dirt dame 554 Posted May 5, 2008 I recently had about a two hundred mile drive I had to do, so I thought I would try driving 55 the whole way on the freeway instead of my usual s....uh higher speed. I was driving the jeep. It was a tough thing to do and really boring, but I was surprised to find that I used almost four gallons less than usual for that amount of miles. That means I saved close to 16 dollars. Nobody else on the freeway was going that slow and they all flew past me like I was standing still. Imagine how much money and gasoline could be saved if everybody drove 55. On an unrelated note, my horn and bracket on my TE snapped off from vibration. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strega 0 Posted May 5, 2008 Pushing through that air EATS up the gas. I'm definitely gonna drive a little slower on the expressways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cardiffchris 0 Posted May 5, 2008 I drive 220 miles, 4 times a week. dropping my speed from 75-80mph to 65mph has shot my gas mileage from 20.5 to 23.5 I'm thinking of taking my tailgate off next, might make it to 24 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted May 5, 2008 Good for you dame. It is damned hard to drive 55, oh crap, I now have Sammy Hagar playing in my head. BUT there was a reason the feds made 55 the national speed limit way back in the day. Aerodynamically speaking drag increases by the square of your speed. What that means, if you increase your speed by 5 miles per hour drag will increase by a factor of 25. I always felt that people that like to drive 80ish should spend a day on a motorcycle fighting that wind in the face at 60 to get an idea of what their car has to do. Chris, a number of different sources have tested the tailgate off theory, most recently Mythbusters, and all have shown that taking the tailgate off actually increases drag and thusly your fuel consumption. It has to do with the way the air mixes together after it passes the tail of your truck. Go figure huh. From the mythbusters episode they saw the best fuel economy with one of those vinyl cargo nets. I don't like them either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 0 Posted May 5, 2008 The sweet spot for my 06 Jetta TDI is 63mph or less - I get 43-44mpg at that speed. At 80 it drops down to 39-40 mpg. My VFR sucks fuel: 31 to 38 mpg. Never tried a milege run since I like to stay at or above freeway traffic speeds. So most of my commuting is in the cage while the bike takes me to work when I feel like riding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 5, 2008 Yes it is yucky to drive 55, but with gas prices what they are today, it's something to think about definitely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carguy 1 Posted May 5, 2008 Sammy is singing in my head too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chickenheart 0 Posted May 5, 2008 thanks guys its now in my head!!!! btw i get about 20-22 mpg in my silverado with my vinyl cover. of course thats if i take it easy ed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 5, 2008 For all the young people who are reading this thread, there was a time (and I was buying gasoline then) when fuel cost about 35 cents a gallon. Imagine filling your truck up up for under ten bucks! Or gassing up your trail bike for under a dollar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carguy 1 Posted May 5, 2008 I recall a gallon of gas and a pack of smokes for a buck! I think I only made 2.50 an hour. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racer270 0 Posted May 6, 2008 i brew my own bio-diesel @ $1.65 GL. at home. my Dodge 2500 4x4 has a 60 gl tank and i gets 21mpg. unloaded, at 70mph.... & 18mpg towing a 10,000 lbs. trailer. i love passing by $4.50 a gl signs ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paulmbowers 236 Posted May 6, 2008 Let's not forget the 55mph national speed limit by Richard Nixon- the bumper stickers: Just Dick'n along at 55 If the US REALLY wanted to reduce it's dependancy on foreign oil, this would be a big step. But nobody wants to do that, so here we are. Fighting the good fight to keep the Middle East stable. fn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 6, 2008 i brew my own bio-diesel @ $1.65 GL. at home. :fool: Now if we could just brew up something for gas guzzlers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tntmo 882 Posted May 6, 2008 The two weeks before I left, I drove my truck by using the tachometer. I tried to never let it get above 2000 rpm in town or on the highway, about 62 mph. I got a 2 mpg increase. Not a big change, but a start. It's difficult to convince everyone to slow down a bit but it would make a huge difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racer270 0 Posted May 6, 2008 i brew my own bio-diesel @ $1.65 GL. at home. :fool: Now if we could just brew up something for gas guzzlers! LOL, if i could run a still for ethanol ....instead....of buying methanol....@ $4.66GL... ...I COULD MAKE FUEL for about $.75 cents a GL. SO WHO WONTS TO BREW THE WHITE LIGHTENING ...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 6, 2008 Actually I think we could solve two separate problems at once problems right now if we could get cars to run cleanly on trash and sewage! :fool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted May 6, 2008 don't worry your tax rebate stimulus scam I mean plan check will be coming soon. I just got mine direct deposit I better hurry and go buy more gas, that should boost the economy right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 6, 2008 don't worry your tax rebate stimulus scam I mean plan check will be coming soon. I just got mine direct deposit :fool: I better hurry and go buy more gas, that should boost the economy right? Not if you have to spend the whole thing on a tank of gas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piratemonkey 0 Posted May 6, 2008 Good info, DD. I think on my trips out to the east county to ride I'll just stick to the speed limit. My 99 Ford Ranger gets super crappy gas mileage as it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 6, 2008 I have to drive my 1995 Ranger most places now and would take my bikes everywhere in it too, if I could push them up into the truckbed by myself! With the way things are going, soon I'll have to ride the KLX everywhere as it gets around 60 miles to the gallon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
husky4me 0 Posted May 6, 2008 This is good information. The problem is that trying to drive at 55 is hard as most other drivers get upset, tailgate, or crash you. Even when I drive 905 going East, this road is supposed to be 50 mph, but people go 70+. You can't even break for a red light or somebody will smash you from behind. Now I have been commuting on my G650XChallenge and saving about $180.00 dollars a month on gas... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted May 7, 2008 Actually I think we could solve two separate problems at once problems right now if we could get cars to run cleanly on trash and sewage! :punish: It may be indirectly what you're speaking of.... http://www.wastemanagement.com/wm/environm...able_energy.asp but it does exist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted May 7, 2008 The problem is that trying to drive at 55 is hard as most other drivers get upset, tailgate, or crash you. Well Wahhhhhh for them!!!! (They should get their lazy butts out of bed a few minutes earlier tomorrow) Seeing the way people drive SUV's and sports cars around Southern California makes me realize more every day that there is no economic recession around here! That and people don't care one bit about high gas prices either... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADV Bum 205 Posted May 7, 2008 Speed limit on the freeway is generally 65mph. At 55mph you are a hazard on the freeway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 554 Posted May 7, 2008 Speed limit on the freeway is generally 65mph. At 55mph you are a hazard on the freeway. Yeah but I'm a thrifty hazard. That's my whole point. If everybody drove 55 we would all save a lot of money and gas consumption. Then gas prices might creep back down as demand lessened. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites