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Kenny, my hypermiling report
Topic Started: Apr 27 2008, 10:27 PM (516 Views)
Daniel
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HOLY CARP!!!
You asked me to report on my progress. I haven't started writing it all down, but I'm going to very soon - gas went up again- food is going up drastically, electricity rates went up- so I have to find ways to economize.

I did want to tell you that I HAVE started going 50 mph in 55 mph zones. I AM making everyone behind me go the same speed. There is a minimum speed and I'm exceeding it, so I don't feel that bad about it. Plus there are a lot of places where people can pass me. But the people are PISSED. :lol2: I'm pretty sure that they are using more gas than I am saving when they pass me very aggressively. :silly:

I do want to follow up with you on this so I will do that as soon as I can.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Well the goal is certainly not to piss people off, though it happens.

Yesterday I was in the far right lane of 4 going 53 MPH and a big Ford F350 (I think) with those dual rear tires and a custom paint job of black with yellow/orange/red flames was tailgating me for miles.
I did not obey his wishes by speeding up or getting out of his way.
His attempt to intimidate and bully the weak did not work this time.
That infuriated him.
I just remained at 53 on cruise control.
He had 3 faster lanes available to the left.

Eventually he passed me and pulled in front of me and slammed on his brakes while flipping me off.

I'm sure it's because I wasn't in a hurry and my license plate is a phrase that basically says don't use too much gas.

He was towing a huge speed boat.

I can only imagine his gas bill. :doh:
He's the voracious consumer type and he's pissed that the cheap-gas-party is ending.
Here I am, the opposite, driving what Larry calls a cracker box, and driving it like a snail, and it's got a plate that says don't be a gas pig.

I like to think I made him think.
Apparently he didn't like his thoughts.

We are living in interesting times.
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The 89th Key
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What's your license plate, something like "gas sipper"?

That guy is a dbag for going in the far right lane and getting made when he got behind someone going slow....but I wouldn't really know since I haven't seen the far right lane since I took driver's ed! :lol:
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
I thought in the US there is no "right lane = slow, left lane = fast" tradition, and you can drive on every lane as fast as you want?

(in contrast, in Europe you must use the right lane if you are not currently in the process of overtaking another car).
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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The 89th Key
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Well it's an unwritten rule here, Klaus...certainly 99% of the time you'll see people on the left going faster than those on the right.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Well, I don't really want to state on the forum my exact license plate, kind of a privacy thing.
But yeah it is like that.

Short and sweet and quite sanctimonious. :P but much less so than, "Jesus is the only way" which are so popular and go unchallenged.

It was just such a classic moment. :thumb:

I do get a little smug pleasure out of it - like I have found truth and he is stuck in a lie.
His middle finger evoked the opposite reaction in me than he intended.
I realize it is a sign that the holy spirit is knocking on his heart. (to coin a phrase)

From his point of view I'm sure he thinks his middle finger is the inspred holy spirit of GO FOR IT AND HAVE MAXIMUM FUN is knocking on my heart.

I don't mean this as any slight to religion but the idea of a higher cause working on the sinner is so universal.
Religion is only one thing that uses it.
We all do.
Examples are everywhere, like Larry tries to work on the liberals to get them to see the light.
Copper exposes my depravity.
apple speaks up for treating each other nicely
We all speak up for what we think is right.
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Moonbat
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Pisa-Carp
I observed an interesting phenomena the other day.

I was driving home and i got stuck behind a van going about 40 in a 60 zone there were 3 other cars infront of me so overtaking was not happening. This road was single laned and pretty long and by about 30 minutes there was a long line of cars behind me. So then we got a bit dual carriage way and people sped up way beyond the speed they would be travelling had they not got stuck. As far as i could make out most were going atleast 85 with a lot of people streaming past in the faster lane at significantly more than that.

Now we drive faster here than in the US but that is significantly faster than usual. I guess quite a few people must have felt so constrained that that really surged ahead given the opportunity.

So that's something to think about if you want to reduce our humanity's carbon emissions - if you slow the guy behind you down too much and he goes significantly faster than he would otherwise after passing you then perhaps the extra fuel he uses will outbalance the fuel you're saving by driving so economically.

(Not that that applies in instances with multiple lanes).
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
I think what is at stake is our sense of freedom and entitlement.
Americans are watching their entitlement to cheap gas slip away.

Their freedom to drive whatever they want however they want is being challenged, and they're pissed!
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The 89th Key
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Who's pissed? Most people I know drive what they want, where they want, when they want! :biggrin:

You enjoyed being smug watching people zoom by you getting to their locations faster than you. I enjoy being smug by zooming past slow drivers. To each their own! :cheers:
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Daniel
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HOLY CARP!!!
Moonbat, that is indeed what is happening as I said in my first post. However, at this time my motivation for driving 50 mph is to save money. And I happen to think that 50 in a 55 zone is reasonable enough. The legal minimum is 40. As I've said we have the highest gas prices in the US (the highest everything prices). Aside from risking a ticket (which is also expensive and then raises insurance rates which is even more expensive) I simply cannot afford to drive at 65 mph. If someone wants to drive at 65 mph, that is between them and the police. But I am not spending the money, so that someone else can have the luxury of going that fast. For me, it's about survival and at this time, going 65 mpg down the highway isn't on the table.

Kenny, stay safe. :hug:

Edit: something I want to say about living in the state with the highest gas prices and about Europe. People say all the time "well, gas is so much cheaper for you than for us". I just want to say that that's too bad for you BUT our economy is calibrated differently. Our prices, our taxes, our wages, yours and ours are different. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense to compare. Comparing the impact of price increases on our relative economies would be a better idea. Just a thought.
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Moonbat
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Pisa-Carp
Quote:
 

Moonbat, that is indeed what is happening as I said in my first post.


Oh yes you did indeed - that'll teach me to skim read.

Quote:
 

As I've said we have the highest gas prices in the US (the highest everything prices).


112 pence a litre here.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
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Daniel
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HOLY CARP!!!
Moonbat, we might not agree on everything but I am proud to have you on my side of many arguments.

We posted at the same time! Thanks for sharing your price. That is interesting to note.
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Klaus
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Moonbat
Apr 28 2008, 05:15 PM
112 pence a litre here.

That would be 1.42 Euro or $8.40/gallon. Almost as expensive as in Germany (1.43 for 95ish fuel).
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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Daniel
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HOLY CARP!!!
Thanks, Klaus.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
The 89th Key
Apr 28 2008, 07:00 AM
Who's pissed? Most people I know drive what they want, where they want, when they want! :biggrin:

You enjoyed being smug watching people zoom by you getting to their locations faster than you. I enjoy being smug by zooming past slow drivers. To each their own! :cheers:

To each his own indeed.
Really.

I just find it interesting how this is another example of how liberals tend to pull the world towards the future and conservatives tend to pull the world towards the past.
Sure, some libs have SUVs and some cons have hybrids.
But I'm sure if you took a large enough sample my stereotype would be demonstrated.
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The 89th Key
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I agree with many stereotypes...they often become stereotypes because they are (gasp) often true. Regardless, my point is I agree with your stereotype. Although to broaden the discussion a bit, I might add that such a liberal "pull towards the future" approach has resulted in many social problems driven by the breakdown of many social and moral codes that were more strictly enforced and agreed upon. On the other hand, the conservative approach has elongated past discriminatory policies as well. They both have their problems and ideally balance each other out for a conservative social evolution. Screw it - I just want flying cars.
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
kenny
Apr 28 2008, 06:15 AM
Yesterday I was in the far right lane of 4 going 53 MPH and a big Ford F350 (I think) with those dual rear tires and a custom paint job of black with yellow/orange/red flames was tailgating me for miles.

Wouldn't it be interesting if the guy had one of those trip computers and that it was showing his mileage creep up from 10 mpg to 13 mpg while he was tailgating you? Wonder if the guy ever thought about how much he saved during that time? Too bad we can't power cars on anger or frustration.
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
The 89th Key
Apr 28 2008, 08:38 AM
I agree with many stereotypes...they often become stereotypes because they are (gasp) often true. Regardless, my point is I agree with your stereotype. Although to broaden the discussion a bit, I might add that such a liberal "pull towards the future" approach has resulted in many social problems driven by the breakdown of many social and moral codes that were more strictly enforced and agreed upon. On the other hand, the conservative approach has elongated past discriminatory policies as well. They both have their problems and ideally balance each other out for a conservative social evolution. Screw it - I just want flying cars.

I agree that there are good and bad aspects to the liberal and the conservative positions.

I think most people want the good parts of each movement without the bad parts.
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
I used to get only 35mpg~36mpg in the winter.
I now get about 41mpg~42mpg.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Ax do you drive your hybrid the same way you drove your last car?
Has the instant feedback from the MPG readout caused you to alter your driving style?
Do you resist or give into the temptation to get better MPG today than you got yesterday on your commute?

Ever get tailgated?

I see plenty of hybrids driven 80 MPH on the freeway and accelerating heavily around the city.
So we aren't all loonies!
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
I got to drive a neighbor's 2007 Civic Hybrid the other day. I thought the display showing power going back to the battery pack was great! I did try to drive it in a very conservative way to maximize the gas mileage. I didn't like the brake pedal feel - it felt spongy where I prefer a solid, progressive feel. Also, I didn't like the start up after waiting at a light. The engine shuts down automatically and at start up the car jiggles, just like on a normal vehicle start up. I suppose I'd get used to that.

On my commute I have a long down hill - probably about a mile, maybe longer. I could get a lot of brake energy to recharge the battery. However, often at the bottom there is a long line of cars and it can be stop and go for a few hundred yards. I wouldn't want the motor shutting down and starting up in that stop and go traffic.

Any solution for that or do I just have to get a "Toyota-style" system? I understand the Ford Escape works the same as the Toyota.
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Yes and no.

Toyota's system has a beefier electric motor that's capable of moving the car without the gas engine up to 25 MPH or so if you don't accelerate too hard.

Honda chose a smaller electric motor that only assists the gas engine when needed and the engine must be on whenever the car is moving.
So what if it turns off when you stop?

Both systems get about the same MPG.
Some people claim the Toyota system is better for the city since you are stopping and starting more and you can do that without the gas engine coming on and producing emissions.
BUT that energy had to originally come from the gas (which produced emissions) in the first place.

Also it depends how you drive each of these hybrids.
Conventional wisdom goes out the window in the hands of a good hypermiler in the city or on the highway.

This is not the first time I've heard the complaint that the Honda Civic Hybrid's engine is not up to full power instantly when you lift your foot from the brake.
I accelerate so gently I honestly have never noticed it.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Kincaid
Apr 28 2008, 10:05 AM
On my commute I have a long down hill - probably about a mile, maybe longer. I could get a lot of brake energy to recharge the battery.

However, often at the bottom there is a long line of cars and it can be stop and go for a few hundred yards. I wouldn't want the motor shutting down and starting up in that stop and go traffic.

Why not?
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
Well, the motion bugs me (that soft vibration/shake). Worse in my mind is that it goes against years of habit that says that you shouldn't shut your car down if you are going to be stopped less than 30 seconds. That start up uses more gas than idling. I think I heard that with efficient engines these days that the time frame is much shorter, like 10 seconds or something, but it still would bother me to think that if the engine stayed off and would just let the car roll it wouldn't restart and use more gas when I am only rolling downhill in stop and go traffic.
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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CHAS
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Middle Aged Carp
Hybrid SUVs, an oxymoron or what should that be called?
"You want to be Nice, or you want to be Effective? Make the law or be subject to it?"-Roy Cohn
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