[AT] OT: Gas story, now gas mileage

[pga2 at hot1.net]

You've once again nailed it, farmer. I see similar driving on the
farm-to-market road in fromt of my house. I also see folks pass me
like I was parked when driving on I-35 doing the speed limit. It
seems that those giant SUVs must be getting nearly 40 MPG at 80
MPH.

Phil

----- Original Message -----
>From    : Francis Robinson <robinson at svs.net>
Sent    : Tue, 3 Jul 2007 08:52:56 -0400
To      : Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject : Re: [AT] OT: Gas story


>    In the process of making dozens of trips all over the eastern third of 
the US over the last year or so (and watching locally) my observation has 
been the same as it has always been... People do a lot of "talking" about 
fuel mileage and worrying about getting shorted at the pump but when they 
get behind the wheel 90% of them don't really give a rats behind about fuel 
mileage. If they did they wouldn't drive the way they do... Just watch them 
putting the pedal to the metal at stoplight after stoplight. They are still 
driving 20 or 30 MPH over the speed limits. As they drive past my house 
(paved country road) I can hear their engine accelerate hard then coast, 
then accelerate hard then coast again, over and over on down the road every 
few seconds. Going south from my drive there is a slight down hill then a 
little creek then a bit steeper (but still not much) little up hill. It is a 
place that any good driver would lift his foot slightly going down hill then 
accelerate slightly going up the other hill. Car after car, everyday the 
drivers put their foot on the brake and brake hard "all" of the way down the 
hill until they get to the bridge at the bottom then they accelerate hard up 
the next hill. The road makes a 90 degree left turn about 700' from the 
little up hill but most drivers accelerate hard until they get to within 
about 100' of the turn then jam on the brakes so hard that their tires 
squeal. Coming out of the turn the pedal goes to the metal again. That is on 
one tiny stretch of road less than 1/2 mile long on a country road. The 
lucky ones are getting about 4 MPG doing that. Multiply that times the miles 
of road in the US times the number of drivers...
    I have also been struck by the number of drivers running on one or more 
half flat tires out on the interstates. Its bad enough in town where I can 
tell by wear patterns that the half flat tire condition is a more or less 
permanent condition. It is a dangerous condition at high speeds but few seem 
to worry about it.
    I used to say that the biggest gauge on the dash should be a big vacuum 
gauge marked in red yellow and green and when it gets in the red, lights 
should flash and "hard driving" alarms go off...   ;-)
    People don't have to go to extremes with fuel mileage... If starting 
tomorrow all drivers across the country would just switch to driving 
"reasonable" the amount of fuel required would drop like a rock. Maybe as 
much as 15 to 20%. That is not small potatoes. Its never going to happen of 
course... but what a difference it could make.
    The public wants good mileage but they want the car makers to do it for 
them...


--
"farmer"

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net 


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