Comments on: 13 Ways to Improve Your Gas Mileage http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/ Tech News, Social Media & Politics From a Geek Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:27:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: S.P. Gass http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43310 S.P. Gass Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:54:44 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43310 Joe, I agree with you that it's good to wind up a car every once in awhile. Also, re: your comments about idling, I think it's also true that modern cars don't need to warm up for quite as long as the classics. Joe, I agree with you that it’s good to wind up a car every once in awhile.

Also, re: your comments about idling, I think it’s also true that modern cars don’t need to warm up for quite as long as the classics.

]]> By: Joe http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43306 Joe Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:43:17 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43306 JW, I agree with you, drafting big rigs is a bad idea. However drafting in and of itself is fine as long as both drivers are aware. In my past relationship, her father is a professional truck driver and he's advocated exactly what you said in prior conversations. -------------- S.P. Gass, Speedy starts usually burn a lot more fuel than say, slow starts. However, when using a fuel additive (cleaner), it's often necessary to go Wide-Open Throttle to successfully discard the built up carbon in the engine. Also, idling unnecessarily nets one zero miles per gallon. If you're going to be stopped more than two minutes (at the drive-thru, for example); turning off your car will save gas. This practice is often debated due to the claim that turning on your car wastes 15x as much fuel compared to idling; however, this is based on carburated cars which indeed use 15x more fuel to start. If you have a car with fuel injection ("FI"), then you're fine. Thanks for the comments. Keep it coming and share this with your buddies, too. :) JW,
I agree with you, drafting big rigs is a bad idea. However drafting in and of itself is fine as long as both drivers are aware.

In my past relationship, her father is a professional truck driver and he’s advocated exactly what you said in prior conversations.

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S.P. Gass,
Speedy starts usually burn a lot more fuel than say, slow starts. However, when using a fuel additive (cleaner), it’s often necessary to go Wide-Open Throttle to successfully discard the built up carbon in the engine.

Also, idling unnecessarily nets one zero miles per gallon. If you’re going to be stopped more than two minutes (at the drive-thru, for example); turning off your car will save gas.

This practice is often debated due to the claim that turning on your car wastes 15x as much fuel compared to idling; however, this is based on carburated cars which indeed use 15x more fuel to start. If you have a car with fuel injection (”FI”), then you’re fine.

Thanks for the comments. Keep it coming and share this with your buddies, too. :)

]]> By: Junkyard Willie http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43303 Junkyard Willie Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:57:41 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43303 Joe, they don't mind drafting each other because the shape and height of a rig is different than the shape of a car or SUV. A 'gator will bang up the grille of a rig, conversely it will annihilate a car. Also they are in constant communication with one another via radio and moreover they are professional drivers. They drive vehicles 10+ hours a day for decades- driving vehicles is how they eat, how clothes get on their kids' backs. They're not commuters. That's why they draft. Trust me, they don't like 'regular' people drafting- when a commuter dies from one of their 'gators, they will undergo a lengthy and expensive investigation, and even if they don't go to prison, they will lose their license and never drive a truck again. Companies won't take a chance on a driver with something like that on their record, regardless if it's their fault or not. Driving a rig is only a couple steps below flying an airliner- I've done it. Try it for yourself, call a truck-driving school and schedule a ride-along, they'll let you go along in the back for free, most times (an instructor will be in the passenger seat). You'll see how vastly different it is from driving a normal vehicle. Driving a 40-ton truck with 12 gears and jake-brakes while 15 feet off the ground is worlds apart from anything you've ever driven. You'd advocate different safety precautions around a Miata than an Escalade that weighs twice as much, right? A rig weighs more than 20 Escalades. I can't stress this enough- an experienced trucker can pull off some amazing ballet given another experienced trucker and radio communication, even with two hundred thousand pounds of serious business between them going 75+ mph. Likewise, Jackie Chan has no problems doing dangerous stuff at blinding speed with other professionals; but if a cubicle drone wandered into the fight scene while filming, how do you think he would feel? Would it be a good idea for Scott from Marketing to stumble into Jackie Chan's fight scene, with people's safety, careers, and thousands or millions of dollars at stake? Joe, you know me well enough that you can bet I'm not going to contradict your advice unless I have good reason- please don't recommend that commuters or other car/SUV drivers draft big rigs! Joe, they don’t mind drafting each other because the shape and height of a rig is different than the shape of a car or SUV. A ‘gator will bang up the grille of a rig, conversely it will annihilate a car. Also they are in constant communication with one another via radio and moreover they are professional drivers. They drive vehicles 10+ hours a day for decades- driving vehicles is how they eat, how clothes get on their kids’ backs. They’re not commuters.

That’s why they draft. Trust me, they don’t like ‘regular’ people drafting- when a commuter dies from one of their ‘gators, they will undergo a lengthy and expensive investigation, and even if they don’t go to prison, they will lose their license and never drive a truck again. Companies won’t take a chance on a driver with something like that on their record, regardless if it’s their fault or not.

Driving a rig is only a couple steps below flying an airliner- I’ve done it. Try it for yourself, call a truck-driving school and schedule a ride-along, they’ll let you go along in the back for free, most times (an instructor will be in the passenger seat). You’ll see how vastly different it is from driving a normal vehicle. Driving a 40-ton truck with 12 gears and jake-brakes while 15 feet off the ground is worlds apart from anything you’ve ever driven. You’d advocate different safety precautions around a Miata than an Escalade that weighs twice as much, right? A rig weighs more than 20 Escalades.

I can’t stress this enough- an experienced trucker can pull off some amazing ballet given another experienced trucker and radio communication, even with two hundred thousand pounds of serious business between them going 75+ mph. Likewise, Jackie Chan has no problems doing dangerous stuff at blinding speed with other professionals; but if a cubicle drone wandered into the fight scene while filming, how do you think he would feel? Would it be a good idea for Scott from Marketing to stumble into Jackie Chan’s fight scene, with people’s safety, careers, and thousands or millions of dollars at stake?

Joe, you know me well enough that you can bet I’m not going to contradict your advice unless I have good reason- please don’t recommend that commuters or other car/SUV drivers draft big rigs!

]]> By: S.P. Gass http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43302 S.P. Gass Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:00:53 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43302 Along the same lines as your Drive Slower--Maintain 55 MPH tip, drivers should also avoid jack-rabbit starts where possible. Obviously, sometimes rapid acceleration is necessary like when you're merging onto a busy highway. But in many other instances, you don't need to burn a lot of fuel getting off the line. And you can also let the car slow down getting over hills as an alternative to mashing the gas pedal to maintain speed. Along the same lines as your Drive Slower–Maintain 55 MPH tip, drivers should also avoid jack-rabbit starts where possible. Obviously, sometimes rapid acceleration is necessary like when you’re merging onto a busy highway. But in many other instances, you don’t need to burn a lot of fuel getting off the line. And you can also let the car slow down getting over hills as an alternative to mashing the gas pedal to maintain speed.

]]> By: Joe http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43301 Joe Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:35:08 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43301 JW, I agree that drafting a big rig is extremely unsafe, and having 9ft radial belts flying through your windshield at 70MPH is not something I'd like to take my chances with. I should clarify -- Drafting with a friend helps. What I do is tag-team driving, where when there is an opening I hold it open for my peer to catch up and vice-versa. Between Phoenix and Tucson, we went about 85MPH most of the way and by means of drafting, I only used 1/8 of a tank of gas instead of my usual quarter. I get the impression when big rigs draft each other (where there is less than one meter between them!) -- they probably don't mind people drafting them. In most cases they don't go fast enough for me to catch a decent draft so I just pass them. ~Joe JW,

I agree that drafting a big rig is extremely unsafe, and having 9ft radial belts flying through your windshield at 70MPH is not something I’d like to take my chances with.

I should clarify —

Drafting with a friend helps. What I do is tag-team driving, where when there is an opening I hold it open for my peer to catch up and vice-versa. Between Phoenix and Tucson, we went about 85MPH most of the way and by means of drafting, I only used 1/8 of a tank of gas instead of my usual quarter.

I get the impression when big rigs draft each other (where there is less than one meter between them!) — they probably don’t mind people drafting them. In most cases they don’t go fast enough for me to catch a decent draft so I just pass them.

~Joe

]]> By: Junkyard Willie http://www.joemanna.com/blog/13-ways-to-improve-your-gas-mileage/#comment-43299 Junkyard Willie Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:49:19 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=516#comment-43299 Ever seen those big chunks of rubber and steel on the freeway? They're known in the business as "alligators" and they're pieces of tires off of big rigs when they have blowouts. They're heavy. If a tire goes and you're drafting you're going to eat that 'gator. Then you're going to die. 10 feet behind the trailer is not where you want to be when it loses a tire. Seriously, at freeway speeds a 'gator will go through a windshield like it isn't even there, Mythbusters or not. Plus, drafting pisses off the driver, if he can see you. If he can't see you, you're hosed when he has to suddenly slow down or if anything else unexpected happens. Members of my family are long-haul truckers, and there is no end to the idiocy they see on the road. Be part of the solution instead of the problem and stay alive. Don't draft big rigs, and remember: if you can't see the mirrors on the cab, he can't see you. You also don't know how tired he is or what condition his equipment is in. Most of the time nothing goes wrong with 18-wheelers, but they weigh upwards of eighty thousand pounds; so when something does go wrong, it goes <b>really</b> wrong. Ever seen those big chunks of rubber and steel on the freeway? They’re known in the business as “alligators” and they’re pieces of tires off of big rigs when they have blowouts. They’re heavy. If a tire goes and you’re drafting you’re going to eat that ‘gator. Then you’re going to die.

10 feet behind the trailer is not where you want to be when it loses a tire. Seriously, at freeway speeds a ‘gator will go through a windshield like it isn’t even there, Mythbusters or not.

Plus, drafting pisses off the driver, if he can see you. If he can’t see you, you’re hosed when he has to suddenly slow down or if anything else unexpected happens. Members of my family are long-haul truckers, and there is no end to the idiocy they see on the road. Be part of the solution instead of the problem and stay alive.

Don’t draft big rigs, and remember: if you can’t see the mirrors on the cab, he can’t see you. You also don’t know how tired he is or what condition his equipment is in.

Most of the time nothing goes wrong with 18-wheelers, but they weigh upwards of eighty thousand pounds; so when something does go wrong, it goes really wrong.

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