Once a year, I drive to Portland, a drive that takes five hours on the freeway between here and there. I get amazing gas mileage from my 2004 Toyota Corolla, typically between 46 and 50 mpg (call it 48). Here's how:
- we're talking Canadian gallons, which are 20% bigger than US gallons. So, my 48mpg might be your 40mpg, if you're living in the USA.
- gas saver tires, which have stiffer sidewalls. They ride rougher and noisier, but boost milage by roughly 10-20%.
- non-stop driving at pretty constant speeds of 60 or 70mph, depending on the stretch.
Recently, I determined another factor: time. Driving faster might use (somewhat) more gasoline, but by driving faster, the engine is running for shorter period of time, over the distance. When engine is off, no gas is burnt.
Constrast driving the fixed distance (roughly 300 miles) at full speed (say 60mph) vs. at half-speed (30 mph). At the slower speed, the gas mileage is better, but the engine runs for twice as long. A running engine consumes gasoline.
I wrote this posting in response to Ford now a GPS in some 2011 models that shows the most fuel-efficient route. I am sure the route is calculated using mpg only -- and leaves out of the calculation the time that the engine is on. The shortest route, time-wise, may well be the most fuel efficient one.
- we're talking Canadian gallons, which are 20% bigger than US gallons. So, my 48mpg might be your 40mpg, if you're living in the USA.
- gas saver tires, which have stiffer sidewalls. They ride rougher and noisier, but boost milage by roughly 10-20%.
- non-stop driving at pretty constant speeds of 60 or 70mph, depending on the stretch.
Recently, I determined another factor: time. Driving faster might use (somewhat) more gasoline, but by driving faster, the engine is running for shorter period of time, over the distance. When engine is off, no gas is burnt.
Constrast driving the fixed distance (roughly 300 miles) at full speed (say 60mph) vs. at half-speed (30 mph). At the slower speed, the gas mileage is better, but the engine runs for twice as long. A running engine consumes gasoline.
I wrote this posting in response to Ford now a GPS in some 2011 models that shows the most fuel-efficient route. I am sure the route is calculated using mpg only -- and leaves out of the calculation the time that the engine is on. The shortest route, time-wise, may well be the most fuel efficient one.
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