You 2 ever read up on the Michigan/Ohio War.....interesting reading of American history.
MPG & Slowing Down
- Thread starter babs3361
- Start date
So you've finally figured out what I've been doing for years. Drive a little slower and save!!! At IBC another driver and I used to do runs to Thunderbay Ont. it was about 870 mile run. We both drove the same trucks with same engines, trannies, rear ends. He however always spent more for fuel and the trips up and back down usually cost him $140 more than I spent on fuel. Why??? Because he drove on the major highways at 75-80mph while I drove at a leisurely 60-65 mph. He stopped more times for fuel on the way (we had small tanks) and so I could match timing even driving slower and saving. That 140 bucks was more profit in my pocket that he never saw and could not for the life of him understand that going faster did him no good and cost him more. He always thought that I was lying about my better fuel consumption numbers and my lower fuel expenditures for the same miles travelled. Once he slowed down for the same trip as fuel up there was over 70 cents a gallon more than where the trip started and the prices shocked him. So he found out but still he did not change his speeding habit.
I've found many trucks are geared for optimum fuel near 55-65mph. You have to be in both the torque and hp range together. Now the speed is a little different for each make but most are geared so the best is in that range. On my old truck I found that 65mph was top speed for fuel economy but if I ran the airconditioning I had to slow down to 62mph to have less than 10% loss in mpg. It made no difference even at 55mph the same just under 10% mpg loss with the air.
Rob
I've found many trucks are geared for optimum fuel near 55-65mph. You have to be in both the torque and hp range together. Now the speed is a little different for each make but most are geared so the best is in that range. On my old truck I found that 65mph was top speed for fuel economy but if I ran the airconditioning I had to slow down to 62mph to have less than 10% loss in mpg. It made no difference even at 55mph the same just under 10% mpg loss with the air.
Rob
greg334
Veteran Expediter
But Greg, your state suxx........almost as bad as mine!!
Oh no my state is worst than yours, there is so much going on here that does not make the news because they only have so much paper in the world it is not funny.
The people here are ignorant of the rest of the world, the people who live in Detroit don’t get the idea that they need representatives who live in their area, Detroit's mayor talks to God and say God answers him and tells him to stay in office while his minions are spinning the charges against him into a race issue, the governor is moving ahead with the state police headquarters which will end up costing the tax payers $60M when it is all said and done (the state police didn’t need a new headquarters), the governor made sure that her democratic friend who lost their elections got high paying jobs, the more money is being dumped into the city of Detroit for Cobo hall that the county that I live in is buying while most of the rest of the area ignores a piece of property that has great freeway access, a lot of parking and a lot of hotel space – the old silverdome.
There is a lot more than this going on, it is a pathetic state. Some get it, most don’t and never will. I told my wife if Florida ever passes their property tax replacement, we are out of here even if we lose money on the house.
Yes OVM, the Ohio/Michigan war was required learning in my school at my time there, now the same school just touches on WW2, leaves out the Spanish American war but they learn a lot about Civil rights as taught from a book from some off the wall preacher who is part of the black Christian movement and the ERA.
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Wow Greg, no wonder your head hurts. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.....oh and try to be good to your blood pressure.
The gov did something about it in the 70ties they put the national speed limit at 55 whats wrong with taking it down to 60 mph could you imagine the fuel savings nation wide. Or how about some technology for better engines If we can send people into outerspace you can't tell me we can't do anything about our oil dependencies this is the true game that big oil is playing us for. All those oil wells that they capped would be worthless.
It doesn't matter...look at what Valero did this week...they cut refining down to 72% of capacity to keep up profit margins because inventories were climbing. The prices aren't going to come down unless the U.S dollar has some value again....right now, it's just monopoly money.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
The great philosopher Lewis Black asked the same thing, why can we send a man to the moon but we can't make a car that gets 40 mile per gallon.
You know thinking about it, all the monies we dump into NASA has not produced one thing since the 80's for us as a nation, we 'share' (meaning give it a way) our knowledge with other countries who don't really pay us a thing for it, our knowledge that we the tax payers paid for - let's get a return on our investment and sell that knowledge and then get NASA to work on real solutions for the country. With what we spend on the space shuttle, we can put every dime into discovering a way we can get a 50 mpg class 8 truck.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Actually OVM, I think monopoly money is gaining strength on the forex markets, edging over the dollar by a few pennies.
I suppose it's easier to blame the Arabs for everything...instead of looking here at home...
greg334
Veteran Expediter
No, let's blame the Canadians, they didn't do anything but they are closer
Might as well...look at what a Canadian has done for Michigan!! arf,arf,arf
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
From the J at Oak Creek, WI last night to the J in Gretna, NE - drove it 54 to 57 all the way: 535 miles - just filled the tank: 20.432 gallons used .... 26.18 mpg .... and that was with running the Espar for 8 hours last night.
(Admittedly it wasn't real cold out last night ....)
(Admittedly it wasn't real cold out last night ....
)
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From the J at Oak Creek, WI last night to the J in Gretna, NB - drove it 54 to 57 all the way: 535 miles - just filled the tank: 20.432 gallons used .... 26.18 mpg .... and that was with running the Espar for 8 hours last night.
(Admittedly it wasn't real cold out last night ....
Exactly the speed the other day minus the Espar...27.79 mpg about 55 mph 432 miles
TJ959
Veteran Expediter
I'm doing this in stages. I tried slowing down from 70 to 65 and got no improvement. Still 22mpg. Now I'm trying 60 mph if I ever get a run this week.
By the way, Ohio lost the Michigan Ohio war because they still have Toledo. They can have Detroit and Lansing too if they'll take it.
By the way, Ohio lost the Michigan Ohio war because they still have Toledo. They can have Detroit and Lansing too if they'll take it.
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Ken,
Dang .... must be them stinkin' AirTabs ... gotta get me some of them.
TJ,
Nightcreacher made a post in another thread I think that described exactly what I try to do - something along the lines of: "treat the pedal as though it were an eggshell - try to avoid crushing it"
The overall speed is part of it but jack rabbit starts will kill mileage too. I give just enough pedal to cause a slow, gentle acceleration. Some folks (those behind me) probably don't much care for this - but they ain't paying the fuel bill - I am. If they don't like it then go around - or find a different route.
I learned to do this early in my driving career when I got hold of an old "economy" (vacuum) gauge that was calibrated with ranges of green, yellow, and red and mounted it in my ride. One of my first customizations. The thing was probably made in the late 50's or early 60's ..... kids ... what can I tell ya ?
If you kept the needle in the green you got great mileage - it showed me how to give the motor just enough pedal so that it was always operating at maximum efficiency.
I use the cruise control alot too - mostly on fairly flat roads - but I don't use it on grades that are steep enough to cause more than a 2 mph drop in speed. At that point, I flip it off and just keep a fixed position on the pedal with my foot and allow the speed to drop until I crest the grade.
And yeah .... we'll pass on the Detroit/Lansing thing ... hope ya understand .... afterall we do have Cleveland .... with the only river in the nation to have spontaneously combusted and caught on fire ......
Dang .... must be them stinkin' AirTabs ... gotta get me some of them.
TJ,
Nightcreacher made a post in another thread I think that described exactly what I try to do - something along the lines of: "treat the pedal as though it were an eggshell - try to avoid crushing it"
The overall speed is part of it but jack rabbit starts will kill mileage too. I give just enough pedal to cause a slow, gentle acceleration. Some folks (those behind me) probably don't much care for this - but they ain't paying the fuel bill - I am. If they don't like it then go around - or find a different route.
I learned to do this early in my driving career when I got hold of an old "economy" (vacuum) gauge that was calibrated with ranges of green, yellow, and red and mounted it in my ride. One of my first customizations.
The thing was probably made in the late 50's or early 60's ..... kids ... what can I tell ya ?If you kept the needle in the green you got great mileage - it showed me how to give the motor just enough pedal so that it was always operating at maximum efficiency.
I use the cruise control alot too - mostly on fairly flat roads - but I don't use it on grades that are steep enough to cause more than a 2 mph drop in speed. At that point, I flip it off and just keep a fixed position on the pedal with my foot and allow the speed to drop until I crest the grade.
And yeah .... we'll pass on the Detroit/Lansing thing ... hope ya understand .... afterall we do have Cleveland .... with the only river in the nation to have spontaneously combusted and caught on fire ......
Ken,
Dang .... must be them stinkin' AirTabs ... gotta get me some of them.
TJ,
Nightcreacher made a post in another thread I think that described exactly what I try to do - something along the lines of: "treat the pedal as though it were an eggshell - try to avoid crushing it"
The overall speed is part of it but jack rabbit starts will kill mileage too. I give just enough pedal to cause a slow, gentle acceleration. Some folks (those behind me) probably don't much care for this - but they ain't paying the fuel bill - I am. If they don't like it then go around - or find a different route.
I learned to do this early in my driving career when I got hold of an old "economy" (vacuum) gauge that was calibrated with ranges of green, yellow, and red and mounted it in my ride. One of my first customizations.
If you kept the needle in the green you got great mileage - it showed me how to give the motor just enough pedal so that it was always operating at maximum efficiency.
I use the cruise control alot too - mostly on fairly flat roads - but I don't use it on grades that are steep enough to cause more than a 2 mph drop in speed. At that point, I flip it off and just keep a fixed position on the pedal with my foot and allow the speed to drop until I crest the grade.
And yeah .... we'll pass on the Detroit/Lansing thing ... hope ya understand .... afterall we do have Cleveland .... with the only river in the nation to have spontaneously combusted and caught on fire ......
Last year at the Expo you were going to get them!!! procrastinator!!
According to South Park the movie, we are supposed to blame Canada as they are not a real country anyway.
Hey.. I seen that!!
Look at who we exported and she actually cleared customs!! Jen. Grenholm! Gregs half sister by a third marriage on his second cousins side....
We know where to ship the garbage and Michigan has been taking all we send since!!!
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Hey.. I seen that!!
Look at who we exported and she actually cleared customs!! Jen. Grenholm! Gregs half sister by a third marriage on his second cousins side....
We know where to ship the garbage and Michigan has been taking all we send since!!!
Thanks, I relaxed enough today to get some things done and you go and say that to ruined my day and my wife's birthday