Looking4Ward
Full time employment: Posting here.
The Texas 130 toll road near me has a speed limit of 85. I'm pretty sure my MPG sucks whenever I use that road.
I think 2 hours time saved is worth $25
It doesn't seem safe to drive at too different of a speed from everyone else, plus it would drive me nuts.
I'm a part time dealer trade driver for a local Toyota dealer. On long drives I sometimes check the speed vs mileage data. On most of the cars I have driven the sweet spot is 55-65 mph. Any speed over 65 and the mileage falls off drastically.
I don't really care, as long as you slow people stay in the right hand lane.
Here is some actual data from CR. More fuel efficient vehicles suffered more loss in MPG at higher speeds than less efficient vehicles.
Tested: Speed vs fuel economy
On my 2014 scion , I have found the onboard mpg computer to be off about 15% actual mileage is worse than the computer says, when I tracked the real miles , and gallons used over 5 fill ups.
Of course they do. Had they included a Suburban it would probably have been "the best" falling from an (estimated) 20 mpg @ 55 mph to 15 mpg @ 75 mph - a drop of "only" 5 mpg! Percent is the logical way to compare. Note that the highest mpg cars are still the highest at higher mph, and the lowest remain the lowest - isn't that the relevant comparison?Here is some actual data from CR. More fuel efficient vehicles suffered more loss in MPG at higher speeds than less efficient vehicles.
Tested: Speed vs fuel economy
Of course they do. Had they included a Suburban it would probably have been "the best" falling from an (estimated) 20 mpg @ 55 mph to 15 mpg @ 75 mph - a drop of "only" 5 mpg! Percent is the logical way to compare. Note that the highest mpg cars are still the highest at higher mph, and the lowest remain the lowest - isn't that the relevant comparison?
And a Suburban or a Humvee would be even "better" even though the total cost would be higher per mile.I don't think either measurement is the most relevant.
Seems that most people are focusing on 'how much extra will it cost me to drive at 75 mph versus 55 mph (all else being equal)' - they can then weigh this extra cost versus the time they save.
So if I did my math right (converting mpg to gallons per 100 miles), the largest $ savings is the Mercury Mountaineer, which is in the middle of the pack as far as % delta, but since it is the lowest mpg in the bunch, this translates to the largest dollar savings per 100 miles.
-ERD50
And a Suburban or a Humvee would be even "better" even though the total cost would be higher per mile.
"Most people?" I'd guess the person who buys the Honda Insight couldn't care less that he/she would spend incrementally more to drive 75 mph than someone with a Mercury Mountaineer. They're going to spend less on fuel than less efficient vehicles at the same speeds.
And someone with a Suburban doesn't consider MPG a priority. Their prerogative, some people truly need larger vehicles for a variety of reasons.
...
"Most people?" I'd guess the person who buys the Honda Insight couldn't care less that he/she would spend incrementally more to drive 75 mph than someone with a Mercury Mountaineer. ...
Anybody here trying to optimize fuel efficiency on long distance driving trips?
When considering the cost vs time saved with regard to speed, should we also consider wear and tear?
Aside from what vehicles we choose to purchase, I doubt anyone tries to solely optimize fuel efficiency while driving. I'd guess we all consider the trade offs of driving time, MPG, speed limits (and other) to arrive at a speed that fits our own priorities. Some people probably drive as fast as they dare or are comfortable at (lowest time spent), some drive at posted speed limits or some fixed differential (ie, 5 mph over posted speed limits) and there are some hypermilers out there. To each his/her own.photoguy said:Anybody here trying to optimize fuel efficiency on long distance driving trips?Not really. I bought a diesel that gets excellent mpg (low to mid 40's on the interstates) even when I'm driving 75 or 80 mph.
I usually care more about making good time when it's a matter of getting from A to B (Ohio to Florida or Ohio to California or wherever).
I got the higher mileage variant of my car (E250 rather than the E350) so that I could spend lots of time driving and not feel guilting about spending too much money on fuel.
I love to drive.