Today, I decided that I would try driving 5 mph slower than the posted speed on the interstate on my way to the farm which is exactly 100 miles from my front doorstep to the front doorstep of the farmhouse. I even used the ac because it was quiet toasty here in the Ohio Valley this weekend. The first place I stopped when I arrived back home was the gas station for a fill up so I could calculate the mileage exactly.
To my surprise I was able to increase my mileage per gallon by 5 miles just by slowing down from 70 mph to 65 mph. The time difference for the drive was 10 minutes. From now on I will be cruising at 65 mph on the drive to the farm. Plus, I will be testing this experiment for my in city driving also. If I can increase the in city driving by 5 mpg than you will be hearing singing from this farmgirl!!
Hey Donna! Yeah very warm this weekend, but at least the humidity wasn't as bad as it had been. Or maybe I'm just gettin used to it. Did you see the Sunday Courier? The Money and Careers section had some tips about how to save on gas and one of the tips was about speed. The article said that a vehicle's best speeds are between 45 and 60mph and for every 5 miles above it can add on an extra 30 cents per gallon. Let me know if you find a way to save on city mileage.
You proved what I just heard on a radio program about increasing your gas mileage. For every 5 miles you go above the speed limit of 55 you decrease your gas mileage by 5 mpg. So if you drop it down another 5 you save another 5 mpg. On the aircondioning they said it's only about 1 mpg lost if using the air conditioner. If you roll down your windows instead of using the air conditioner you lose the aerodynamics of the car. Slow her down and save money. JoAnn
Gas Mileage Experiment
Posted - Jun 08 2008 : 6:16:59 PM
