The slow down, waste time experiment?

I've been trying to save gas, really, I have.

I've been trying to do my little part in decreasing our dependency on oil. I've been trying to do my little part in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. And because my parts in these matters are so very miniscule (but, I believe, worthwhile), I've been most interested in the effect that decreasing my auto fuel consumption might have on my bank account.

I admit, I didn't think gas prices would get this high this year. The cheap stuff is $4.29 in my neighborhood, but last night when I was in the city, it was $4.74. Yes, the cheap stuff. That's Chicago: the frequent leader in gas prices and sales tax (which is now 10.25%, but that's another topic for another day). Luckily, I had filled up "cheaply" earlier in the day.

Now, there are many ways to use less gas (drive less, use your temperature control wisely, keep your tires properly inflated, keep your car tuned up, etc.), but the only significant way I can try to use less gas is to slow down. I can't drive any less, I already use public transportation or ride my bike whenever possible, and I keep my car in pretty good condition. So, since May 6, I have been experimenting with capping my highway speeds at 60mph. That's down from my usual comfort zone of 80-85mph. I've documented each fill up, noting the number of gallons pumped and the distance traveled since my last fill up. And I've done the math, here and there. (Honestly, I still have a partial stack of receipts to finish crunching.) But time and time again when I compare my latest mileage with my pre-experiment mileage, I'm not seeing any mind-blowing results.

No matter what I do, no matter how fast or how slow or on what kind of road, I still get between 30 and 40 miles to the gallon, which ain't half bad.

But the reason I haven't posted any numbers yet is because my driving habits just aren't regular. For instance, I think the initial tank of gas that I'm comparing results to, the tank in which I drove balls-out at 85mph every chance I got, was driven almost entirely on the highway. Whereas recent tanks have seen, for instance, three highway round trips to the far west suburbs and one round trip into the city on side streets. So comparing these numbers isn't quite like comparing apples to apples. I want more data before posting any comprehensive results.

Meanwhile, today over at one of my favorite web sites, Ask MetaFilter, Sanka had this to say:

As my anecdote: I recently rented an 08 Hyundai Elantra to drive from Houston to San Antonio. I set the cruise at 75mph and used the A/C the entire way. After refilling up I calculated the mileage out to 37.5 mpg, 0.5 mpg better than advertised.

I'm feeling a lot like that. My good intentions are in place, but my equipment is all wrong. Like I'm preaching to the choir, the choir being my all too fuel efficient car. (A Toyota Matrix, for those keeping score.) Why didn't I try this experiment when I drove my last car, an SUV? That old Ford Explorer was a good car, but a proper gas guzzler, too. Well...had I done the experiment back then, I expect my blog entries might have looked something like this:

Ran the numbers again today, and no matter what I do, my gas mileage still sucks!!!

Some gas-saving ideas

Switching gears for a moment, I'd like to go back to talking about auto fuel consumption. I've followed a couple links lately that mentioned some tips for saving gas that many of us probably don't think about. Here are links to the articles, and I've bulleted out what I consider the most interesting points.

9 Ways to Save on Gas This Summer

Reduce rapid acceleration and hard braking

Pack light and remove roof racks/cargo when not in use

Top 10 Tips for Saving Gas

Go ahead and use your A/C when you're on the highway on those hot days; opening windows just adds drag (but turn off the A/C when stopped or in slow traffic)

Don't keep your gas tank full; less gas = less weight

Slow down. Save gas. Save earth. Spread the word.

As a follow-up from yesterday's post, The slow down, save gas experiment, I am offering you a way to help spread the word about this simple thing that we can all do to help save gas.

Remember, by using less gas, you will:
1) Save money
2) Use less of a finite resource
3) Stem global warming

So without further ado, I am offering three bumper stickers that you can proudly display to let others know what you're doing to help lessen our use of oil:



A portion of proceeds will be donated to Environmental Defense Fund (see also their Charity Navigator rating).

The slow down, save gas experiment

I am a lead foot.

I like to drive fast, and by that I mean, I always drive fast. I pick the fastest lane and keep up with the fastest car in it (except for those guys who zigzag through traffic at 100mph; they're just nuts), passing cars on the right that have no business being in the fast lane. Friends call my car "Tardis" because when we drive somewhere in it, we always reach our destination faster than anybody previously thought possible. I was pulled over seven times before even graduating high school, so early in life I knew what I was and that there was little use in fighting it. [Sidebar: although one time it was for blowing through a stop sign (a tree branch was hanging in front of it, I swear; I couldn't have possibly seen it in time to stop at the speed I was driving) and another time it was for changing lanes without using a turn signal and cutting off a cop. But I am anal retentive about using my turn signal and there is no way I wouldn't have seen that cop, as my convertible's top was down so there were no obstructions. I fought the cop on that one and won, which is a good thing, because I didn't have my driver's license due to a recent speeding incident. But I digress.]

Driving fast is how I behave naturally, anyway. That's the way my genes expressed themselves. Left to my own devices my favorite speed is 85mph, and I have been overheard asking slower folks if they are actually interested in reaching their destination.

Before you jump down my throat, understand that on the highways around where I live, I am not alone. Not only am I not alone, but it actually does feel a little dangerous to travel the speed limit, which is 55mph. (On I-294, 75 is about average.) And there is nothing worse than the traffic buildup that occurs when a cop pulls onto the highway and everyone slows down to the speed limit. People do not know what to do with themselves when they can't pass that cop. Their right feet twitch. Their blood pressures rise. All you see is a visual cacophony of flashing brake lights ahead of you because each driver is chomping at the bit to get out of the cop-traffic-buildup.

But as I age into an older, gentler person, I find myself becoming wiser as well. And there is simply no denying the fact that, if nothing else, lead foot driving wastes gas. With Earth's finite amount of oil and with our political barriers to obtaining all that our little American hearts desire, gas is something that we really should be proactively trying to conserve. In addition, gas is expensive already and the faster we drive, the more we use and therefore spend. With today's gas prices, the current factoid you'll hear is that for every 10mph you travel over 60mph, you're spending at least $0.50 more per gallon.

So in my current gung-ho mission of conservation, sustainable living, saving the environment and all that jazz, I decided to try changing my ways. I decided to find out just how much gas I am wasting by driving the way I do. So I've begun an experiment wherein I am tracking my driving and the gas I use, calculating both how much money and how much gas I can save by slowing down to 60mph. (I still ain't messing with 55mph, sorry.)

Of course this has been done before, but not by me. Nobody knows how much gas and money I am wasting by driving the way I do. And I suspect nobody really cares how much I am wasting, but maybe by making this contribution to the blogosphere, I'll help inspire somebody else to try the same thing, and in the end we'll be using a little less gas than we were before.

The experiment will be slow going, as my driving needs are erratic. Some weeks I drive only a few miles through town, and other weeks I drive 95 miles on the highway each day. So I need to compare comparable driving situations when doing the math. I will, of course, post my progress here.

Meanwhile, here are some related links for your educational pleasure:
Slow Down a Little, Save a Lot of Gas
Drive 55, save gas -- get flipped off - This one is great because it's from three years ago, when gas prices were hovering around the $3 mark (which was appalling at the time)
Airlines slow down flights to save on fuel
20 Tips to Save Money on Gas
How to Save Money on Gas - 29 Tips
Ask MetaFilter: Tricks to getting better MPG
Hey lead foot, if you want to save gas, slow down
How to save $0.54 per gallon on gas
Save More Gas by Safely Following Trucks
Gas May Finally Cost Too Much