Lots of people these days are bitching about high gas and economy but I don't see many people making the changes on the roads with their driving style. People are still racing to the red light half mile away just to slam on brakes. Most people on highway don't go anything below 85mph and when they get to pump they bitch about gas some more.

What are some of you doing to save on gas? I am driving 5 miles below on non busy streets when driving in the city and taking off slower even though I can smoke cars with my benz right and left.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 9:28 AM. Reason : can]

7/1/2008 9:07:07 AM

i make dumb threads to save gas

7/1/2008 9:07:46 AM

Biking to distances within a couple of miles.

7/1/2008 9:07:55 AM

I walk to work.
And drive as little as possible

7/1/2008 9:08:24 AM

This is really all George Bushes fault.

7/1/2008 9:12:28 AM

I don't own a car anymore

7/1/2008 9:13:24 AM

Bushes.

7/1/2008 9:24:21 AM

Put the car in neutral when going down hills.

7/1/2008 9:25:38 AM

I drive a civic. Gas is not expensive for it.

Quote :

" even though I smoke cars with my benz right and left. "

7/1/2008 9:26:52 AM

It's funny to see everyone trying to sell their SUV's for above $15,000. Nobody in their right mind would buy a damn SUV looking at the gas prices unless they are above middle class or have 20 Mexicans who need to get to construction site every morning.

7/1/2008 9:31:47 AM

Quote :

" drive a civic. Gas is not expensive for it. "

Oh, and it annoys the crap out of me when people say "I drive five miles below" when they are talking about miles per hour.

7/1/2008 9:37:11 AM

I'm trying to be conservative w/ accelerating and which gear I am in to get maximum performance for engine RPM. I will clutch in and coast downhill or wherever I can as well.
Trying also to get all my errands together so I'm only going to Cary like once a week.

7/1/2008 9:37:55 AM

i havent really changed my habits except that i am looking father ahead to anticipate lights and i slowly accelerate from red lights...those changes got me from 28 mixed to 31 mixed

on the interstate i still do 15-20 over...well because i live in atlanta and everyone does that...it is much safer to drive with traffic rather than make some asinine statement going the speed limit

note to everyone: check your tire pressure including the spare

7/1/2008 9:40:37 AM

I get like an inch behind the car in front of me and just draft

7/1/2008 10:18:47 AM

I smoke people that drive a benz left and right because they can't afford gas.

7/1/2008 10:22:00 AM

I never go more than 5 mph over the speed limit. I never race to red lights. I accelerate slowly. I don't care if it pisses other people off.

7/1/2008 10:24:08 AM

Quote :

"I get like an inch behind the car in front of me and just draft"

7/1/2008 10:25:59 AM

Quote :

"I am driving 5 miles below on non busy streets when driving in the city"

Doesn't do too much. MPG rises with speed until somewhere in the 50-65 mph range, and then drops with a speed increase.
This is something I've verified. I've got a scangauge, so I have the option to see real-time mpg.

I started driving more conservatively months ago; I've started going 55-65mph on the freeway, and driving less in rush hour, avoiding lights, going uphill, etc.


Doing delivery driving, I don't have a hell of a lot of choice.

Quote :

"I never go more than 5 mph over the speed limit"

This might save on speeding tickets, but not necessarily on mileage.

Example: gorman and avent ferry. If you catch the green light coming from your apt complex towards 40, it's very easy to coast and hit 45-55 where the speed limit there is 35.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 10:32 AM. Reason : kjh]

7/1/2008 10:31:02 AM

Quote :

"This might save on speeding tickets, but not necessarily on mileage."

It's mostly for speeding tickets. Can't afford one right now ><

7/1/2008 10:36:42 AM

i am not getting over 2 rpms on take off and when coming to the lights i have begun to let off the gas wayyyy ahead so that i brake a ton less

7/1/2008 10:38:02 AM

Quote :

"Oh, and it annoys the crap out of me when people say "I drive five miles below" when they are talking about miles per hour."

Lol

I would have to use my brakes to keep my car going at 5 mph speed. I can still afford to put Premium in the tank but I am just being a little smart about not smoking people like some of the Civic owners are doing.

7/1/2008 10:38:04 AM

I use my parents gas card

7/1/2008 10:42:20 AM

Anyone driving under the speed limit to save gas should be shot. Hell anyone driving under the speed limit should be shot

7/1/2008 10:43:07 AM

i drive a 2006 civic
i accelerate slower than i used to
i TRY to go <70mph (i'm not on the highway that often anyway)
i try to bike to work when it's not a million degrees out
i bike to the grocery store

other ways i'm trying to save energy/money:
i bought a programmable thermostat, turned my a/c up, and use more fans
i take cooler showers
i close the blinds & curtains
i don't wash anything in warm or hot water

7/1/2008 10:46:11 AM

I've been trying to accelerate slowly, keep the RPMs below 2000 in the city (can't exactly do that on the highway as I'm around 2100 at 70) and keep to at most 9 over on the highway. My average MPG has risen to 18-19, which sounds terrible but is a marked change from the way I used to drive.

7/1/2008 10:46:18 AM

I keep the revs low and drive conservatively.


- if need be I dont waste my money on needless shit, but that is not too often.

7/1/2008 10:46:52 AM

^^^ Forilla, taking cold showers in the summer is great. At first it feels too cold, but eventually you wish the water could get even colder.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : dang slow posting]

7/1/2008 10:48:04 AM

i dont think driving slow or other things will have much of an effect on saving gas so i dont bother with it

7/1/2008 10:49:10 AM

Bought a tank so I never have to stop

7/1/2008 10:50:11 AM

Only thing I do is check tire pressure. I do that anyway.

7/1/2008 10:53:19 AM

Quote :

"Anyone driving under the speed limit to save gas should be shot. Hell anyone driving under the speed limit should be shot"

Yup and I bet people like you bitch soon as you see $50 at the pump . Blaming everyone but yourself for it. Here we are used to wasting too much damn gas because it used to be cheap but those days are over and now even 3rd world countries like India and China are using more cars.

Gas will balance out probably in a few years if the prices keep on going up they way it is currently. Only the middle upper class or the rich will get to drive and others will be riding the bus or walking. Maybe less demand in U.S. will bring prices down a little.

7/1/2008 10:56:10 AM

^no i just drive less.

7/1/2008 10:57:03 AM

^^China isn't a third world country.

I don't bitch or save, i'm still driving an suv, I will still continue to take my boat into the ocean, and maybe if I start driving with my E-brake on and use up enough gas, then I can drive the price up to the point to where there isn't any 5 O'clock traffic anymore. woohoo

7/1/2008 11:05:57 AM

I'm thinking about selling my truck and going back to a car... but its paid for and its not too bad. I get 15-18 mpg. But when school starts back, I don't think I'll be driving anywhere during the week unless I have to go to the store.

7/1/2008 11:11:30 AM

First China took all the manufacturing jobs from the U.S., then India took a lot of the white collar jobs via outsourcing, and now they're taking all the oil. Time to nuke them out of existence.

7/1/2008 11:41:57 AM

Quote :

"Most people on highway don't go anything below 85mph and when they get to pump they bitch about gas some more. "

i keep up with traffic and my mileage is fine. 31 mpg on a good day and i drive a large car that uses premium.

Quote :

"MPG rises with speed until somewhere in the 50-65 mph range, and then drops with a speed increase. "

not on my car. i've got a digital readout too and i get worse gas mileage at 55-65mph than i do at a higher speed. i'm not talking about 100+mph.

it all depends on how your particular car was geared and programmed.

7/1/2008 11:50:25 AM

Quote :

"It's funny to see everyone trying to sell their SUV's for above $15,000. Nobody in their right mind would buy a damn SUV looking at the gas prices unless they are above middle class or have 20 Mexicans who need to get to construction site every morning."

I'm looking for a 4Runner or possibly a Grand Cherokee right now.
It will be a second fourth vehicle for me meaning I won't use it very much and I have a need for something that can tow 5k pounds. With the prices dropping now is starting to seem like a good time to buy.

I'm seeing 1999-2001 Grand Cherokees in the $5k-$6k range regularly when they were $7.5k-$9k just a few months ago. I do not expect this trend to continue. I think we are in the initial shock stage where people who can't see the big picture are freaking out. They're losing thousands to save hundreds. Eventually all these people will have sold their vehicles and the ones that are left are the ones who are less likely to give away their SUV just because it is costing them an extra $1200 per year to drive or whatever.

I have adjusted my driving some. I also started riding my bike to get dinner a lot, but that has more to do with health than money. I'm not too concerned about the $1.50 in gas it takes to get to Whole Foods and back.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 12:11 PM. Reason : l]

7/1/2008 12:07:24 PM

Quote :

"i make dumb threads to save gas"

I also look for 300-400$/mo one bedroom apartments in RTP or similarly crime-free high rated areas while surviving on nothing more than student loans to save gas

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 12:30 PM. Reason : f]

7/1/2008 12:29:43 PM

Quote :

"I can smoke cars with my benz right and left."

Where are you from where nobody does below 85 on the highway?

7/1/2008 12:36:35 PM

hes from cali

7/1/2008 12:37:36 PM

fuck this thread.

i buy my gas and i'll use it how i like.

7/1/2008 12:38:53 PM

You fuckers driving 5 below and accelerating at the pace of a turtle had better not be doing this on 2 lane roads. I've wanted to murder some of these dipshits.

7/1/2008 12:41:44 PM

I drive an SUV, am middle class, and still don't feel the need to whine about gas. Guess you're just not as middle class as you think you are, or are bad with money.

7/1/2008 12:42:38 PM

i don't bitch or save, i just drive

7/1/2008 12:42:45 PM

I drive an SUV, live well below the poverty line for one person (at least in terms of income ;D ) and simply drive less, combine trips, and drive semi-conservatively (read: no hard accelerations, and no sudden jamming on the gas pedal, just take it like a sunday drive w/o going too far below the speed limit). The car also gets better gas mileage when it's warm out, even with the AC on, so it's not all bad news.

I'd love a little 4-banger coupe that gets 35+ mpg right now, but if I get this job I just set up an interview for it really wouldn't be worth the trouble of switching cars. My current car is reliable, I've got it set up just the way I like it, and I know how to drive it in emergencies (i.e. if I reacted quickly I'd be more likely to avoid an accident than cause another one by driving into a tree).

I was sad to see that it cost me over $50 to fill up a while back, but figure that'll go away to some extent. It's still not that expensive for me to go driving around, even though I'm poor, so I just cut back on unnecessary stuff like beer and garbage food (like fast food, processed food, etc).

I definitely wouldn't drive below the speed limit to save on gas, either. I will try to keep my vehicle around the peak of the torque curve while driving w/o going under the limit (maybe at the limit), but if I drove under the limit I'd just have angry people trying to kill me.

7/1/2008 12:53:58 PM

Quote :

"Guess you're just not as middle class as you think you are, or are bad with money."

7/1/2008 1:01:51 PM

i haven't changed anything.....

i think i'm the only one who doesn't really give a fuck

7/1/2008 1:07:02 PM

those digital gauges in your car that tell you your gas mileage are usually not that accurate.

7/1/2008 1:35:19 PM

driving during the school year = getting drunk/high/laid/paid, amirite?

7/1/2008 1:45:47 PM

Quote :

"You fuckers driving 5 below and accelerating at the pace of a turtle had better not be doing this on 2 lane roads. I've wanted to murder some of these dipshits."

lol

Use baby oil as lube when big Bubbah puts it in you after you kill one us people who are trying to waste a little bit less gas.

7/1/2008 2:28:34 PM