This nation could save 425m barrels in crude oil each year

[uRabbit]

In my most recent blog post, Save at the Pump, I talk about how to, well, save at the pump. Towards the end of the post, I mention the most important factor - driving behaviour.

Changing my driving behaviour alone has allowed me to save $500/yr in fuel costs. I can guarantee that most people on these boards don't even do that. So many people think that their vehicles will get xx mpg no matter how they drive. We live in a world of ignorance.

I noted in my most recent blog post that if everyone were to save 70 gallons of gas per year, we would save 425,000,000 gallons of crude oil each year. If you're thinking, "Well, THAT doesn't help our economy..." think again. With that much more money (about $67,830,000,000 if the average cost per gallon is $3.80), how could there not be economic stimulus as a result? People will either pay off their debts quicker, or spend more on consumer crap. Win-Win.

Our nation needs to embrace economic driving, rather than attacking it like has been done recently.

Both our economy and our environment would benefit from this. And we already have all the tools in place. This is not a call for alternative energy sources, nor a campaign for new laws. This is simple. This is practically immediate. This is also, however, the most unlikely.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where people hate being told that they are doing something wrong, especially something they have been doing for years.

[bjl584]

I see these kind of stories all the time, but unfortunately most of them are "pie in the sky" type stuff. I saw a article somewhere that said that something like over a million barrels of oil are lost each year due to cars leaking oil. So, if everyone had their car repaired, we would save over a million barrels of oil each year. It would be nice, but that probably isn't going to happen.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you in principal, but without making some sort of law, good luck getting everyone to change their driving habits based soley with the purpose of reducing oil consumption. There are already laws to make people drive safely and efficiently. If you break the speed limit or drive aggressively and recklessly you run the risk of getting fined and having your insurance rates go up. Yet, people continue to drive fast, aggressively, and recklessly. Go figure....

[uRabbit]

Don't get me wrong - this is not about trying to get our government to do something. I am trying to educate people.

Like, you, for instance. What kind of mileage do YOU get? And what make/model is it?

You have to first start with the people that will listen. And, a forum like this, is just the place to start. We are all already in this for the long haul. A lot of us commute via bicycle or mass transit. But for those of us who do not - are we doing our best to conserve? So, bjl584, if you drive, what is your make/model and your average mpg? Average could be from one tank or from all your tanks. I prefer the latter.

[bjl584]

Don't get me wrong - this is not about trying to get our government to do something. I am trying to educate people.

Like, you, for instance. What kind of mileage do YOU get? And what make/model is it?

You have to first start with the people that will listen. And, a forum like this, is just the place to start. We are all already in this for the long haul. A lot of us commute via bicycle or mass transit. But for those of us who do not - are we doing our best to conserve? So, bjl584, if you drive, what is your make/model and your average mpg? Average could be from one tank or from all your tanks. I prefer the latter.

I actually just bought a new truck back in June.

It's a 2011 GMC Sierra.

I average around 20mpg and I drive approximately 150 miles per week, mostly on back roads. Since I sold my house a while back I don't drive on the highway anymore.

20mpg is about all that I'm going to get out of a 6.2 litre V8.

[uRabbit]

Not bad for a Sierra. Why do you need a big honkin rig though? Unless you do a lot of heavy towing, I would have recommended the F-150 Eco-Boost. CleanMPG managed 32 mpg in that. Also, I get my best mileage in the city, thanks to the lower speed limits.

Higher than 20 can be achieved. How long does it take you to reach 35 mph? Should take at least 35 seconds. Yes, over half a minute. And, if you see a red light, what do you do? Do you continue at the same speed and wait until you are within 100-200 feet to start slowing down? Most people go straight from gas pedal to brake pedal. I doubt that is what you are doing, getting 20 mpg, but in case it is, there is a better way. If the light just turned red, I will go to Neutral, key OFF, key back to ACC, coast to light. If need be, I will use the brakes to slow me down before I get too close to the light or person in front of me, so that I can continue rolling. The slowest I usually end up going is 5 mph. At 5 mph, however, I can continue in 2nd gear once I begin accelerating.

Anyways, I am just using you as an example. Don't take this as an attack.

[bjl584]

Not bad for a Sierra. Why do you need a big honkin rig though? Unless you do a lot of heavy towing, I would have recommended the F-150 Eco-Boost. CleanMPG managed 32 mpg in that. Also, I get my best mileage in the city, thanks to the lower speed limits.

Higher than 20 can be achieved. How long does it take you to reach 35 mph? Should take at least 35 seconds. Yes, over half a minute. And, if you see a red light, what do you do? Do you continue at the same speed and wait until you are within 100-200 feet to start slowing down? Most people go straight from gas pedal to brake pedal. I doubt that is what you are doing, getting 20 mpg, but in case it is, there is a better way. If the light just turned red, I will go to Neutral, key OFF, key back to ACC, coast to light. If need be, I will use the brakes to slow me down before I get too close to the light or person in front of me, so that I can continue rolling. The slowest I usually end up going is 5 mph. At 5 mph, however, I can continue in 2nd gear once I begin accelerating.

Anyways, I am just using you as an example. Don't take this as an attack.

I'm not taking it as attack. I had a Ford truck, but I had a lot of problems with it. I actually won a lemon law case agaist them and received a settlement. I liked the Sierra, and I got a good deal on it, so I bought it. I don't really need a full size truck, I just like having the room and the power. Besides, it easily fits into my budget.

It's probably not a good idea to turn your vehicle off at every stop light. It's hard on the engine. Most engine wear occurs at startup in that split second before the oil pump can bring oil up into the crankcase. You are rubbing metal on metal for that brief time period. Plus, it will shorten the life of your starter. But, I see what you are trying to get at. I don't have the link but there is an auto club out there that races long distance to see who can go the farthest on a single tank of fuel. Some of the modifications and techniques that that do are crazy. Do some Googling and check it out.