400-mile club

[Glenn E.]

Semi-related to the Gasoline (Petrol) price thread...

I just managed 400 miles on a tank of gas for the first time in my new car. What makes that impressive (at least in the US) is that my gas tank is only 8.7 gallons. I drive a 2008 smart car these days, and got 46.5 mpg on that tank. That's as good as a Toyota Prius and it's not even a hybrid!

My smart car replaced a 2001 Chevy Tahoe (full size 4WD SUV that weighs around 5400 lbs empty for those of you in Europe) as my daily driver. I still have the Tahoe for those rare occasions when I actually need something that big, but I'm really glad to have something more economical to use for my commute so I can leave the Tahoe in the garage. I'm saving between $200 and $250 per month on gas now that it's $4/gallon, so the smart car is basically paying for itself.

[Todd Pettinger]

I had to wait to respond to this thread because I hadn't surpassed this magical number as of yet...

400 miles = 640 km
21.75 km (13.6 miles) is my daily bike commute (each way). I have been biking now for 15 (working) days which at 43.5 km per day, puts me over the 640 km mark. And I have only filled my car with one tank of gas during that time.

So I figure that I can claim to have been able to do the same! Kinda...

I figure if I can keep up these kinds of numbers for 7 or 8 of the 12 months (I simply cannot bike to work in Nov-Feb... too cold, too much snow, my bike is not built for that much snow, salt and extreme temperatures) I will be able to drop a few pounds and that will balance out any Port intake!!!

(Plus without the extra car payment, insurance payment, gas/maintenance payments, I will be able to afford Port a bit easier!)


Yes, there is a method to the madness! :help:
Todd

[Glenn E.]

I've reached the 100-gallon mark now (which took 13 tanks ), and have averaged 44.04 mpg. I think that's pretty good considering that it took the first 2-3 tanks to fully break in the engine. I'm averaging 45-46 mpg now and have hit a best mark of 48.85.

I wish I could bike to work, but my commute is 21 miles each way and there's a pretty significant hill involved. I live on a plateau, and the hill to get on/off is a little over a mile long at a 10% grade. I rode up it on my bike... once... and it took about 25 minutes just for that hill.

[Derek T.]

My Saab 93 1.9 litre Turbo Deisel averages around 48 mpg. On an all motorway (Interstate) trip I would get over 50 mpg easily. Are your gallons smaller than our gallons?

[Glenn E.]

Yup! Your gallons are what we call Imperial gallons. They're 25% larger than ours. (Your pint is 20 oz while ours is 16 oz. That's the more obvious comparison.)

Still, 39 mpg (roughly) is excellent mileage for a 9-3. We simply do not have access to small diesels due to our emissions standards, which IMO are unreasonably harsh on diesels.

My driving is roughly 60% freeway and 40% city. I've heard of people getting 50 mpg on the freeway if they watch their speed. The smart car is rather tall for its size, so anything over 65 mph affects mpg rather dramatically. I seem to get my best mileage at about 58-60 mph, but I can't always drive that slow or I'd be a hazard.

[Derek T.]

Ah, that explains things. for a few minutes I was thinking Mercedes had sold you guys some Smart Cars with lead wheels

We (or rather Jo) have a Smart car too, but it's a Smart Roadster. It only has a 700cc engine but performs fairly well as it weighs about the same as a case of port

Tomorrow I will be joining the ranks of the gas-guzzeling fraternity when my new Jaguar XF arrives :devil:

[Todd Pettinger]

I seem to get my best mileage at about 58-60 mph, but I can't always drive that slow or I'd be a hazard.

Glenn, I hadn't realized you had moved to California!! (Or Alberta for that matter! )

[Andy Velebil]

Tomorrow I will be joining the ranks of the gas-guzzeling fraternity when my new Jaguar XF arrives :devil:

In a few weeks, lets see how fast we can make it go :twisted:

[Andy Velebil]

While I dont' have smart car, my mid-sized Acura TL-S gets about 28-31 MPG. Not bad for a 260hp 6-cylinder. The only bad part is being a high output 6, it requires a min of 91 octane. So only super unleaded for me Luckily I have a short commute....but at work thats another story.

An average day at work I drive about 25-35 miles, of course that is in circles for 12 hours, and I use on average about 10-12 gallons in that 12 hours. Ye 'ol overgrown and underpowered Ford Crown Victoria is a gas guzzler. I guess thats not very good milage is it I also must add that now that we have all these new computers and electronics in it we can't turn the car off for any length of time or it kills the battery. Its so bad that even if the car is parked and everything is turned off, within a day or two the battery will still go dead. It seems all this new technology requires a constant small amount of juice to sustain itself and stay programed (digital encripted radios and all) So the car is never turned off for my entire shift.

[Glenn E.]

The smart car's 1000cc Mitsubishi engine is also high compression and requests 91 octane. It will run on good old 87 octane as well, but that dings the mileage by about 10% according to the people who have tried it. Since 91 octane is only about 7-8% more expensive than 87 around here, you get more mp$ (miles per dollar) running 91.

And no, I haven't moved to California. :) We don't drive THAT fast up here, but there are parts of I-5 and I-90 around Seattle where the average speed of traffic is between 65 and 70, so putting along at 58-60 even in the far right lane gets me some nasty looks. Down closer to Olympia the speed kicks up even higher to the point that if you're "only" going 70 you better be in the far right lane or the big rigs will run you down.

Ironically, I got a speeding ticket this morning on the way to work. And in retrospect, I think the officer got a false reading of some sort. He claimed I was going 39 in a 25 zone, and while I would believe that I was speeding I don't think it's possible that I was going 39. I had been at a full stop ~1000 feet earlier, and my little smart car just doesn't accellerate that fast. It's certainly capable of going from 0-40 in under a quarter mile, but getting up to 39 in that short of a distance requires some real effort and will give you whiplash when the electronic clutch disengages/engages while shifting.

[Gary Banker]

Andy,

I'm surprised that some genius hasn't already gotten you folks equipped with the hand-crank generators in your vehicles. The special forces units probably still have some version. They still had them when I was in 10th Group. You could work up a good thirst while you were on shift

[Derek T.]

And no, I haven't moved to California. :) We don't drive THAT fast up here, but there are parts of I-5 and I-90 around Seattle where the average speed of traffic is between 65 and 70, so putting along at 58-60 even in the far right lane gets me some nasty looks. Down closer to Olympia the speed kicks up even higher to the point that if you're "only" going 70 you better be in the far right lane or the big rigs will run you down.

I do find it strange that there is such a difference in driving speed in the USA and the UK. On any 2, 3 or 4 lane Motorway (Freeway/Interstate) that is not congested with too much traffic you would find that the slowest lane will move at between 50-60 mph whilst the fastest lane will have an average of at least 80 mph, despite the 70 mph speed limit. Many, many drivers will cruize along at speeds between 80-100 mph in the outside lane. From Glenn's comments above and my own limited experience of driving in the USA this seems to be way outside what you would expect to see over the pond. I wonder why this is? Especially as your roads are much wider and better than ours.

[Andy Velebil]

Andy,

I'm surprised that some genius hasn't already gotten you folks equipped with the hand-crank generators in your vehicles. The special forces units probably still have some version. They still had them when I was in 10th Group. You could work up a good thirst while you were on shift

With the price of gas, I'm sure those hand cranked generators are already on order

[Glenn E.]

I do find it strange that there is such a difference in driving speed in the USA and the UK. On any 2, 3 or 4 lane Motorway (Freeway/Interstate) that is not congested with too much traffic you would find that the slowest lane will move at between 50-60 mph whilst the fastest lane will have an average of at least 80 mph, despite the 70 mph speed limit. Many, many drivers will cruize along at speeds between 80-100 mph in the outside lane. From Glenn's comments above and my own limited experience of driving in the USA this seems to be way outside what you would expect to see over the pond. I wonder why this is? Especially as your roads are much wider and better than ours.

Our laws are relatively draconian when it comes to speeding. If you get caught at 100 mph on the freeway you're in trouble. I don't think you can lose your license for a single offense, but it wouldn't surprise me if you could. And your insurance rates will skyrocket because not only is 100 mph speeding, it's also probably considered reckless driving. In some states driving that fast could also be considered racing - even in the absense of any other cars around you - which potentially kicks in all kinds of additional fines and penalties.

Some people do drive that fast over here, but typically they're young and stupid.

That said, there are definitely freeways in major metropolitan areas where the "normal" speed approaches 80 mph. I'd be afraid to drive my smart car that fast, though... with only an 8' wheel base it's not very stable at high speed.

[Eric Ifune]

Our laws are relatively draconian when it comes to speeding. If you get caught at 100 mph on the freeway you're in trouble. I don't think you can lose your license for a single offense, but it wouldn't surprise me if you could. And your insurance rates will skyrocket because not only is 100 mph speeding, it's also probably considered reckless driving. In some states driving that fast could also be considered racing - even in the absense of any other cars around you - which potentially kicks in all kinds of additional fines and penalties.

Not sure if our laws are stricter. I think in Europe, more people tend to drive faster, but they are also better drivers. It's much more difficult to get a drivers licsence. Also, if caught, the fines are higher, and they have no problem taking your liscense away. There, driving is a privledge rather than a right.

[Derek T.]

Not sure if our laws are stricter. I think in Europe, more people tend to drive faster, but they are also better drivers. It's much more difficult to get a drivers licsence. Also, if caught, the fines are higher, and they have no problem taking your liscense away. There, driving is a privledge rather than a right.

Eric,

I don't disagree with any of that. Having lost my license for 6 months previously for speeding I know how easy it is to have that happen here, yet it does not seem to deter most drivers. I wonder whether or not part of the difference in driving speeds is the size of the cars we drive? I find that when I am in a larger car I am less inclined to break the speed limit as the experience of cruising along the road is more tollerable than it is in a smaller, less comfortable car. Big comfortable cars seem to be the norm in the US.

[Eric Ifune]

The cars are also geared differently. In the US, most cars accelerate faster. In Europe, they don't accelerate as fast but run at high speed better.

[Glenn E.]

Not sure if our laws are stricter. I think in Europe, more people tend to drive faster, but they are also better drivers. It's much more difficult to get a drivers licsence. Also, if caught, the fines are higher, and they have no problem taking your liscense away. There, driving is a privledge rather than a right.

I agree that the average European driver is better than the average American driver. It's not that all of their drivers are better - the best drivers on both sides of the pond are about equal - it's that we have far more totally incompetent drivers here in the US.

Your last comment has more to do with public transit that driver quality (or legal fortitude). Europe actually has public transit that works, so if you lose your license you'll still be able to get around. We just don't have that over here, at least not consistently.

In Seattle for example, public transit only works well if you want to get around in Seattle or if you want to commute to or from Seattle. If you need to get from Sammamish where I live to Renton where I used to work... you're screwed unless you don't mind going 10 miles out of your way to Seattle and changing busses to do it.