my girlfriend doesn't like hypermiling

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Jun 6 2007, 01:38 PM) [snapback]456799[/snapback]</div>

My partner thinks that it's really cool how you can get the car to do all of these things to increase fuel economy -- and this is coming from a guy who used to tailgate and speed all the time. Now he drives the limit and looks in awe at those around him who are wasting fuel by driving inefficiently.

I have a more humorous interpretation of what's going on... is it possible that she might be slightly jealous of the attention you give to your car compared to the attention you give to her while driving? It seems, from her second comment ("didn't you just listen to what I said?"), that she has turned this into a car vs. girlfriend argument where, obviously there is only one right choice -- agree with HER!

Women are notorious for this sort of behavior, and it stems from insecurity. Just stroke her ego a little, respect her wishes while she's in the car, and call it a day. Hypermile all you want when you're alone in the car, and ignore those whiners who cry about how you are putting the entire driving population at risk by engaging in the single behavior that has been identified over and over again to actually be the safest behavior on the road -- driving at a constant speed, in a single lane, over time and distance. Hypermiling also somehow will destroy the planet as well because you are forcing the drivers around you to slam on the gas to pass you when they could just as well pass you at the same speed they were going before they even saw you. Therefore, you are somehow responsible for the illogical, irrational, wasteful, and environmentally destructive behavior of those around you. Why? Because those who blame you for their behavior are unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions.

I agree with the earlier poster who said that the only thing we all have in common is owning a Prius. Nothing could be more true.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 8 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]458069[/snapback]</div>

The speed limit is 65mph. "95%" of the traffic is going 75mph. If this is acceptable behavoir then why does the "95%" brake to 60mph as soon as they see the speed trap? Could it be guilty conscience?

 

marry the GF.
buy her a prius.

every month your average mpg is higher than hers, she owes you a present.
every month her mpg is better, she gets a present.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusBoyAZ @ Jun 8 2007, 04:42 PM) [snapback]458305[/snapback]</div>

See you are assuming there are two lanes going in one direction. My daily travel is on one lane in a direction roads, so in order to pass, you first have to wait for an opening, and then floor it to pass. It is those situations in which I am talking about. When there are two lanes of travel, drive however you like, I take a lane and drive to get the best MPG, but at least at the speed limit or a little more, I have not seen any difference in economy whether I am doing 35 or 40, in fact the best MPG is between 40 and 45. 60 in a 55 is how I drive, if you want to go faster, well its your gas.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Jun 8 2007, 07:51 PM) [snapback]458387[/snapback]</div>

Nope just a lot of morons! Drive I90 from Rockford to Chicago, average speed is 80 in a 65 zone. Even the trucks are doing 70 or more. On the state roads, like 20 or some of the back roads where it is 55, you see people doing 65 or more, they get busted a LOT by county and state, I do 60, I find I get best MPG on those roads at that speed, I get better glide. Those who pass, well hope you get busted. I drive right by the patrols doing 60, and not once have they pulled me over, I did get pulled over once in my Vic doing 70, he clocked me after I had passed someone doing under 50, he let me go, mainly because I had everything ready for him and chatted nicely with him. My average drive is 80% highways of the two lane variety, with some 35MPH city roads mixed in, and I am getting 51MPG.

 

It appears that some level of misunderstanding is going on here with
regard to what "hypermiling" is. With the exception of slower freeway
travel to buck less air resistance, hypermiling is NOT about going too
slow for conditions. It's about SMOOTHNESS, and taking into account
all long-term effects of the current environment and adapting not only
to what's right nearby but what will be in the next ten, thirty, etc
seconds. With that in mind, the whole argument about "costing other
people more gas because they have to pass" promptly falls apart, because
if they were off the phone and paying attention, they would need to make
almost no changes other than a gentle jog on the steering wheel to
accomplish what they wanted by simply starting the process earlier.
Hypermiling in that sense is really about increased SAFETY, as long as
techniques like close-in truck drafting and the other extreme stuff one
might read about over on cleanmpg [and note carefully that a lot of that
is in jest and not actually *done*] are avoided.
.
Speeds of around 60 mph on freeways should be perfectly acceptable to
anyone, because there are plenty of other lanes to use. That's just
below where air resistance, with its CUBIC relationship to energy required
to buck it, really starts kicking in for most vehicles. It also makes
interacting with merging-on traffic easier, as the average speed right
at the tip of most on-ramps seems to wind up being 50 - 55 mph as traffic
sorts itself out and then comes back up to previous running speeds.
.
All parties concerned, including the soapboxers of all varieties [i.e.
those that like to coast, and those that like to rant] should THINK about
safety in handling traffic patterns, long-term decisions about where the
vehicle is going to be, and read the "amasci" traffic articles.
A dip or two into Dr. Driving couldn't hurt either.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusBoyAZ @ Jun 8 2007, 04:42 PM) [snapback]458305[/snapback]</div>

You are assuming that all people either:

A: Drive on 4 lane roads so that cars can pass regardless of traffic.
B: Drive were there is no traffic so that on 2 lane roads people can just pass because there is no oncoming car.

Lots of us drive in places that have mostly rural 2 lane roads and if they are not dead straight or flat then they have lots of no passing zones. That means that if you are driving below the speed limit, a bunch of cars will stack up behind you until it is safe to pass. When it is safe to pass they will floor it to accelerate to 15-20 mph above your speed to quickly and safely pass and minimize the time that they are in the opposing lane of traffic and risking a head-on collision. If you are "hypermiling" and thus constantly speeding up and then slowing down, you are going to drive those people behind you crazy because most people want to go a constant speed.

BTW, for all those teaching the moral correctness of driving the speed limit because they are following the law, at least in the state of TN, there is a minimum speed limit as well. It is defined anytime you impeding or slowing 5 or more cars. At this point you are requires BY LAW to pull over at allow those behind you to pass. Of course, this law in not enforced just like the law that clearly states and is posted on the freeway to "STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS" is not enforced either. But just because it isn't enforced doesn't mean it's not the still the law.

 

I live in Seattle. People drive under the speed limit here even if they don't own Priuses. Makes my life easier

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pewd @ Jun 8 2007, 09:09 PM) [snapback]458396[/snapback]</div>

I have an improved suggestion:

Marry the gf
Buy her a Prius

If her mpg is higher than yours you pay the monthly installment.
If yours is higher then she pays for it.

If she were clever enough she would get a Li-Ion battery modification and you'd have to pay the car and she'd have to pay the battery!!!

In seriousness, I find that when I'm alone my goal is to reach the best mpg even by going really slow. I can't do this in traffic. And I would feel really annoyed if my partner did it and I didn't have a prius. So be fair to her and you and then demand the same from her

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 8 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]458069[/snapback]</div>

That's a cuckoo statement (and it's the unfortunate view of my husband). So you'd like to incorporate the behavior of the masses into law, despite the potential harm to others that are present? I hope robbing banks become popular. I could become instantly rich and not be charged with a crime!

So far as the OP's dilemma, as long as you're new driving techniques aren't presenting your partner with possible danger, I don't understand where the problem lies so I don't have any suggestions as to how to deal with something like this. Bummer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Jun 14 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]461597[/snapback]</div>

This is the expected statement from someone without true highway experience. Being that I drove OTR for several years, you gain a knowledge of when and when not to speed. Speeding in general is not a good thing, but when you have a group of vehicles all traveling at the relatively same speed, chances of accidents occurring are greatly diminished, but when you have one person adhering exactly to the same speed on a two lane highway(same direction), and others are going much more than the limit, what happens is you have a bottle neck, and of course there is always some nut job who thinks he owns the road and knows how to handle his car, and it is in those situations where accidents happen as everyone now wants to get around the person who is doing the exact SL. So how do you avoid something like that? Go as fast as the slowest car in the group. So if the limit is 55, someone will be doing 60, so maintain the same speed, drive under it and chances are someone will get nasty and the chances of an accident go up. States where they have two different speed limits, one for trucks, and one for cars have more incidents than those with one speed limit for all. If trucks are doing 60 and cars are doing 65, you have the same issue, those going faster try to get around those driving slower, and when you have packs of cars all trying to get around chances of an incident go up. Where I live, if you drive I90 towards Rockford, the limit is 65, if you keep it within 68-73, you will not have people riding your butt, but do 65 with the cruise locked, and you can almost guarantee some fool will be on your bumper, including semi's. Going with the flow doesn't mean go as fast as the fastest car out there, it just means keep up with traffic.

Here is what a state trooper looks for when they are going to pull someone over. Doing in excess of the limit by at least 10 or more, weaving in and out changing lanes to get around everyone, going really fast in any lane. If you are in a group of cars going 5-10 over, chances of getting pulled over are extremely small(unless you are out of state). On the rural roads, if your 5 over, they look the other way, but if you are 5 over and passing everyone, well, they will get you. On my daily drive I keep it between 58-63, if people behind me don't like it, well, go ahead and waste your gas to pass, I'll see you at the next light, and I usually do.

Sensibility is the key to highway driving. If you are the only person on the highway, doing the speed limit is a no brainer, but during heavy traffic, driving slower than everyone else can cause an accident. Example, your doing 55, cars are doing 65-70, a truck driver doesn't want to drive 55, he is on a time table, he wants to do 60, so he passes you, well, now you have those doing 65-70 behind the truck, and guess what, they cant see you, and decide to go around the truck, and next thing you know, bam, you just got nailed by an idiot. It happens all the time, have seen it myself. I have seen a lot of stupid things that people have done, the worst being a yoho in an escort, cut off a truck and then slam on the brakes, truck went right over the car, crushing all inside and ejecting their baby through the windshield. Another time a biker was zipping down I94 in Indiana, doing at least 125mph, two cars in front of me, one doing the SL, the other went around to pass and didn't realize the biker was going so fast, and the biker tried to go around and slammed into the back of the car doing the SL, he flew gracefully through the air, arms spread out, looking like he was doing a swan dive, until he hit the cross bar on the light pole with his mid section, slicing him neatly in two. Now had the driver of the other car been doing 60 instead of 55, chances are the dope on the bike would have zipped past without incident, but it happens. The highway was mostly empty at the time, few cars on the road. Stupid people doing stupid things die stupid deaths.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 14 2007, 11:55 AM) [snapback]461663[/snapback]</div>

Exactly! That's why speed limits are posted and enforced and why speed limits vary according to population density and environment. And that's why they should be adhered to.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ystasino @ Jun 14 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]461596[/snapback]</div>

An even better suggestion:

Marry the gf or not. Doesn't matter.
Also what she drives doesn't matter.

Every time someone gives you the finger for blocking them, you owe her five bucks.
Every time someone gives her the finger for blocking them, she owes you five bucks.

 

I don’t mind the hyper milers but not when they do it in busy traffic. I just like to cruis from point a to b. I hate when I am in the slow lane cruising along at 55 the psl here. No one cares that people in the slow lane go the psl here they just go around without tailgating or any of the rudeness. I have noticed people with Pri around here will pulse and glide in the slow lane. I don’t care when there is no traffic and you can easily go around and the flow of traffic is not disturbed. But during peak traffic hours this is annoying.

I myself don’t like the pulse and glide thing. I average 48-52mpg depending but I like a steady speed and hate the slow fast thing it is so annoying. I have a friend who gets carsick and is fine with constant speed but constant speed variances make her nauseous.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pewd @ Jun 8 2007, 06:09 PM) [snapback]458396[/snapback]</div>

ROFLMAO!!
Okay, I love this one!

 

I deal with passengers by practicing modified-hypermiling when other people are in the car. I still do what I can to pulse and glide, to take corners without braking, and to anticipate traffic, but I do it with more attention to passenger comfort. So, no really hard corners, no extended glides that make people wonder if I ran out of gas, and staying relatively consistent with other traffic.

Another thing you can do with the S.O. in the car is describe the techniques you're using as you drive. That might make her feel more engaged in the experience and less nervous. My wife hates the hypermiling too, but she's very tolerant of it since I described the techniques as I drove. The only thing I am still not allowed to do with her in the car is non-braking turns. She'll still make faces at me if I glide to a speed that's excessively low.

And with regard to other traffic, I am always cautious about being a hazard to other drivers, and I either get out of their way, or abandon PnG if there's no passing and someone is behind me.

 

I feel you pain D Rock.

I got a wife who feels she is not driving unless she is pushing on EITHER THE GAS OR THE BRAKE...the concept of coasting has not penetrated her mind and she objects to me taking advantage of the benefits of coasting. When I point this out to her, well let's just say we don't need the air conditioner on in the car for a while. I think it is something about the XX chromosome setup.

 

i used to take my girlfriend to rutgers in NJ everyday and she would think im not driving aggresively because of lack of jutters and stuff, so she tells people i am the slowest driver even though i accelerate fast and glide a lot

 

Wow. More ad homs than I care to see in any thread. Thanks to Hobbit for some actual INFORMATION. Perhaps those so certain that their own personal driving habits somehow seem so relevant to everyone else should get a more physically demanding hobby to burn off some of that energy. Try cycling. Also before putting forth your argument, maybe consider taking a spin through this.