Author Topic: Improved fuel economy... (Read 1249 times)

no guns here · « **on:** July 17, 2008, 03:08:01 AM »

Just wondering how y'all are doin' in the fuel economy fight??? I've got a pretty good situation since I can commute via a duty bus from one post to another here in Stuttgart so that really helps me a lot. We don't drive our Suburban unless an absolute necessity to carry the whole family (4 kids) or to carry loads of gear. We drive our VW Golf for pretty much everything else. It has the V6 and only gets about 25 mpg driving normally. Drops some if I drive it by myself and get happy with the go pedal. What I've been doing lately is I aired up the tires to 38 lbs instead of 34. I drive much more conservatively and try to keep the rpms under 3K even on the autobahn. This puts me at 130 km or less, I try for about 120 most of the time. I've found all the hills on my normal routes where I can slip it into neutral and coast. My house is about 9 km's from my work. If I'm driving on the way home, I can coast about 6 km's of that. The other post I go to is the same distance and I can coast about 4 of it at highway speeds. Coming back from either place I can only coast about 2-3 km at most. Sometimes the traffic jams get pretty bad so I roll down the windows and shut off the engine and only crank it up when needed. I try to use the pulse and coast method a lot too. That's where you lightly accelerate to a little above traffic and then coast down to the slowest speed of traffic. Works pretty good here when I can coast a lot at 100km with the trucks in the right hand lane. I just let the speed demons cruise on by in the left lanes. My last tank of gas came in at almost 32 mpg instead of the normal 24-25 that I was getting last year. Are you guys doing anything to save some $$$'s on gas?

ngh

buffermop · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2008, 03:39:40 AM »

curious....What is the price of gas in Germany when converted to a US gallon?

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2008, 04:35:09 AM »

The Wife & daughter have been car pooling which helps a lot. If you dont have access to this I would rate your tire maint as being close to the top. If you maintain the pressure (on a weekly basis) along with tire rotation & balance at the suggested intervals it really can help out. I also keep the air filter changed out (every six months) and some injection cleaner at the oil change intervals doesnt hurt a thing.

My main peeve (which is not my buisness but does affect everyone on the whole) is that I still see plenty of SUV's or even Utility vans on the highway whipping past me @ 75 or even 80mph. I like to leave a little early and drive slower @ 60 to 65mph but this can be quite maddening for a lot of the people to do.

no guns here · « **Reply #3 on:** July 17, 2008, 04:44:25 AM »

On base, low grade is about $4.40 right now... it goes up from there. Diesel is over $5... Off base, the Germans are paying somewhere around $9.50 if my calc's (all in my head) are correct. Even at those prices, they still drive fast although it seems to me that in the last year the number of people driving REALLY fast has dropped a bunch. Could be because of the gas prices going up a bunch or it could be because the fines for speeding have doubled or more in the past couple of months. Fines are really getting high now.

ngh

jgalar · « **Reply #4 on:** July 17, 2008, 09:28:10 AM »

For the past 8 years I have used a motorcycle as my primary transportation. I am now riding a Yamaha Majesty scooter that gets around 60mpg and can cruise at any legal hi-way speed in the US. I only put about 5K miles a year on my truck.

30-06man · « **Reply #5 on:** July 17, 2008, 12:30:10 PM »

Well I am putting a cold air intake on my Dodge 2500 and when I bought it the previous owner has installed duel exhaust so that will increase my mileage up to 23 average driving. I am going to change the tires in about a month and scrape the off road tires and put road tires on it and I might gain a little there. I thought about the Computer chip like Superchips but they cost way to much and I am not sure it will help a bunch. Diseal here in SC is $4.47 right now. It hasn't went above $4.50. The truck stops are having a gas war since the new store opened about 2 years ago. Diseal everywhere else is getting upwards of $4.60. Gas is cheaper at $3.79 and everywhere else is $3.90 to $4.

jhm · « **Reply #6 on:** July 17, 2008, 01:05:51 PM »

Well my wifes 4X4 2005 Tahoe is getting 19.1 mpg, our 2006 8 ltr. motorhome got 10.4 last week on a trip to Tunica, and my 2003 Chevy HD 2500 4X4 gets 13.6 I have no complaints went thru the other energy crysis and until I see long lines and a 55 mph speed limit then I will start wondering if the Dems. will ever get blamed for the situation the country is in now. The LIBERAL enviromentalist have gotten what they were after, I am still doing everything I did before the $4.00 a gallon gas, as far as my normal driving, I have however cut back on some other things but nothing of any importance however. JIM

Sourdough · « **Reply #7 on:** July 17, 2008, 05:11:31 PM »

Parked my F-350 Duelly, driving my Suzuki Samurai.

jager · « **Reply #8 on:** July 17, 2008, 05:53:17 PM »

I've got a '98 Dodge (2500) diesel that doesn't get driven much these days, but it does get 22 to 23mpg on the road if I drive under 70mpg. I've thought about a "chip", as well, but a friend of mine who works in a transmission shop says most of the diesels he works on have been chipped with "bad" results. I do have a less "restricted" exhaust and a K&N filter that has helped a "couple" of mpg. I drive my "cycle" most of the time, weather permitting.

Matt · « **Reply #9 on:** July 17, 2008, 08:04:12 PM »

Getting around 50 to 55 depending on how I ride.

06 GSX-R 600.... My little scooter...

Matt

no guns here · « **Reply #10 on:** July 17, 2008, 11:37:32 PM »

I wish I could ride a bike but I don't have a license or experience. Then I would have to add in the cost of the payment and insurance. I guess I'll have to keep riding the bus. Our Suburban gets about 18-19 depending on how we drive it so we don't do that too much. My bank account doesn't care who caused the price hike... it just cares that a tank of gas is over $100 now. I'm just glad to be living on base and not paying utilities. Thank you...

ngh

mjbgalt · « **Reply #11 on:** July 18, 2008, 12:58:50 AM »

i finally couldn't take it anymore, with my 35-mile commute in my jeep wrangler, getting 20 mpg was nice when i drove 10 miles to work but not when gas is $4 a gallon and i drive 35 miles.

i traded the jeep on a pontiac g5, which gets about 32 mpg. much better.

however the payment is higher than the jeep's and they didn't give me much in trade for the jeep...

so i think i broke even, but now i have a newer car with a warranty and when/if gas goes higher i will see my savings happen.

-Matt

30-06man · « **Reply #12 on:** July 18, 2008, 06:58:10 AM »

Quote from: mjbgalt on July 18, 2008, 12:58:50 AM

i finally couldn't take it anymore, with my 35-mile commute in my jeep wrangler, getting 20 mpg was nice when i drove 10 miles to work but not when gas is $4 a gallon and i drive 35 miles.

i traded the jeep on a pontiac g5, which gets about 32 mpg. much better.

however the payment is higher than the jeep's and they didn't give me much in trade for the jeep...

so i think i broke even, but now i have a newer car with a warranty and when/if gas goes higher i will see my savings happen.

-Matt

Don't see why they didn't give you a good trade on the Jeep. Around here they are worth a bunch even loaded with miles.

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #13 on:** July 18, 2008, 07:18:37 AM »

mjbgalt has a good point: When you consider trading a car in for one with better gas mileage, you need to consider the total cost of the trade vs. potential savings.

Empty Quiver · « **Reply #14 on:** July 18, 2008, 01:56:39 PM »

I've always payed attn. to fuel economy, driving a semi it is hammered into you from day one. I really go easy on acceleration and coast to stop as much as practical, and I never exceed 65 usually it's about 58 mph. But best thing I can come up with is to reduce miles, no joy rides, combine trips, pick up things at store for neighbors and they do likewise. When fuel cost is considered, buying in my small town, is usually cheaper. Going out for supper is now in town instead of the old habit of 60 mile round trip for a night out. I think just maybe this might save some downtowns in smaller communities, as long as employment base doesn't leave.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #15 on:** July 18, 2008, 04:19:08 PM »

this one was a four cylinder and they said the resale is low. they offered me $3500 for it...not much...

-Matt

powderman · « **Reply #16 on:** July 18, 2008, 04:46:25 PM »

I drive about 65 miles round trip a day. We budget $150 each paycheck just for gas, it's killing us. Walmart refuses to adjust schedules so we can carpool. My neighbor lives 3 miles down the road and they intentionally schedule her so we can't carpool. They say, we can't, but I've learned that there is no can't, just won't. POWDERMAN.

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #17 on:** July 18, 2008, 04:56:16 PM »

We all need something to complain about. Now it is fuel prices. I believe very soon it will be food prices as well. Due to Corn and bean prices farmers in my area are finally making a well deserved profit even though they have paid high fuel prices like the rest of us.
I drive a Dodge with Cummins power, I have installed a chip and enjoy way more power but see little mpg increase thanks to my heavy right foot. I was self employed until a month ago so now I love fueling up and turning in my receipt on my expense report!

torpedoman · « **Reply #18 on:** July 18, 2008, 06:53:45 PM »

by coasting downhills in neutral and turning off the engine at stoplights i have added 2 mpg to a f150.

Empty Quiver · « **Reply #19 on:** July 20, 2008, 09:20:40 AM »

Powderman I find the same thing to be true. Employers can do anything they want to do. WANT being the most important word in that sentence. My big candy truck was once owned by the big blue whale and I'm pretty familiar with the mentality. Probably an individual with a Napolean complex, next schedueler would see no problem at all. Isn't this the same outfit that is remodeling/refitting to save a few percentages on the power bill? s'pose your fuel savings are irrelevant huh.

LHitchcox · « **Reply #20 on:** July 21, 2008, 12:54:54 PM »

I only drive 2.4 mi. each way to work, so I am not hurting there. However, I am 12 mi, from town, and I just don't make jaunts off the mountain for little errands anymore, My family used to drive 45 mi. to shop and dine in Chattanooga, the nearest city, at least twice a month. Now, if we go once every 2 months it is because we have multiple needs that can't be met locally. I have cut my overall driving by 25-30 percent in a car that gets 30+ mpgs.

Leon

billy_56081 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 21, 2008, 01:37:14 PM »

Ya know what I want to know is what happened to the fuel efficient cars? I had an 80'2 VW rabbit gas that got an honest 40MPG on the highway and I know the little 2 seater civics got aroud 50 miles to the gallon. What has happened to cars now is it the higher emissions standards or what? Now the only cars I see that get near these are hybrids. Inquiring minds want to know.

powderman · « **Reply #22 on:** July 21, 2008, 02:37:52 PM »

My wife said she takes $170 per check out now for gas, thats 2x a month. I called 1800walmart to ask if they could help us with scheduling so we could carpool. Since I'm an employee I was instructed to see my mgr, already done that. Corporate is the problem. POWDERMAN.