hypermiling in my Echo

[Bestwifeever]

The risk of this can be mitigated by driving in the left lane with the left blinker on.

Or my favorite, the occasional two trucks that decide to drive side by side just below the speed limit for miles and miles with open highway in front of them and a mile of cars and other trucks backed up behind them.... I guess that could be enforced drafting along with safety in not passing.

(I have full respect for long-distance truckers, btw--not slamming them)

 

[Marquette]

So, this has me wondering, and admittedly I don't know anything about drafting... what's the benefit of driving to the back and left of the truck? I thought one of the benefits of following a big rig if you weren't right on it's bumper, was that it was doing the work of pushing the air out of the way for you. If you're next to it, then I would think it would just be pushing the air into your path.

Then again, I'm sure that question is easily answered but that'd involve real effort on my part.

 

[TromboneAl]

Riding my bike on the side of the freeway today, into a headwind, I was surprised at how long the draft from passing trucks lasts. That is, after a truck passes, the headwind was diminished for at least five seconds.

Just realized another benefit of reducing speed limits to 55 MPH. Besides gas savings and safety improvements, the minimum highway speed could be reduced as well. The benefit of that would be that more electric vehicles could become highway capable.

 

[HFWR]

For a short trip, I'm ok with reducing the speed limit. For longer trips, I'm less enthusiastic about adding several hours to the trip time...

200 miles at 70 = 2.86 hours
200 miles at 55 = 3.64 hours

An extra 47 minutes...

1000 miles at 70 = 14.29 hours
1000 miles at 55 = 18.18 hours

An extra 3 hours 53 minutes...

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

So, this has me wondering, and admittedly I don't know anything about drafting... what's the benefit of driving to the back and left of the truck?

riding the bow wave?

 

[Enter User Name Here]

Try driving 55 on the interstate...even if you stay in the right lane, you will get honked at and as mentioned above, probably more likely to cause an accident not keeping up with traffic...I assume that folks are simply using highways with 55 mph speed limits...

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-Whazzzup [Moderator Edit]

 

[dumpster56]

Riding my bike on the side of the freeway today, into a headwind, I was surprised at how long the draft from passing trucks lasts. That is, after a truck passes, the headwind was diminished for at least five seconds.

Just realized another benefit of reducing speed limits to 55 MPH. Besides gas savings and safety improvements, the minimum highway speed could be reduced as well. The benefit of that would be that more electric vehicles could become highway capable.

55MPH Nixon, no Xmas lights that year. 70s will be a cakewalk to what is in the offing.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Try driving 55 on the interstate...even if you stay in the right lane, you will get honked at and as mentioned above, probably more likely to cause an accident not keeping up with traffic...I assume that folks are simply using highways with 55 mph speed limits...
[Moderator Edit]

Several months of going 60 in the right lane on my bike hasn't caused a single person to honk at me or wreck going around me. It's actually quite relaxing not feel like I'm being rushed ahead by the person behind me because they want to leave so late the only way they'll ever get anywhere in time is if they go 80 MPH to get there.

 

[Gumby]

Here is my list of things one can do to improve gas mileage, without even resorting to a hybrid or doing anything crazy. These are largely focused on reducing air resistance, rolling resistance and mechanical friction.

1. Slow down -- you know that big rectangular black and white sign with numbers by the side of the road? It is a maximum, not a minimum. Treat it that way and you will see a big improvement. Air resistance is proportional to the square of the velocity, so even a small reduction in speed carries a substantial payoff.

2. If you aren't using your roof rack for a bike or kayak or whatever, take it off. You will improve the aerodynamic coefficient of your vehicle, which will reduce drag and improve mileage.

3. Keep your tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires have increased rolling resistance, since more surface touches the road. I usually go 2-3 psi over the number on the door post to account for the fact that the air in the tire heats up on the drive to the service station.

4. Don't carry 100 lbs of junk in the trunk. Every pound of weight increases the rolling resistance of the car.

5. Use the lowest viscosity oil recommended for your car. Unnecessarily high viscosity oil results in higher mechanical friction to be overcome in the engine.

6. Keep your car properly tuned. This will ensure the optimum air/fuel mixture in the cylinders and maximum power for the fuel used.

7. If you have a manual transmission, upshift as soon as you can without lugging the engine (you'll hear the knocking if it's too soon).

 

[jambo101]

The suggestion of 55mph on a few car forums i visit is met with so much ridicule and scorn that i believe most North Americans are addicted to speed,the mere thought of slowing down for any reason is out of the question,in fact a lot of people on the car forums are for abolishing speed limits all together,until a lot of these speeders develop a more laid back attitude toward driving they will be paying a lot of extra money to reach their destination a little bit earlier.

 

[ERD50]

The suggestion of 55mph on a few car forums i visit is met with so much ridicule and scorn that i believe most North Americans

Trust me, you cannot judge what 'most North Americans' think, based on comments from a car forum. That is a self-selected group. 'Most North Americans' are not posting to car forums.

-ERD50

PS: here is what the 'average guy' thinks about shaving!

Badger & Blade

 

[Pete]

Sorry for piling on, but it seems like you're patting yourself on the back for questionable driving practices.

Not to worry. Not patting myself on the back-only reporting what happened so others can learn. I've been driving for 35 years without a dent, a honk, or middle finger from anyone(in LA). I've only had one ticket-for excessive noise. I guess I must be doing something right. Excuse me now so I can go knock on some wood.