I've been setting the CC in my Magnum to 72 or so instead of 77...it does help mileage a bit.
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CatandJim wrote: ....We'll be towing to Arkansas soon for a camping trip with a couple of RV.Net friends. We may have to do a little MPH = MPG research on this trip since gas is now 3.49 here.
You're kidding! We're going to Lake Dardanelle Arkansas state park soon for a four day week-end. Maybe we'll see ya around!
Gonna do a litle fishing, sight seeing, and such. I just hope the weather co-operates a little better than the last time we were out.
As far as MPG while towing . . . . . I rarely bother checking it because it's just too dang depressing to even think about. In any case, and once again, I go about 55mph or maybe a maximum of 60mph if I have to pass some idiot going 54mph.
Really? That's where we're camping!! Quite the coincidence, isn't it?
Jimmy usually tows around 60mph on level ground and whatever is safe in the hills.... Speaking of which, we'll see y'all in those Arkansas hills.
Cat
(Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
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Yup, I've kept track, and found that under similar road conditions my MPG can vary from 9 MPG to nearly 12, depending mostly on speed.
Having made identical trips both nearly empty and very fully loaded with daughter and her college stuff (including refrigerator, books, etc.) I can even attest that weight has far less effect than speed.
After 40 + years in the DFW area I've noticed the speed of the motoring public increases with the price of fuel. When the fuel goes to $10.00 per gal. the average speed will be 100 MPH on the city streets. All one can hope for is home delivery (thrown out as a drve by) is the BEER .........
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BiGG wrote: ....My life has always been hustle-bustle rushing from one place to the next and awhile back I decided to go the less stressful route and try slowing down to “smell the roses” along the way. That lasted for an hour or so!
Yes, it is can be quite hard to change old habits, but you're on the right track IMHO.
I have found for myself that it was, indeed, hard to slow down and "smell the roses". You feel rather conspicuous as everyone is rushing past you, kind of like the idiot that you are most likely being called. Luckily, I am old enough now that I don't give a rat's arse. I enjoy my 1 hour, 10 minute ride to and from work with less stress. No having to "keep up with the Jones'". I just put it on cruise, stay in the slow lane, and let the Jones' do their own thing.
On daily trips to and from work, I play a little game. It's called "guess the mpg". As cars and trucks pass me, I assign them my best guess at their current mpg. My favorite is when a big ol' 4x4 pickup going blasting by at 75-80mph. I usually give them a 13mpg, then I say to myself, "I can go 3 times as far as he can on one gallon of fuel". Then there's the smaller luxury "sporty" cars like Beemers, Nissans, Audis, etc. If they were going my speed, why they might be getting close to 28mpg or something. But, as they are probably going 75-80mph like my 4x4 friend, I assign them a 20mpg.
Anyway, it's kind of a fun game for me to play as I relax and plan my day on the way in to work. On the way home I relax and think about how I'll be glad to get off the road and away from all these idiots.
Bigg, I also found that slowing down to smell the roses doesn't get you to the potty break rest stop with enough time to walk to the toilet....
DOTLDaddy, I can hit 25mpg in my Dodge Grand Caravan in making a trip at a steady 70mph to Las Vegas from Signal Hill, CA. I play the variant of your game called "Yes or No"...you can probably figure out how that works...
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Most of the time we drive 55 MPH. Our speed used to be 60, but we have slowed down since we found that we save 15% in fuel costs. I know many of you think this is unsafe and also creates traffic backlogs behind us as we travel. However, we generally travel on highways where the posted limit is 55. Of course, 99 percent of vehicles on these roads aren't going 55, so we pull over frequently to let others pass us when more than three vehicles are behind us. When we are on the interstate system we drive 55 in areas where it does not create a hazard, but when we're in big population areas with lots of on-and-off ramps, we speed up to the flow of traffic.
Most of our driving is in the West where heavy traffic is rarely a problem. Our method probably would not work well in the East where there seem to be few areas where traffic is light.
In light of the near-$4.00 price for gas and near-$4.75 for diesel, it continues to amaze us that people apparently are not slowing down to conserve fuel. Just slowing down 5 MPH can reduce your $4.00 gas to $3.40 per gallon when you factor in the extra MPG. Just think what you could save slowing down 10 MPH.
I guess when we see a real difference in speed on the road, we'll know people are really serious about the high cost of fuel...
Never was a speed demon because I have never felt I have money to burn. I take exception to those who say their MPG is better at 65+. The aerodynamics and related physics and math has disproved that time and again.
In less populated areas of the country it may be "safer" to travel at high speeds and I'll agree things are certainly farther apart than here in the NE. If you can afford that, fine. The primary reason for speeding around here is that most people fail to plan their day so they wind up trying to make up for lost time on the road. JMHO
Drbolasky wrote: ....The primary reason for speeding around here is that most people fail to plan their day so they wind up trying to make up for lost time on the road. JMHO
I think that is one of the primary reason, no doubt about it . . . . . IMHO of course.
I also believe that to many the daily commute is a form of competition where being last is not an option.
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Drbolasky wrote: ....The primary reason for speeding around here is that most people fail to plan their day so they wind up trying to make up for lost time on the road. JMHO
I think that is one of the primary reason, no doubt about it . . . . . IMHO of course.
I also believe that to many the daily commute is a form of competition where being last is not an option.
Absolutely, they take the old "rat race" saying seriously. I think some people are far more aggressive in their driving than they are in real life.... perhaps those are some of the same people who enjoy being aggressive on a forum.
Either way.... if we all slowed down we might save some fuel and maybe even a life or two... I remember an old commercial that said something like "buckle up, the life you save will be your own", I think that also applies to slowing down.
We started slowing down in the truck to save gas and I think we were doing better. With the recent engine modifications the truck feels better back up at 65 rather than 55-60 so we might end up traveling 65 any way.
I'll have to check the miileage a few times to see.
We're in no hurry to get anywhere.
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In any case, and once again, I go about 55mph or maybe a maximum of 60mph if I have to pass some idiot going 54mph.
That's where we're camping!! Quite the coincidence, isn't it? 
