the same and we have much higher gas prices.... but on the plus side, I'll gain back around 20% of my mileage once the winter tires are off!!!

[j42.snyder]

I'm a bit surprised that the winter tires would have that drastic an impact, Ryan. Maybe it's the studs. We're not allowed to run them here in Ontario, so I've never tried them to see.You're running Firestone Winterforce tires, correct? I figured the harder (compared to ice tires) compound wouldn't make that much difference. I have a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60's on mine (VERY soft rubber), and didn't see more than a 5% drop at worst - probably less. My "summer" ones are the same Eagle RSA's you have. Those things must be pretty hard though - wearing like iron. All 4 of mine still measure over 8/32" with over 40k (km) on them now.I'll be curious to measure the Blizzak's after this winter. Last year I put about 13k on them, and only lost 1/32" off the fronts, with no measurable wear on the rears. Still too cold around here to consider switching just yet. Probably April this year the way it's going!I've noticed a slight improvement lately - but that may be the gas being reformulated for warmer weather again. Winter gas sucks! I'll take the prices we had a couple of months ago though... last 2 fills averaged about $50 each!I'm starting to notice people slowing down a bit again around here - well, some anyway. A few are driving irritatingly slowly as well - notably below the speed limit. To me, if you don't want to drive the speed limit, then take a slower road! That's MY opion anyway...John

[KITT222]

Orrr.... To help keep MPGs UP, you could do grill blocks like I have I still have the templates for them!

[Whelan]

Umm wouldn't blocking the grill block cool air from reaching the radiator causing the engine to work harder to cool and potential overheating?Not to mention the grill and openings on my Matrix are not nearly as large as the openings on the Vibe.

[KITT222]

You'd think so, but for those of us stuck in perpetual winter you can safely block both grills. But when springtime comes, one of them will have to go.In short, yes, but only in warmer weather. Like 40f and above, I believe.

[Bastranz]

Intriguing post! I've actually kept up my normal driving habits, but I think I've noticed that some people are slowing down.Of course, my mindset is that I want to get off the chaos of the highway a soon as possible when commuting. When I drive on the highway in the evenings or on trips when I am off, I generally travel slower and relax. I guess that's because I can travel at a constant speed in cruise instead of worrying about the sudden unexplainable stopping of cars on the roadway.I decided a while ago that I'd rather have fun and drive at a rapid pace than drive slowly, be bored (and mind wander) for the sake of saving gas. Besides, you save the most gas when you take the transit alternative...if one exists, anyway.

[LarryKingsShoes]

I've been driving slower than normal lately as well. My first tank of gas after getting my Vibe didn't get me very far. I started driving more conservatively and my economy shot up quite a bit.I had a great drive tonight. My twin nephews were in the back so I was going the speed limit and driving very carefully. Once they fell asleep in their car seats, I just quietly listened to some relaxing music and enjoyed the nighttime scenery. I definitely get what you guys mean when you say to enjoy the surroundings. It was one of the most enjoyable drives I've had in recent memory.

[06pvibe]

I too have slowed down a bit (speed limit or +4 mph) and been doing a lot more short-shifting as well as staying in higher gears longer. My mileage now is almost up to what it was before the ethanol. 27.7mpg (last fill up) in my Mazda3, but its a much more boring way to drive too.

[keithvibe]

when I drive blue hair(the buick), people expect me to drive slow... so the speedlimit or below is what I do LOL

[06pvibe]

"Project" Blue Hair is a Chevy Nova. (Spike TV - MuscleCar.)

[09vGT]

Talking about improving gas mileage.. Does driving with the sunroof open cause drag reducing gas mileage? There is NO air coming in when its open that I can feel.. So I can't decide for sure?