the FuelMiser challenge...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

with gas prices on the increase, i’ve decided to change my driving style and have set up an impromptu challenge for myself…

my previous driving style was “hammer down performance right up to the speed limit”, and i had an aerodynamics-destroying Yakima bike rack on the car, i averaged 25-28 MPG (ouch)

my challenge to myself now is to see how high i can get my MPG numbers by driving conservatively, see if i can sustain those numbers over time

i figure this would make a good DoperContest, the rules are simple, post your car, year, make, model, mileage and engine configuration (if you know it), then post your MPG per-tank…

i’ll start;

'02 Dodge Neon base model, 5 speed manual tranny, 75,000 miles on the odo, 2.0L 4 cyl. gasoline, 13 gallon fuel tank, fueled up yesterday ($20 for 8 gallons, ouch!)

with prodigious use of coasting, and preserving speed (minimizing braking into the corners and such, only using enough throttle to climb hills without losing speed, no hammer-down driving for me for the forseeable future), and removing the aerodynamics-wrecking bike roof rack, i’ve gone almost 60 miles on less than 1/4 tank so far…

not bad for a standard base model 2.0L four cyl.

my previous record in this car was 40 MPG, want to see if i can do better…

so, anyone up for an impromptu contest?

2

Not so long ago, Top Gear featured the challenge to drive an Audi A8 (3 litres, V8) from London to Edinburgh and back, on one tank of fuel. 830 miles. It made it, with a few gurgles to spare.
My shitty old Nissan tin can won’t compare to anything, so somebody else can enter the contest instead…

3

I already drive very conservatively, and I use my cruise control a lot. I get about 22 MPG in my '97 Aerostar. That’s at the high end of what Ford said I should get.

Until my husband’s car is paid off (3 years) I won’t be getting a newer, more fuel efficient vehicle. Such is life…

4

'95 Ford Aspire 2-door, 5-speed manual, guesstimate 180K miles on it, 1.3-L (I think) 4-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, 10 gallon tank. (Mr. S has it at work right now, can’t check.)

Mr. S checked it last week: 45 MPG. (Sweet!)

5

If I drive incredibly carefully, I can get about 60MP(UK)G - that’s equivalent to about 58 MP(US)G. On my normal drive to work, I get about 48. I drive a Citroen Xsara Picasso 2.0 diesel.

6

Oops; the car is three and a half years old and has 45,000 miles on the clock.

7

Dayum, another reason to get the hell out of the U.S.!!

8

I installed a K&N air filter and removed the canopy from my Toyota pickup in an attempt to save gas. A tank of gas use to last me 10 or 11 days, I just went 15 days between fill ups the last time. I have always driven in a relatively conservative manner in an attempt to make my pickup last longer, saving some gas was just a bonus.

9

I should probably note that fuel is the equivalent of $6+ per gallon here, which is one of the factors that drives the demand for economical cars; my journey to work at 50MPG probably has roughly the same impact on my pocket, in real terms, as a typical American trip into the city from the burbs. Not that economy is the only issue.

10

over the last 2 weeks, my “City” mileage (18 mile round trip to work, 5 days a week) has been around 30 MPG

Week 1 was 27 MPG
week 2 was 30 MPG

i don’t drive far enough to get my “highway” mileage, but extrapolating mileage from my window sticker (27 city 38 highway), i should be getting high 30’s for highway