Fell off the wagon this morning - major hangover

[ma4t]

Not to make light of people in recovery, but I feel like a recovering alcoholic that fell off the wagon. Today, I was late for class, so I stomped on it. I filled up after school to check my mileage. Sure enough, I was back in the 19 mpg range. Quite a disappointment. I know it's inefficient to go buy 2 or 3 gallons, but I wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over. I just can't believe that up until this week, I used to think 19 mpg was not only normal, there was nothing I could do about it.

Tomorrow is a new day. And still, the driver is the biggest mod I can recommend with absolute confidence. Other stuff I've tried may or may not be helping.

ma4t

[Silveredwings]

And still, the driver is the biggest mod I can recommend with absolute confidence.
It's like aviation: the most dangerous part of an airplane is the pilot.

So...just get back on it and keep trying.

[ma4t]

Wait, I just entered my gas log and I think I might have done my math wrong in the car. I got 19.097 mpg earlier, and I got over 27 mpg now. I will have to come back to this. I'm confusing myself.

Note to self: Never try to do gas log entries while studying for a big test.

[ma4t]

It's like aviation: the most dangerous part of an airplane is the pilot.

So...just get back on it and keep trying.
So true! Thanks for the encouragement.

M

[rh77]

Well, I hate to say it, but the diagnosis: turns out you're human. :)

Most of us lose it now-and-then and just romp on it (especially with a lot of us with backgrounds in racing, or just liking to drive fast).

It's cool that you can admit to it -- I know on long trips (especially with Rental cars), I don't hypermile like I should (especially on long days). :o

...just rented a Corolla LE auto. (Atlanta-Augusta-Atlanta) Even with speeds of 70+ and city driving, the average FE was 36.x MPG. I have to hypermile the 'Teg like mad to get that.

The best thing to do, is get back on it tomorrow. It takes a lot of patience to hypermile, so don't expect it overnight. In time you'll get it...

RH77

[SL8Brick]

Most of us lose it now-and-then and just romp on it (especially with a lot of us with backgrounds in racing, or just liking to drive fast).



:( guilty as charged. I also find it difficult to keep a light right foot sometimes....but my weekly FE figures are always there to remind me.
Part of my problem is fact that I just like the way the car sounds. I like the music of a low rumble on moderate acceleration and the subtle 'burbling' on decel.. The sound is still there when I go easy on the pedal, but with much less resonance.

[Gary Palmer]

I wonder if their is a sound synthesizer that could be hooked up to the car to give you that audio feedback, even though your driving more econo. That way, maybe you could still get that cool feeling?

[Sludgy]

I try to keep the rpms bolow 2000 in the truck, but sometimes you just have to nail the throttle to merge into traffic, e.g. I HATE to do it because it wrecks the tank.

[bbgobie]

At least your studying for the bar, and not math.
:rolleyes:

Wait, I just entered my gas log and I think I might have done my math wrong in the car. I got 19.097 mpg earlier, and I got over 27 mpg now. I will have to come back to this. I'm confusing myself.

Note to self: Never try to do gas log entries while studying for the bar.

[brucepick]

Me too. I've been driving faster thinking I could get away with it. I should have known better. When I tanked up today, 250 mi. in two days earned 28.2 mpg, well below my recent average of 31ish.

So, it's back on the horse and do the best I can. If I were willing to ditch Sven I could get something newer that would take a ScanGauge II. However the least expensive car is nearly always the one you own, so that's the situation there. I've really been enjoying getting the most possible fun and mpg out of old Sven.

[OdieTurbo]

Whew, I'm glad you aren't on team "Leftover Bananas"!

Anyway, yeah, I do miss the high-pitched scream of my Honda iV-Tec at 8,500 RPM. Ah, those were the days.

[rh77]

Whew, I'm glad you aren't on team "Leftover Bananas"!

Anyway, yeah, I do miss the high-pitched scream of my Honda iV-Tec at 8,500 RPM. Ah, those were the days.

I had the '99 Si Coupe with the 1.6L (B16A2) -- man did it howl...

RH77

[ma4t]

I miss my WRX STi. That thing screamed. The only cars that gave me a good run for my money was the Evo or the GT-R.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s254/malicea4thought/sakura.jpg
Those were the days. I even wrote a song about it.

Hear the roar of the turbo charger
Feel the hot black leather seats
You like the way I break the law and
I like the way you scream

OK, so they were cloth seats but it didn't matter. The croud was usually blotto, and as long as they thought I was singing about s*x or breaking the law (this song had both), they went wild.

(Wait, maybe those weren't the days.)

ma4t

[rGS]

Note to ma4t,

Next time, try not to put ...


going 80 the whole way


and...

Note to self: Never try to do gas log entries while studying for the bar.

in the same thread. :)

I'm just recalling the news story of a student in a teacher credentialling program that was denied her teaching credential based on a picture on her MySpace page.

Good luck with the bar. :)

[broodlinger]

I think my car does better at 80mph than 60mph, but I'll do some tests and let you know.

This is my most recent data:

2700rpms / 80mph = 33.75 rpms per mph

2100rpms / 60mph = 35 rpms per mph (worse)

As you can see, my car does well at high speeds. Anyway, I never get higher than 23 mpg, so you guys are lucky if you're getting 40/50/60/whatever.

[SVOboy]

You should be looking at rpms per mile, since that's a bit more important. I would be flabbergasted to see many cars do better at 80 than 60...

[ma4t]

rGS, good point.

I read about a girl who used her real name for her myspace account, and for sex typed, "Yes, please" instead of "female." Years later, after graduation, she wasn't getting any job offers and couldn't figure it out. Finally, an old friend contacted her after a long time and remarked at how her myspace account made her sound bad, with picures of her drunk, hanging on different guys. She cleaned it up and got a job almost immediately.

That's why I never use my real name for anything like this on the internet. I do have a myspace account but it has absolutely nothing substantial.

And, no, I'm not studying in the bar. I'm studying for the bar.

m

[88HF]

I wonder if their is a sound synthesizer that could be hooked up to the car to give you that audio feedback, even though your driving more econo. That way, maybe you could still get that cool feeling?

Videogames work that way... but they get to rush the graphics too. You'd be stuck looking at the people passing and cursing you as you restart from a failed EOC restart.

I think my car does better at 80mph than 60mph, but I'll do some tests and let you know.

This is my most recent data:

2700rpms / 80mph = 33.75 rpms per mph

2100rpms / 60mph = 35 rpms per mph (worse)

As you can see, my car does well at high speeds. Anyway, I never get higher than 23 mpg, so you guys are lucky if you're getting 40/50/60/whatever.

maybe its just your power curve, anyway the faster you go the harder you run yourself up a brick wall because of your Cd. Yours stats come down to
2030 revs per mile, 2700 revs per minute (@ 80 mph) and 2100 revs per mile (@60 mph)

[omgwtfbyobbq]

I just tried upping my cruising speed from ~55mph to 65mph. Talk about pain at the pump... :eek:

[caprice]

i am like that too. thats why you sometimes see every other gas log entry lower than the others. After a bad tank, I feel guilty, and drive a lot better. Then after the good tank, I loose focus. :(

[broodlinger]

You should be looking at rpms per mile, since that's a bit more important.

Well, if I'm getting better rpms @80 than at 60, then my rpms per mile is going to be even better since I'm going faster.

>88HF: the faster you go the harder you run yourself up a brick wall because of your Cd.

That's true, but I drive a Sable, which has a particularly large and curved rear-end. My working theory is that the Sable is very aerodyamic.

Anyway, I get good mpg flying headlong down the expressway. The Sable is a good road-trip car. I know that better mileage @80 is unusual and I'll be looking for ways to test this.

[slurp812]

I used to see redline at least once a day, and usualy shifted at 5000 rpm getting on the freeway, and at least 3000-4000 normally. Now I feel guilty if the rpms get too close to 3000 before I shift...



Well, I hate to say it, but the diagnosis: turns out you're human. :)

Most of us lose it now-and-then and just romp on it (especially with a lot of us with backgrounds in racing, or just liking to drive fast).

RH77

[perris]

you know, I have a turbocharged sportscar that is meant to really get on it...I bought the car to challenge the envelope...this means performance from all points of view as far as I am concerned

I get 40 miles to the gallon on the open road when I'm hypermileaging (is that a word?)

driving for efficiency I have a ball...around town when there's nobody else on the road I get over 50 mpg...man this is fun stuff

however I have fun driving the twisties and pressing my car the way it's supposed to be driven...I get less then 19 mpg when I play rough

I fund my rough driving with the money I save from hypermileaging (is this a word or not?)

it's two differant gears for me, to completely differant activities, like playing chess and playing tennis...both great fun for me but two completely differant things to do