[JohnLocke]

These days, I'm all about the fuel economy, so I've implemented these driving guidelines for the last 3 years or so. I used to be a hoon!

- Cruise (shift into neutral) to red lights, off ramps, and my driveway.
- 70 is the absolute max I'll go on the highway (I chill @ 65 mostly)
- Shift into a higher gear at 2,800 RPMs
- Accelerate neither slowly nor quickly, just deliberately and efficiently
- I don't use Cruise Control unless it's a really long drive
- Left the spare tire @ home (will put it back in for long road trips)
- I drive off immediately after I turn the car on
- I roll up my windows ahead of destination (this way the engine is not running while I'm closing my windows and I don't tax the battery if I opt to turn off the engine first and then close my windows)
- I over-inflate my tires 5 PSI more than the recommendation, but still staying well below the PSI limit that is imprinted on the tire

In 4 tanks, my lowest was 27.1 (first tank) and my best was 34.2 (mostly highway). My average is 30.2. 3 tanks were mostly city and 1 tank was mostly highway). After my engine break in period and a switch to synthetic oil, I'm fully anticipating getting 33-35 city and 37-40 highway!

:burnout:

 

[JohnLocke]

Just a quick note before I head off to class (argh).

Like Rob said, with a cell phone, it's very difficult to be stranded. When I am at school, I never go anywhere more than 30 minutes away. I have a legion of good friends who would come to bail me out. And being college students, at least 5 people would be awake even if I got stranded at 1:00 a.m.. With that said, if I am doing the 2 hour drive back home, I would of course bring my spare. Every bit counts, which is why performance cars actually come with the stereo unit deleted. How heavy is a stereo head? 2 pounds?

Rob was also on point about most things, especially cruise control. I'll use CC if I'm doing a 4 hour road trip and only when my foot gets tired. I enjoy driving, so whenever I am CCing, it feels strange not to be "involved".

 

[JohnLocke]

In class!

I'm the same as Rob... I don't really care about aftermarket mods. In fact, I think vinyl graphics, blacked out tail lights, and tint jobs look tacky. This is just my opinion. And for people like myself, getting good fuel economy is rewarding and beating my last tank is always fun. And who says you can't enjoy driving while being frugal on gas?

 

[JohnLocke]

I'm not mocking or putting anyone down, which is why I followed my criticism with saying that it's only my opinion. I certainly appreciate the enthusiasm/effort/work that people put into aftermarket add-ons, it's just not for me. For me, there's always a discernible difference between aftermarket tint jobs and factory-tinted windows. Some people love big and aggressive-looking rims. I prefer 15-16" wheels with understated elegance. I love the factory smoked tail lights of older Benzes and GTIs, but a lot of do-it-yourself jobs I've seen are cringe-worthy. I apologize if it came off that way.