…forfeiting your rights

i’ve posted about this before… but it’s become so important, that i feel a rehash is absolutely necessary. it’s a pet-peeve of mine, so of course i am a bit biased.

YOU FORFEIT YOUR RIGHTS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT GAS PRICES IF YOU DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING

• drive a hummer to “look cool”
• drive an suv for a family less than two
• drive fifteen miles over the speed limit
• drive with a lead foot
• insist on passing people, only to have to stop at a red light five hundred feet ahead of you
• don’t take the initiative to leave a little early and drive a little slower

these, are just a few. far be it for me to come here and call people morons without giving some sort of advice on how to change, so here are some tips on how to conserve quite a bit of gas, taken from the philadelphia inquirer:

Take your foot off the gas and coast to that red light. When the light turns green, go easy on the gas pedal. On the highway, set the cruise control to the speed limit - maybe even a little lower, if you dare.

these few tips are absolute murder on other drivers who are morons. to be honest, it’s actually kind of fun to count how many people give me the finger on the way to work. i don’t drive like your grandma, i drive slower than her. on city streets, i drive no faster than the speed limit, i take forever to get up to speed, and i take my foot of the pedal if i can see a red light ahead. coasting is key. you have to understand that you use the most gas accelerating, so therefore if you can reduce the amount of acceleration you must use in your vehicle you can significantly reduce your fuel usage. this requires timing, slowing down earlier is so important. and you can laugh your way all the way to the red light as people insist on passing you, only to have to stop.

now, the expressway is a totally different story. here in ohio the speed limit on our expressways is sixty-five miles per hour. i set my cruise control at sixty. i have somewhat of an advantage, driving a prius that has a real-time mpg monitor. this allows me to monitor the “sweet spots” for mileage, and i have found sixty to be the best expressway speed for my car. for a prius that gets better mileage in the city than on the expressway, this is very important. i don’t care if it bugs people behind me… pass me all you want. i’m laughing all the way to the pump, and bank.

you must all understand something, the faster you go, the more rpm’s your engine is making. the more rpm’s, the more gas it’s using. i’ve read a number of places that estimate for every ten miles an hour you go over sixty, you’re losing an average of four miles per gallon. do the math, that adds up.

here’s some resources if you’re interested on how to get the most out of your car. no matter what you currently drive, you can take steps to help reduce your fuel usage NOW. whether you drive a prius, sedan, suv or hummer… you can start saving money today.

http://www.hypermiling.com/
http://www.ecodrive.org/
http://www.cleanmpg.com/
cnn money article