When making long trips how fast t you go? I used to travel at around 160km/h and I've changed this habit to an average of 120km/h and the result is a save of around more 100km per tank, a huge save in my opinion. Do you have this care or you just drive at the speed you wish?
160! I can see why you ended up making a massive saving. The highest I have ever driven was 155 and that used up a hell of a lot for the short while I was driving at that speed. 85kmh is ideal if you're not in a hurry. I've had some incredible mpg readings at that speed.
Does that 85 km/h figure vary from car to car? I had read 70 km/h and that's my aim whenever I have all the time to get to where I'm going. I do notice a big difference in consumption when I go above 100 km/h , it's not even funny, it feels like the gas dial is free-falling
160km/h, not 160mph...! There is a big difference. I believe that driving at 85km/h would make us save quite a few money, but at the same time it's probably frustrating to be on the road driving so slow, at least on the highway.
Having the choice to drive at 165km\h... man, that would be awesome !! Here in Australia the fastest we can legally drive is 110 Km\h. I take it you guys are in Europe? My opinion on this given the choice would be to drive at a speed you were comfortable with and that doesn't pose a hazard to other road users. Driving significantly slower than the rest of the traffic on a highway is just as dangerous as driving too fast. If other cars have to pull into the opposite lane to pass you, you are putting them at risk. Driving to the road conditions is the safest method to ensure yourself, your passengers and other road users all get to their destinations safely.
It's actually best to go with the flow of the traffic than to follow the speed limit signs to the letter of the law. Multiple studies have shown that slow drivers are actually more likely to get in or cause an accident. If the speed limit is 65, and everyone is going 75-80, you're better off keeping pace with everyone - otherwise you will have cars passing around you left and right, and force all the drivers to be switching lanes more often - it sets off a chain reaction when slow drivers persist driving slow among faster moving traffic. Not to mention, it's harder for you to get over into the lane you need to be in when it comes time to exit. I've tried to explain this a number of times to some of my more stubborn friends who drive slow everywhere they go, but they refuse to accept it.
In most cases 85 is the limit in most countries let me say ideal because of the traffic jams and also the state of the roads. But when I have a clear road I normally give it all that I have in my hood. I prefer to enjoy my driving rather than going slowly to save which is not practical.
Every vehicle is a bit different but most are designed for optimal air flow at roughly 55mph or 88kph. Driving too slow keeps the car running longer and it uses more gas. Driving too fast creates a great deal of wind resistance and will use a lot of gas pushing through the air. While most of us are not driving 160kph, many of us do drive faster than the ideal speed for fuel efficiency. Ohiotom is correct in that driving the same speed as the general traffic flow is less dangerous than going the speed limit. Our traffic speeds are supposed to take that into account: The speed limit should be set high enough so that fewer than 5% would speed. Nonetheless, this is ignored. This has nothing to do with fuel efficiency and everything to do with drivers knowing what is and is not a safe speed for a road.
That is true about the 90km/h approximately, I have the RPM screen on my car and I can see that above 100 the RPM go way up and again from 120km/h and above they go well up again. For me more RPM means more consumption, so I try to go around 120km/h in the highway, it's fuel well saved.
Lol, exactly. That 85km/h is only 52mph. While that's fine on a lot of roads, on a highway with the speed limit of 65-70mph, you can actually get pulled over for going that slow! It causes a safety risk to other drivers on the road if you're holding up traffic or they come up on you quickly and don't see you around a curve, etc.
I always make it a priority to practice safe driving habits. I have seen too many horrible accidents not to. When it comes to speed. I always drive a little under the speed limit. Just to give my self a little distance between the car in front me. That way if they lam on breaks. I will have time to react. I can't do that if i decide to speed. I think it is never a good idea to do that.
That's true, there is a minimum legal speed in the highways, under that speed is considered dangerous and police will pull you over for going so slow, a regular car approaching might not have time to stop, that is why that minimum speed.
I would say I average about 115km/h highway driving (yes, I'm a slow driver....Still getting used to the German free-for-all). It definitely saves me a lot of gas and though it's tempting to drive faster just for the sake of getting there sooner, I'd rather save the gas and money.
Wow. I can't believe how fast a lot of you go on the road. It's like driving over 100 kph every day is normal for you. I'm such a defensive driver and the fastest that I have gone is 80 kph! And I think that my vehicle is fuel efficient even if I don't go faster than that. The idea of saving gas is not necessarily on the speed. It's on how fast you go to higher gear. The faster you get to fifth gear and the longer you stay there, the more fuel you save.
Come on lindbergh, with the condition of the roads these days it's pretty normal to drive at 100km/h, especially in highways. Sure, it doesn't save us any money, so it's wise to go slower, but it's also faster too and you save time.
Do we really have a choice? The fastest you can drive, is how fast the speed limit allows. Anything else would be criminal. It really depends on where you are driving. On highways people tend to disregard the speed limit, and go as fast as they want, because there are little, to no cops to enforce the limit. I seen people drive well over a 100mph on the highway. That is why i hate driving there. It is extremely dangerous.
That is true, people drive really fast and I do think, are those people rich? Do they know how much they are spending by going that fast? Not to mention the safety, some speeds are surely a danger to safety and I think that is not adequately thought by those drivers.
I drive an average of 60 mph. At first I thought that was really slow. It's not. I actually get there as quickly as I ever did driving faster. It's so funny the looks on people's faces when they think they left you in the dust, and there you are beside them at the same red light. HA HA. It 'takes me out of the equation' so to speak on the hwy. By that I mean, I get to set my own pace and stay with it as people simply just pass me. I'm out of the pack mentality of speed up, slow down, pass pass, driving, traditionally called the wolf pac driving. I love it because when I let go all that kind of competition based driving, it became about me getting somewhere, and enjoying the ride. I save a ton of gas. I also coast my way down a hill, not overly ride my break. That saves a ton of gas too. Why rush to a light you know is going to be red. That's pretty stupid, and again, there I am, getting to drive on while others are just barely moving.
That's the main thing about it Ruth, if we really think about it, driving 10 or 20 mph faster doesn't really make a big time difference to when we reach our destiny, I think it' just a nervous impulse we have that make us drive faster and we do not realize that going faster will actually cost us way more than the benefit of arriving 5 minutes earlier, it's a matter of being rational.
I definitely agree the driving a whole lot slower would save you a lot more money. Not just saving money but it would also save your life. Most people seem to think that the statement which says speed kills does not really have any significance. But from first-hand experience and noted that the faster you go the more likely it is that you end up in some sort of accident that could destroy your life. Me personally whenever I'm taking long-distance journeys I usually plan enough time to get there as well as I plan a lot of stopovers. I tried to make the journey as interesting as possible. So that I don't have to cruise and end up in situations that will not be so pleasing to me.
