[Dallas_EX_Coupe]

The letter below was posted in the opinion section of today's Dallas Morning News. What an idiot. I just sent in a response, below. Doubtful it will be printed, but....
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Go easy on the gas

During the Arab oil embargo of the '70s, the nationwide speed limit was lowered to 55 mph to conserve gasoline. Why has that not been done today? It's a proven fact that the difference in gas mileage between driving 55 mph and 70 mph is about 15 to 20 miles per gallon. Come on, folks, let's all wake up, slow down and do something besides just complain about high gas prices.
Jim McComas, Anna

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Re: "Go easy on the gas." Thursday Editorials.
Mr. McComas says "It's a proven fact that the difference in gas mileage between driving 55 mph and 70 mph is about 15 to 20 miles per gallon." Huh?
There is not now nor has there ever been a car that will have that level of variability in economy based on a 15 mph speed reduction. The majority of the vehicles on the road at the time the 55 mph limit was first enacted were unable to achieve 20 miles per gallon under the best of circumstances.
I just returned from an 11 day, 4194 mile road trip through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. Posted speeds were 70-75 mph and I maintained 5 mph over most of the time. I kept my fuel data in an Excel spreadsheet (I know!) and had a high of 36 mpg and a low of 24 mpg, with a trip average of 30. My Honda Accord V6 Coupe is only rated at 30 mpg on the highway, under the ridiculous conditions used by the EPA. Driving far in excess of 55 mph, over the Continental Divide and multiple other ranges, did not lower my mileage to less than the EPA rating.
Spreadsheet available on demand!

 

[mwmcginn]

I think saying "Spreadsheet available on demand!" really clinched it.

If Jim wants to go 55. He should. I drive slower now, but why should I take away the freedom of others?

 

[Peniole]

I agree there would be some difference but 15-20MPG!!! Even a smaller difference would be hard to detect in the 7th gen because of the low cD.

 

[Edaccord08]

I think saying "Spreadsheet available on demand!" really clinched it.

If Jim wants to go 55. He should. I drive slower now, but why should I take away the freedom of others?

Speed limit here in NY/LI are still 55mph and he is right 55mph (in fact even lower like 50 mph is more fuel efficient that 65-70 mph).
I forget the %, I think its 10% per 10 mph or something on avg increase.
for many cars best mpg will be lowest rpm in high gear.
here some info, this is not accord data but should be close.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

 

[Fredsvt]

The guy who wrote that probably still drives a mid 70's old V8 piece of crap with really short diff gearing and a 3 speed auto trans without a lockup torque converter.

Those things were awful when brought at speeds over 50.

He's dreaming if he thinks that a modern cars with overdrive (sometimes double or even triple overdrive) transmissions make that much difference, I wonder what he's been smoking.

Probably the same thing as the idiots I see on my way to work on the highway (posted 65, actual 75) driving at 40-55 with NO regard for the hazards they cause. I see three of the same cars, a gen 6 4 cylinder Accord, a Venture van and a Toyota Camry.

 

[cajun]

Probably the same thing as the idiots I see on my way to work on the highway (posted 65, actual 75) driving at 40-55 with NO regard for the hazards they cause. I see three of the same cars, a gen 6 4 cylinder Accord, a Venture van and a Toyota Camry.

The Accord guy is going that slow so his 6thGen trans won't explode. :banana:

 

[reframmellator]

Jim McComas cannot be a native Texan - unless he's confused mpg with miles per sixpack.

My money says he's a transplanted New Yorker, from the days when Mario Cuomo was governor and wanted a 21 mph speed limit and a minimum drinking age of 55.

And EdAccord, if this writer in Texas is seeing 15-20 mpg difference and you're saying that's a 10% improvement, then he's already getting 150-200 mpg.

Way to truth squad him. Coupe!

Wow.

 

[Edaccord08]

Jim McComas cannot be a native Texan - unless he's confused mpg with miles per sixpack.

My money says he's a transplanted New Yorker, from the days when Mario Cuomo was governor and wanted a 21 mph speed limit and a minimum drinking age of 55.

And EdAccord, if this writer in Texas is seeing 15-20 mpg difference and you're saying that's a 10% improvement, then he's already getting 150-200 mpg.

Way to truth squad him. Coupe!

Wow.

yeh, maybe he meant 15-20%, not 15 -20 mpg, that is way to much even for hybrid car.

 

[Dallas_EX_Coupe]

I think he confused MPH with MPG... LOL :notworthy

We all know less speed equals better mpg, but not like that. Gotta be realistic. Being able to maintain STEADY speed is more important than what the speed is, in MY opinion. But, gotta have fun where I can get it!

 

[2014MSM]

Speed limit here in NY/LI are still 55mph and he is right 55mph (in fact even lower like 50 mph is more fuel efficient that 65-70 mph).
I forget the %, I think its 10% per 10 mph or something on avg increase.
for many cars best mpg will be lowest rpm in high gear.
here some info, this is not accord data but should be close.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

I don't know about it being close. You're talking about hybrid cars here, which are totally different animals than our Accords. I think we all agree that the higher the speed the lower the mileage. From my own test the difference between 65 MPH and 75 MPH seems to me about 3 MPG.

 

[Edaccord08]

I don't know about it being close. You're talking about hybrid cars here, which are totally different animals than our Accords. I think we all agree that the higher the speed the lower the mileage. From my own test the difference between 65 MPH and 75 MPH seems to me about 3 MPG.

Even though that link has a lot of hybrid cars, if you read a lot of reports (from other cars), they do seem to get some high mileage out of them, much more than EPA numbers.
So you got 3 mpg increase, I assume your mpg were approx 30 ish range ? . that would be 10% as i stated, on that site they claim 17% going from 70-55 mph, again honda accord might not get that good but I bet close to it.

 

[dgs]

From my own test the difference between 65 MPH and 75 MPH seems to me about 3 MPG.

The EPA 2008 testing method put my car at 19 city 27 highway. Ever since I radically changed my driving style a month ago to help deal with the ridiculous gas prices I have seen my average mpg go up by about five. I used to drive with a fairly heavy foot, shifting at around 3,500 to 4,000 rpms, and driving about 80 mph on the freeway at a minimum. Now I take off very easy from full stops and shift at between 2,500 and 3,000 rpms at the most. I drive 60 mph tops on the freeway, and the fuel mileage gains have been very impressive. I'm actually beating the 08 estimate now and getting about 28 mpg average in a mix of city and highway driving of 40 miles a day (my work commute). With my previous driving style I was getting 23 mpg, and even worse than that if I was driving very spirited on a tank of gas.

People don't realize how much slowing down, and taking off very easy makes on fuel economy. I know people don't understand this because when I'm going 60 mph on the freeway people are blowing by me like I'm standing still. It just means to me gas prices aren't high enough yet. With the stubbornness of the typical American, always running late, always distracted driver, I'm thinking maybe at about $10 a gallon people will start to change their driving style. The pain obviously isn't enough now. For me however it was plenty. $3.80 has been a shock to my system, and that was the turning point for me.

 

[Fredsvt]

Please don't take this personally, but what you're saying drives me nuts.

If you're driving at 60 in a 65 or worse in a 70 or 75 zone, you are driving TOO SLOW. Do at least the limit or get off the road.

I see this all the time on the roads on my way to work. The speed differential of the normal flow of traffic, 70-80 is what causes accidents. Especially when most people are too busy texting, talking, eating, or doing other things they shouldn't be while driving.

They come up on someone that's crawling, and either slam into the rear of a slow moving car or swerve violently and hit the car in the next lane.

I just saw a Harley rider hit by someone that did this yesterday morning, I hope that person lived as the bike flipped several times, depositing the rider in the middle of the highway.

I drive my '04 6 speed neither rocket fast or slowly, I do accelerate fairly quick, but I also progressive shift, i.e. you get into the highest gear possible as fast as possible for the conditions. I run at the speed of traffic trying to keep under 80 (police notice faster). My car consistently gets 30 mpg in summer, and 28 in winter (winter tires) and on full highway cruising at 75-85 it gets mid 30s.
I also minimally use the brakes, as I coast, a lot. Remember when your foot is off the gas, above a certain rpm (I think 1100) the PCM shuts off the injectors. No fuel delivered means no fuel used. Blip downshifting even at lower speeds only uses fuel for a brief second, and returns the car to coasting and decelerating under engine braking.

Look up "'anti-hybrid" driving. The gist of it, is that most people with hybrids like to accelerate as slow as possible to maximize their time on electric, which is SLOW, and they like to wait for huge breaks in traffic to let themselves do this. The "anti" part is basically this, all the gas they are saving is wasted by people in regular cars infuriated by this waiting and crawling, and they burn up all the gas trying to get around the hybrids as fast as possible.

 

[Flyboy]

In March I took a trip to San Antonio via the scenic route not on the interstate. I drove the southbound direction at 65 MPH, except when going through the small towns, and got 28 MPG. On the return trip I got 29.1 MPG driving at 75 MPH. I filled the tank before leaving home and filled it again when leaving San Antonio and when I returned home.

 

[ezshift5]

.......actually..........

..around here (on the freeway) the speed limit is 65 (70 for Interstate clear of major metro areas)............

Like dgs, I've cut my speed. Altho I've enjoyed FredSVT's prior tech input, I contend that right lane 65 should not incite a riot, dogshit behavior et al. HAY-SUS man, just go around me!! (but you - and lots of company don't make it rite - would be breaking the law). Additional tickets: cut me some slack.

This fuel escalation has multiple big time hurt potential. Good fuel numbers soften the pain. Honda engineers have done their part (as noted within my prior posts). Now - IMHO - behavior modification sure wouldn't hurt...........

best, ez

 

[dgs]

Please don't take this personally, but what you're saying drives me nuts.

If you're driving at 60 in a 65 or worse in a 70 or 75 zone, you are driving TOO SLOW. Do at least the limit or get off the road.

I see this all the time on the roads on my way to work. The speed differential of the normal flow of traffic, 70-80 is what causes accidents. Especially when most people are too busy texting, talking, eating, or doing other things they shouldn't be while driving.

They come up on someone that's crawling, and either slam into the rear of a slow moving car or swerve violently and hit the car in the next lane.

First of all the speed limit here in Dallas is 60 mph, and that is exactly what I drive on the freeway. Second of all, I could give a rat's ass about the people behind me I'm "inconveniencing." I drive in the far right lane, and that's the most I'm going to do to accommodate the morons speeding around me. If they want to pay my gas bill then fine, I'll start driving 80 to 90 mph on the freeway again. And to think you would expect me to appease the bigger morons who are not only speeding but "texting, talking, eating, or doing other things they shouldn't be while driving?" Please, if someone rams into the back of my car because they were breaking the law by driving over the speed limit and making it worse by being distracted I will OWN their ass in court as well as their insurance comapny. My buddy is very good friends with an accident attorney who would love to take a case like that.

And just in case it eluded you, a speed limit is just that, it's the highest speed you're allowed to go. It doesn't mean you have to go that fast. I understand for most drivers to them it means the minimum speed you should be going, but that's because they don't understand the rules of the road. I may even start driving at 55 mph to see what that does for my gas mileage, and see if it yields significant results over 60 mph. If so then I'll start driving at 55 mph.

Again, I could care less about appeasing speeders, really could care less. You don't like it, drive around me, or fill up my tank. Otherwise at $4.00 a gallon (and rising all the time) I'm going to drive how I damn well please to get the best gas mileage possible.

 

[Dallas_EX_Coupe]

Wow - lots of great debate on this topic! Dallas Morning News posted a clarification stating that the author meant to say 10-15%, not 10-15mpg. Changes the tone of his letter considerably.

Hey, anyone that wants to drive slower and hangs over to the right is fine in my book. Back roads in Texas don't have an extra lane for this, but good ol' boys 'n' gals know to move over onto the shoulder and wave around a faster vehicle. It's part of the charm and courtesy of Texas that is completely missing in the cities.

I will admit that I stayed an extra day in CO Springs when faced with heading north on I-25 against a front that would have pounded me with 45-55 mph headwinds. The Accord can easily handle that, but it was much nicer in the calm the next day. Plus, a Saturday in front of the TV with my buddy and her partner, delivered pizza and plenty of beer: :thumbsup:

 

[psyshack]

Nothing wrong with slowing down. And it does save fuel. We are lucky here. We have min and max speeds posted on a lot of hwy's and turnpikes. As far as being rear ended by driver because you going to slow. Finds rear ender guilty. You could be backing up on the hwy and if hit in the rear its there fault. The hitter isn't paying attention.