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Are you driving slower or notice others with the high gas prices

Started by Sedgehammer, June 10, 2022, 04:10:26 PM

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Sedgehammer

I'm not , but I sure see other's doing it . seems I'm always behind them 
Necessity is the engine of drive

K-Guy

I'm not either but I'm not racing by people either, so no I'm not seeing more of it yet. The guys that race by me are still as plentiful as ever, I just laugh at them knowing winter will come and many of them will hit the ditches then! smiley_jester
Nyle Service Dept.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
- D. Adams

Old Greenhorn

Now that you mention it, I notice the idiot next door has not had his kid out running around in circles for hours on a dirtbike or 4 wheeler. Neither has the Dad been out there either. I wonder......
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Jeff

I am trying to go half as many places, half as many times, but doing it the same wayI ever did.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Sedgehammer

Yeah , we're tryin to be a bit better about making fewer trips , but if we want something , we still make that singular trip
Necessity is the engine of drive

TroyC

I don't mind driving slower. During the 70's gas shortage 55 mph was the law of the land.

I've checked mileage on my vehicles at different speeds. Difference in mileage between 60 mph and 75-80 is very noticeable. I'll stay in the right lane and out of your way!

moodnacreek


WV Sawmiller

   I am in line with Jeff on the efforts to combine trips and reduce the number but I have largely done that most of my life. Maybe I am just lazy and don't want to make another trip.

  I remember the speed restrictions but they also went along with odd and even gas sales days and 10 gallon limits and such and no Sunday sales, etc.

  I have a buddy who says drive faster so you can coast further when you do run out.  ::)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ron Wenrich

I keep on looking for routes that don't have red lights.  Nothing kills mileage like having to make a ton of stops, then sit there and wait for the light to change.  Back roads may be a tad bit slower, but you always seem to end up getting there about the same time.

On the main highways, I tend to be 5-10 over the posted limit.  I'm still being blown away by the captain of the highway that wants to go 20+ over.  My beef continues to be the guy that thinks the left lane is reserved for their cruising enjoyment. 

My driving style remains the same.  I am noticing a bit less traffic on the road. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Sedgehammer

I can't say any less traffic here

I park behind the left lane Sunday drivers , flash lights until they move over . I say that , but not with wife and kids in the vehicular we're currently transversing with . If I make that mistake , I'm quickly reminded in no uncertain terms not with the kids in car ...... 😬
Necessity is the engine of drive

Old saw fixer

I try to combine trips, and seldom go over 55 MPH.  I set the cruise and stay in the right lane until I get to congestion near built up areas, then usually in the center of three lanes at traffic speed with a decent reaction zone in front of me.
I'm also driving the 2003 Subaru Forester more and leaving the 1992 GMC K1500 Sierra short bed at home.  350 engine and 3.73 gears are not thrifty on the road!
The fuel prices and the 30+ miles round trip for 0 Ethanol gas are making me think about using 0 Ethanol only for my two stroke tools.  The lawn mower and other 4 stroke machines lived on ethanol fuel with a stabilizer for years.  
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

beav


beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

thecfarm

Left lane, right lane?
If I am in the left lane I am on the wrong side of the road.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

B.C.C. Lapp

I already drive slow. Wish everybody else would slow down and put their phones away.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

Old Greenhorn

Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Erik A

Slow down..... if you go under 75 around here, you will get rear ended!

Then we have traffic lights that would clear a mile of traffic if there was that many cars! 

We get to donate a lot of fuel to the meters that we have to get on the free way!

Wlmedley

Seems like every year I drive a little slower.I'm in no hurry and the deer around here are thick as fleas.More worried about tearing my truck up than gas mileage  :laugh:
Bill Medley WM 126-14hp , Husky372xp ,MF1020 ,Homemade log arch,Yamaha Grizzly 450,GMC2500,Oregon log splitter

beenthere

Erik A
Quoteif you go under 75 around here

Where is "around here" ?  

Help if you add your location to your profile..   ;) ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

SwampDonkey

Less 'thru province traffic', (school is not out yet)  but no one slowing down. There's lots of people going 20-40 km/hr (12-24 mph) over 110 km/hr (68 mph). No highway patrol at all here. Hasn't been for years. You do those speeds in Ontario and you will be caught. I was behind someone yesterday who would get up to the speed limit, then brake down to 20 below. Finally the ding dong pulled over to the side. Years ago going 20 under got you a ticket, and especially someone braking all the time for reckless endangerment.  Also, I haven't seen a mobile scales in years. The roads show it.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

breederman

I drive this state from end to end for work, i think there is more traffic than there was pre covid and it sure as heck hasn't slowed down . My personal pickup i tend to keep a very light foot on as it makes a pretty big difference in fuel consumption but i only drive it 10000 miles a year or less. 
Together we got this !

Tom King

Everyone I see is driving slower than they were in the height of the pandemic when they knew no one was going to stop them.  Cars Flew on the roads here then. 

There is no slowing up of boat traffic here on the lake.  Someone has been running up and down the lake most of the day, for a couple of weeks now, on something that looks like an ocean racing boat that sounds like it has a couple of big blocks in it.

Chuck White

I've noticed that there are very few dirt bikes, 4-wheelers and side-by-sides racing up and down the road by my house, in fact over the last few days I haven't seen any.

NICE!!!   :)
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

dgdrls

Combining trips as much as possible, and keep it at the speed limit.
Folks are complaining but they keep
the peddle mashed.

D

Oliver05262

I drive like an old man anyway.

I Use her car- a small Buick suv @ 28 to 30 mpg on parts runs if she will let me.
The Wrangler is fun to drive, but gets about 18.
The F350 service truck has everything I need in it, but at 12 mpg do I really need all of it?
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

kantuckid

My 2015 F-150, 5.0 V-8 gets 25mpg all day long at the speed limit. What I noticed on a road trip Sunday is aggressive driving! Lots of it! 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

samandothers

I have dropped my speed some, to 70/ 72 vs 75/77 and driving the hybrid a lot more versus the Duramax.  Also combine trips/ cut down on numbers of them.  It does help.


DeerMeadowFarm

I've been driving faster so I can get where I'm going quicker and therefore use less gas...  ;) ;D

breederman

My question is how the heck is kantuc getting 25 mph? I have  2014 and have to try hard to get 17.5! I must have shorter rear end gears.
Together we got this !

DennisK


kantuckid

Quote from: breederman on June 28, 2022, 05:07:06 PM
My question is how the heck is kantuc getting 25 mph? I have  2014 and have to try hard to get 17.5! I must have shorter rear end gears.
The truck calculates the mpg for me, that's how. As a guy who has ridden MC's since 1963, been around military aviation, and still enjoy my adrenaline rushes from my Vespa 300 GT scooter, I don't qualify as a light foot guy, but I'll admit to being lots tamer than once was. I rarely get tickets any more for e.g.. :D I bought the truck new, ordered as equipped and it's always gotten 25mpg when not towing. 2015 F-150 SCREW, XLT Sport, 5.0. 83,000 miles and so far a complete set of brakes, one battery and on my 2nd set of tires. It is the only model in it's group which comes with a heavy nylon fabric seat cover and still looks new inside. It also has the dreaded Ford "frozen door locks issue". I've never gotten the recall door lock fix as I'm not comfy with what they do plus mine mostly never freezes (open or shut :o) since first few years. 
I had 4 Tundras in a row prior, each a V-8 engine and similar mpg. They were each great trucks but I decided to go USA truck & like Fords. One son drives a Ram hemi and we argue about stuff that doesn't matter. His older brother has his 2nd Tundra and drives them until they barely have anything left. 
Yes, the rear end gears vary. Mine easily pulls our 21' RV trailer up a very steep private gravel road FWIW. ;D Contrast the F-150 with wife's (I call it her Matthew Mcconahy car ;D) SUV Nautilus Lincoln that has like 346hp V-6 yet gets the same mpg. It made in Canada, truck is from Dearborn, MI plant and made from beer/soda cans.   
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

Chuck White

I've had my 2018 Silverado since Dec 2018 and enjoy saving gas when compared to the '03 Silverado I used to have.

Last week I bought a 2019 Subaru Forester and I'm amazed at how slowly the gas gage drops.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

petefrom bearswamp

I now drive like an old man because I am one.
I have  found that there is a difference in vehicle computer calculated MPG and the good old arithmetic method.
My 2014 GMC will get computer mileage up to 22 mpg highway and 17 around home on secondary roads averaging probably 50 MPH.
Arithmetic MPG is about 1-1/2 MPG less, but haven't checked it in a few years.
I do however use the feel good computer mileage when discussing MPG with my pals.
One friend always claimed much better MPG than me with his Chevy compared to my GMC, same engine and tranny
In 2019 we took a 2000 mile trip to Canada fishing and we gassed up at the same stations and both trucks took within 1 or 2 tenths of a liter per fill up.
He no longer claims that great mileage difference.
Two things a man will exaggerate about are the size of a certain body part and his gas mileage.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

peakbagger

I have run econoboxes for quite a while and have worked out of my home for 15 plus years. Its either local driving or long drives to client sites. I have had a couple of projects down in Mass for 3 years and its noticeable on my drives down from Northern NH how much traffic has thinned out and slowed down since pre covid and the run up in fuel prices. Previously on the two lane interstate as I went south into southern NH I would need to bump up my cruise control 4 or 5 miles an hour to try to stay up with traffic in the slow lane. Once I hit the 3 or 4 lane stretches, I needed to bump it up more. I used to avoid 495 in Mass in general as that was bumper to bumper at 80 plus. Lately I am taking 495 and while still busy the speed has dropped. I also think I see a lot more commercial vehicles with governors running at or below the speed limit.

I picked up a plug in Hybrid Rav 4 last year, it gets just a bit less highway mileage than the econoboxes, 38 versus 40 MPG but anything under 45 miles round trip is "free"(I have surplus solar at home to charge it). Kind of nice to have AWD and more room. If I need to haul something I have a receiver hitch for a trailer. If I need haul something big, I have a Unimog flat bed, it runs out of gearing at 55 so no option to speed but it definitely gets better mileage at 45 mph. 

jb616

My main driver is a Toyota Matrix. I am amazed at how much i can haul with that hatchback. 13 bundles of shingles, 8' 2x4's with ease.  My backup is a '16 Silverado that gets 20 on the hwy if I am not hauling anything...but the biggest thing of all is reliability for any vehicle. You can spend a years worth of gas in a heartbeat if you drive a vehicle that you constantly have to bring to a repair shop to get fixed. 

Greenie

I drive as fast as I can get away with when it's safe to do so. Here in Maine driving less than 85 in a 65 is usually not a problem, 70 in a 55 two lane rural road is pretty safe too. Police have better things to do plus ticketing speeders in the ranges I described above would be like bailing out a lake with a bucket.
In 1974 many cars weighed two or more tons and had two or 3 speed automatic transmissions and got gas mileage reflecting those realities. My Equinox has 9 speeds and a 2 liter engine that produces 252 HP. Today's cars have little in common with cars of the 1970's and can cruise faster using less gasoline.
Texas has the right idea - some four lane toll roads have 85 MPH speed limits and some 2 lane rural highways are posted at 75.

Roundhouse

I have not noticed anyone driving slower around here. What I have noticed a few times in the last week is cars out of gas around our small town. The cars are nothing out of the ordinary and there is a service station about every 2 blocks. Not sure if people are trying to stretch it to payday or what. I don't recall seeing so many loose the "gas game" in the past.

Personally, we embark on a 10 day road trip vacation tomorrow. We're headed out west to some national parks and such. Last time we took this route was 6 years ago, we drove my Tacoma with a small camper on the back. Initially we were going to do the same this year. However the weight and wind resistance of the camper can cut the normal mileage of the truck (20mpg) in half. I broke out the calculator and did some quick figuring, at $4 a gallon it would cost us roughly $800 more to drive the truck with camper than taking our Camry. The gas cost has only gone up since then. We're taking the car and the savings will pay for most of the hotel stays. With the schedule we keep there isn't a lot of time at the campsites anyway, besides the kids are 6 years taller. If only they still made a Family Truckster...
Woodland Mills HM130, 1995 F350 7.3L, 1994 F350 flatbed/crane, 1988 F350 dump, Owatonna 770 rough terrain forklift, 1938 Allis-Chalmers reverse WC tractor loader, 1979 Ford CL340 Skid Steer, 1948 Allis-Chalmers B, 1988 Yamaha Moto-4 200, various chain saws

Ianab

Quote from: Greenie on June 29, 2022, 05:01:16 PMIn 1974 many cars weighed two or more tons and had two or 3 speed automatic transmissions and got gas mileage reflecting those realities. My Equinox has 9 speeds and a 2 liter engine that produces 252 HP. Today's cars have little in common with cars of the 1970's and can cruise faster using less gasoline.


All true. But as you get above about 60mph wind resistance starts to become a bigger factor, and economy soon drops. Playing with the computers in various cars, the 60-65 mph is about the sweet spot, but you have to be able to reach the speed smoothly and maintain it. Constantly speeding up slowing is murder on the fuel economy. 

As you say, 70's cars got pretty poor economy (at any speed). The better gearing / fuel management / aerodynamics of modern cars does help.  My Toyota is only a 6 speed, but at 60mph the engine is only ticking over at ~1800 rpm. 

Where you are driving also makes a big difference. A local Journo did a basic test of a new expressway out of Wellington. They found the new road took 10mins less, but used ~5% more fuel. Reason was it had a huge hill on it, and that sucked the gas, more than being able to coast down the other side saved. The old road around the coast took longer, but was more flat.  The new road is still an improvement, because without it the coast road was usually congested, and nothing wastes gas more than being stuck in traffic.   
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

SwampDonkey

No congestion with traffic around here. Low population density has it's advantages. :D In a normal summer most of the traffic here on the 4-lane is Ontario and Quebec and they are all in a hurry to get to Nova Scotia. New Brunswick, the pass through province. ;D The only province I know of that does not have or maintain rest areas or picnic sites. Used to in the 70's and 80's, closed them all up. Got tired of fixing stuff because of hoodlums busting and burning stuff. 
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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