60 mph - how do you do it?

[McPatrick]

I'm considering lowering my spead to 60 mph, but I will admit that it is already a challenge driving 65 mph, so I was wondering how other people do it. Some music might help, but then again sometimes it works the opposite and instead stimulates me to go faster

[CO ZX2]

Rather than making myself comfortable, I think of staying out of others' way as much as possible. I look in my mirrors as much as out the windshield. A SuperMid would keep your mind on FE.

60 should not be a big problem, some here go a lot slower than that.

How far do you drive each day? Where are you located?

[northboundtrain]

Get a volkswagen naturally aspirated diesel

[s2man]

Get a ScanGuage and keep an eye on Throttle Position, Gallons per Hour, or Instantaneous MPG. That should give you incentive to let off the throttle. And, it will also make you want to coast further and more often . It did for me :-)

BTW, I was behind a guy in a Prius the other day, and boy was he driving like a jerk. Going slow and coasting; he must have been going for FE. LOL. I guess I've got a ways to go in my driving habits to reach my car's potential. But I hate do that during rush-hour traffic. :-S

[DaX]

Lowering your speed takes great effort. Getting used to people riding your bumper and passing you was the hardest part for me to get over.

[jwxr7]

Yeah, it takes willpower to go slower than the flow. I go 55 in a 70 for part of my commute, but it's usually not too busy. Gotta watch the mirrors like they said.

Originally Posted by northboundtrain

Get a volkswagen naturally aspirated diesel

wow! a car with less horsepower than mine . Probably has alote more torque than mine though.

[MnFocus]

Originally Posted by CO ZX2

Rather than making myself comfortable, I think of staying out of others' way as much as possible. I look in my mirrors as much as out the windshield. A SuperMid would keep your mind on FE.
60 should not be a big problem, some here go a lot slower than that.

How far do you drive each day? Where are you located?

Exactly ! FE is a concentration game for me , avoidance as well as politeness are part of that game . For semi's I try to give a 1/4 mile notice of my slower speed with the E-flashers (as well as headlights when they are clear to return to the slow lane ) . They seem to appreciate it A LOT .

The ScanGauge really helps with instant feedback as well as 'rewards' ( SuperMid would of course be same/same ) .
60!?? would seem like warp speed for me LOL My daily avg speed is 48 ! I haven't been over 57 in weeks !!


DaX ...do you *ever* really get over it ? I haven't yet and it really irks me - especially when the left lane is clear for miles !

[McPatrick]

Yeah, especially with trucks passing you. It's almost like I need an excuse and tell others it's not because I feel like 90 years old
mnaybe I should make a sticker saying something like 'going 60 mpg" or something
That Scangauge i read a lot about, but one of the reasons for buying the VX is out of economic reasons as well, and I am not sure how much a Scangauge is but I am sure I could buy quite some gallons of gas for that.

My wife will start driving it to work once the AC is fixed and she drives about 40 miles a day. I will drive it myself taking longer trips like the one thonight going up to Michigan where we unfortunately own a house that just doesn't sell and which I am fixing up. All in all I think my wife will put around 10K a year on it and myself, with family trips and such included, another 10K.

[Fuzzy5150]

I use to really sweat it when someone rode my tail......now, if I'm not changing lanes or merging, I don't look in the mirror at all. I run 55-58 on a 65 and 70 mpg divided highway.

It is my little 'head game' with myself.

[bbgobie]

Eye on the scangauge, and looking for the next great draft.
Its not as hard as I thought it would be.

[brucepick]

I've gotten used to having FE as a priority. Too bad for them if they think I should be going faster. I got honked at two days in a row this week but I didn't respond in any way. If they can't see the "MPG" sticker on my back window and figure it out that's just tooooo baaad.

I'll go faster when they buy my gas. OK, that's a quote from a FE message board post. That's how I feel though.

[DaX]

Originally Posted by MnFocus

DaX ...do you *ever* really get over it ? I haven't yet and it really irks me - especially when the left lane is clear for miles !

It's a constant struggle. I've recently taken on the tactic of sitting more forward when I see a car approaching rapidly. This way I don't see them in the mirror, therefore they are not there and I can continue saving gas!

[Sigifrith]

Originally Posted by McPatrick

...That Scangauge i read a lot about, but one of the reasons for buying the VX is out of economic reasons as well, and I am not sure how much a Scangauge is but I am sure I could buy quite some gallons of gas for that....

A Scangauge won't work on your VX. You'll need a SuperMID. http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=3953

I'm waiting till the new one arrives with a MPG display.

[McPatrick]

I just spent some time looking for bumper stickers that will let my fellow road user know "what the heck he's doing driving THAT slow".

I found this one:



And there are more here:

http://www.cafepress.com/peacetrain/1780576

Anybody know of more cool bumper stickers, beside the one from Gassavers.org of course ?

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by brucepick

I'll go faster when they buy my gas. OK, that's a quote from a FE message board post. That's how I feel though.

[ffvben]

i don't use cruise control because i don't have any ... but keeping your foot on the gas, making adjustments keeps me alert more constantly watching speedo. I'd probably fall asleep if cruise was on, i wish they made auto pilot.

[white90crxhf]

it's pretty easy... @ 65 my rpm's are roughly 3000, my redline is 5000. i hate going over 65 because my engine has so many miles(303,7xx). I think i'm going to kill it and be tempted to replace it with an D16A6.

[kickflipjr]

You just need to get in the habit of driving at slow speed. It takes some time to adjust. Remember to look in you rearveiw mirror more.

[Rick Rae]

Originally Posted by jwxr7

Gotta watch the mirrors like they said.

Okay, and what do you do when you see something in the rearview? DaX, I see your tactic is to stop looking and MnFocus uses emergency flashers for a heads-up. What do others do?

It seems to me the risk's the worst in light traffic. During the morning commute there's always cars behind me swinging left to pass, so the folks behind them get a warning that something ahead is moving more slowly than the pack. But when the highway's lightly loaded, someone who's not paying attention can be on top of you before they know it.

MnFocus, I'm with you on the politeness thing. If there's not a lot of traffic and I see someone coming in plenty of time, I'll go into a gentle pulse so I'm not as much below the posted limit by the time they catch me, then I'll glide after they pass. I've also tried the ridge-riding thing as a visual cue. In heavy traffic I've been caving and picking up my pace to a little under the speed limit. (Maybe as I build my nerve, or get more cynical, or gas prices continue to climb I won't do that as much but I'm still new to all this -- I've been a "speed limit plus five" driver for as long as I can remember.)

Let's hear methods from the rest of you, please.

Rick

P.S...

Originally Posted by McPatrick

...I am not sure how much a Scangauge is but I am sure I could buy quite some gallons of gas for that.

With gas prices what they are, not as many as you might think.

[96hb]

You just have to force yourself to do it. No other way really. It is hard sometimes but when you fill up and see how many more mpg's you just got, that makes it worth it. I'm not like most of these guys though. I never drive that much below the speed limit on an interstate. I do 55-60 (speed limit 55) and just try to cruise at a steady speed. Some people pass me, some follow behind. I'm just trying to drive more sensibly. I'm not as into it as some of the others here, but I have made great increases in FE. I went from 38-40mpg to now getting 47-50mpg. Pretty good for just slowing down a little on my commute and airing up the tires.

[jwxr7]

Okay, and what do you do when you see something in the rearview?

I make sure they are paying attention due to the speed diff. If they don't look like they are going to go around early, then I ridge ride and make sure my LED markers are on so they don't run into me. It's better to know what is happening behind you with that kind of speed difference especially since my car only weighs about 1600 lbs .

[brucepick]

Hazard flashers work well for people following too closely.

Or add some rear fog lights. That's what I have on the Volvo; I use them to give a heads up to people behind me.

They are red taillights, but have the brightness of brake lights, using the high-wattage filament in an 1157 bulb. In fog you can be seen from a greater distance. In daytime I normally drive with all lights off but the fogs are set in "on" position so as soon as I activate the headlights the taillights + "rear fogs" come on all at the same time. Usually this makes close followers back off quickly.

In the past I would let them see my brake lights work if the above didn't do the trick. Now of course I avoid using the brakes... I did use them yesterday though, on a newish van that was about 6'-8' from my bumper. For some reason he backed off quickly and then passed me....

[Bill in Houston]

A bumper sticker saying "Driving 60 mph in support of our troops" should keep anyone from getting too angry. Cutting our dependence on oil will help keep our men in uniform at home a lot more in coming years.

I look out the side windows more and enjoy the scenery. No sense looking at the guy behind me. That might make me mad and feed into a road rage kind of thing.

[jwxr7]

Once I know a car realizes how slow I'm going I pretty much ignore them and relax. They can follow me close as long as it's not dangerously close, it may help reduce drag on my car .

[bbgobie]

When SUV's start tailgating me I smile knowing I'm helping them save some gas


Its not a problem if your in the right lane. Now if your doing the limit in the far left, different story.

[psyshack]

Just drive your game. I run 50 to 60 on 65 and 70 mph hwys all the time. They dont like,,, tuffy toe nails. I really dont care. They get to close to my bumper tail grabing. The last thing they might see before the steering wheel hits them in the face is my brake lights.

Ive also started reporting folks that road rage, use hand signals, tailgate, and such. It is against the law here and the Troopers want to know about it. We have min and max limits here. If you are between them the pissed off one has no case.

So drive your game. Dont worry about the so called normal folks.... LMAO,,, I even pick up slow travelers like myself.

psy

[ma4t]

Let's say a car is behind you and it's getting too close. Pretend you're going to change lanes. They will speed up and drive past you. It's a psychological game.

It's the same as when I want to change lanes. I turn on my blinker. The person in the other lane will almost inevitably speed up. That's when I slow down and enjoy a wide-open lane to change into.

Spot the drivers who have less than average manners or intelligence (usually the same drivers). They are the easisest to control because they have tunnel vision and everything is a race to them. The best thing is, they even think they are winning. But I'm still getting them off my tail or getting them to clear a space so I can change lanes.

I just laugh and tell my wife, "It's like I have a remote control or something."

m

[ma4t]

Originally Posted by bbgobie

When SUV's start tailgating me I smile knowing I'm helping them save some gas


Its not a problem if your in the right lane. Now if your doing the limit in the far left, different story.

You can always give them some free wiper fluid!

m

[Peakster]

I have to admit that doing 50mph on long trips is hard. Doing that speed in the city is easy because the freeway is only about 7 miles long anyway.

[basjoos]

My car is visually startling enough when seen from behind, that drivers coming up behind are already alert by the time they reach me. My main problem is the person sitting in the passing lane next to me while they are checking out my car while traffic continues to pile up behind them. Even worse is the guy who comes flying past me, then slows down until I pass them so they can have a double take, and then sits there inspecting my car. Boy, does this type of behavior piss off the people behind them, but they have never taken it out on me. I haven't had a case of road rage since I extreme aero-modded my car. Then again, I'm usually going at or above the speed limit except on the uphill climbs, where I'll usually be at to 5mph below the posted speed limit.