my girlfriend doesn't like hypermiling

DH and i share a love of going faster than we should be going at about any given time. i would be climbing the walls with a hypermiler, and not in that "in a mood to get to the destination" kind of way suggested above. relationships are about compromise. drive how you like when it's just you in the car. follow traffic as efficiently as possible with her in the car.

i think it was jeff foxworthy who said it best: "rule number 1: she ain't happy, you ain't happy."

good luck!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jun 7 2007, 12:49 PM) [snapback]457412[/snapback]</div>

I agree 100 %. Just drive the car normally and let the computer figure out how best to save gas.

 

Remember this most of all. Women are always right. Listen to her.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Jun 7 2007, 12:54 PM) [snapback]457503[/snapback]</div>

Sorry about that.

It is typical for some folks to showcase their ignorance and contempt for hypermiling in this forum.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

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

Out of respect for her sensibilities, it would be a gracious gesture to not "hypermile" while she's in the car. It will also make your life much easier.

There are issues that are worth irritating someone and losing a relationship over, but this isn't it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Jun 7 2007, 08:40 AM) [snapback]457364[/snapback]</div>

You have 2 relationship issues to resolve - one with your car and one with your girlfriend. Decide for yourself what is more important - satisfying you and your car's desire for minimum fuel consumption or your gf's feelings of an unconventional driving technique. Only you can balance these trade-offs.

Good Luck....

Keith

 

Well, I have a rather more complicated belief than many people on here. What some of you fail to think about, but perhaps not, is that while a GF is obviously worth a hell of a lot more than 35 cents, Earth is worth a lot more than your GF. What if the Earth died because you decided to waste that 35 cents driving faster. I know that could never be proven, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. If the Earth dies it really won't matter if your GF is/was happy.

While I agree that driving below the speed limit isn't always safe, I can say that when I do it, I make sure that the car behind me can at least pass me. it's not like a cut cars off, brake for no reason, change lanes or turn suddenly without signaling, and tailgate people on a regular basis, or at all for that matter. It didn't matter which car I was driving, my Rodeo or the Prius, I got all that crap in both cars, and in my Rodeo I was always speeding. If people are tailgating me when I'm going 5 MPH over the limit then something is wrong with them, not me. BTW, I would drive faster in my car if they would time the damn lights better. There is only one light that I miss because I'm not going fast enough, but I'm already speeding on that section since it's downhill most of the way. I always just miss it. When I take my GF to work there are only 3 lights out of 7 that I usually hit, 1 because it isn't timed period and happens to be the first light on my trip, 1 because f the afore mentioned reason, and 1 because there are 1 of 3 lights that EVERYONE hits. Sometimes I have gone without hitting a red light at all, other times I seem to hit every one. It doesn't seem to matter my speed or how well I seem to have them timed. Actually, at night I should only hit 2 lights, but because of the crappy way they have them set up I hit about half of them every time.

My GF may not say anything about my driving, but I know she doesn't like it too much. Only once has she ever actually complained about my driving, and, truth be told, there was nothing I could have done about it. Basically she was nearly an hour late for work. It wasn't that she woke up already being 40 minutes late for work, OF COURSE NOT, it has to be the fact that it took me 15 minutes for her to get to work. It's always taken me 15 minutes to get her to work. Why the hell should she be complaining now? Her work place is about 6.5 miles away at best, according to MapQuest, and they say that should take about 18 minutes, the fastest way taking 14 minutes. I actually beat what MapQuest says, and it almost always takes longer than MapQuest says it will. It might just be me, but I think 15 minutes over 6.5 miles is pretty good when you take 1 left turn, 3 right turns, have 11 lights to worry about, and the max speed limit is 45. Who in here thinks that's not a great time for a hypermiler?

In all seriousness though, we are in debt (luckily only to my father), if she can't save her own damn money then I have to do all the saving. The only thing I've bought myself in months has been gas and food. What does she get: books, magazines, makeup, food (of course), tomorrow it'll be a DS game, etc... That's after I tell her she can't have 95% of those items.

Sometimes it's just tough love.


PS - She can't even drive yet, so she either has to put up with me saving the money, and suffering, or she can walk there. We all know which one she prefers.

 

Oh brother, that is not very smart. So you drive slower thinking you are helping the earth, but making sure the guy behind you can pass you? How much fuel did that person burn passing you? A whole lot more fuel and emissions than what you would put out going with the flow. Not very smart. You really aren't doing your part to help the environment when you force others to waste more fuel. Just drive normally, go with the flow, you already are doing your part just owning the Prius, these little stupid moves that just piss others off and cause them to waste fuel going around you is not helping, and in fact counter what you are trying to do.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 8 2007, 10:07 AM) [snapback]458010[/snapback]</div>

Wrong.

If someone chooses to speed and go around me (or Alex), I did not cause that behavior. Mine is still the more sensible (driving the speed limit or under). You wanna be pissy at people who obey the law, that's your problem. No one is forcing you to pass.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alexstarfire @ Jun 8 2007, 02:56 AM) [snapback]457912[/snapback]</div>

Anyone want to make any bets how many weeks this relationship lasts? My bet is on the single-digit range.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 8 2007, 09:07 AM) [snapback]458010[/snapback]</div>

I would be able give you some credit if you had a moral (and legal) leg to stand on, but speeding remains a violation of the law and that my friend, is no excuse no matter what reasons you or anyone can come up with. Really.

Saddly, the only thing many of us have in common is the ownership of a Toyota Prius, but I am just as sure that many current Prius owners were forced out of their bad gas guzzling habits and still do not get the message. It goes to show you that driving an environmentally superior car does not necessarily make me an evironmental concious driver unless I change my attitude and habits. No wonder, there folks driving PZEV gas-only velicles that get better mileage than some Prius drivers. Geesh.

There is enough scientific evidence as well as common sense to support those who trully help the environment, that speeding is wrong. It follows that the only right thing to do is to drive slower where legally admissable. The rest is choice.

Obviously, I totally agree with Tyrin as well.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tyrin @ Jun 8 2007, 10:39 AM) [snapback]458032[/snapback]</div>

95% of the people driving today drive over the speed limit. Go with the flow! You may think it is sensible driving dead on or under, but the 95% of the people behind you think otherwise. I drive 5 over for that reason, if that inst fast enough for those morons, then fine, waste your gas passing me, but at least I am not stuck at the speed limit or worse yet, 5 under it, that wastes gas for everyone. Like I said, you already are spewing less emissions just owning the prius, but don't believe that your driving slower than everyone else is going to help the environment, it wont mainly because all those 95% of speeders are going to try their hardest to get past you and that only wastes gas and causes more pollution than you will ever make up for by driving slower.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Jun 8 2007, 11:22 AM) [snapback]458063[/snapback]</div>

Good logic here.

If I want to go totally green on my house and life, but they have to clear 10 acres of amazon rainforest a day so that I can do it... then I'm doing the right thing, it's those other morons clearing the rainforest that are making a bad choice.

Simple and Brilliant, give yourself a high five!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Jun 6 2007, 04:38 PM) [snapback]456799[/snapback]</div>

Time to either get a new girlfriend or have her start paying for the gas to keep her from "feeling edgy"

The point of a Prius is to save Gas and minimize our footprint, maximizing your MPG by hypermiling is just part of driving a Prius. Its not a regular car so why drive it like one.

Just my $0.02 though, your mileage may vary, not valid with other offers, Void where prohibited, professional driver on closed course do not attempt. B)

 

The whole "drive like everyone else because that's what everyone else expects" argument:

One of my friends knew someone who would keep her foot on the gas when approaching a red light until the very last available moment when she would immediately stomp on the brakes. Her rationale was that she "didn't want to piss off drivers behind her".

My take? Slow drivers don't just warp into existence in front of you. If you're surprised by a slow driver in the rightmost lane, it's not the slow driver's problem that you're not looking far enough forward. If you intend on doing 20mph above the speed limit, you had better be looking further ahead.

If anything, uniformity in driving encourages people to get lazy and to stop paying attention. I do not think it's an unreasonable expectation of drivers that they're paying close attention to the road and what happens around them.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jun 7 2007, 09:49 AM) [snapback]457412[/snapback]</div>

So basically you are saying that it's okay to take your frustrations out on others through your actions as a driver? My god, do you even read this garbage that you are spewing? How are other drivers burning more fuel to deal with one Prius that is hypermiling -- if you see a slower car in front of you, you pass it at the same constant speed at which you are driving. Unless, of course, you decide to slow down in order to tail gate, then move over a lane and hit your gas to pass in a huff just to make a stupid point through your driving that puts others (as well as yourself) at far greater risk than the person who is hypermiling.

I can see through the language in your post that you are an angry person. Why you are angry, I don't know, but odds are that it has nothing to do with cars or driving in general -- that is simply the object onto which you are projecting the anger that developed elsewhere. I suggest you seek professional help to deal with your anger issues, in an appropriate venue, and leave it out of your driving. Speed limits are there for a reason, and they are MAXIMUM limits. The greater hazard is not with the person driving 55mph, it is with the "idiots" (using your choice of words, not mine) making the conscious choice to break the law and drive at speeds which have been deemed by the FHWA to be unsafe for that stretch of freeway.

The above poster is a classic example of someone with personal issues who takes them out onto those around him, whether through abusive language or threatening road behavior (or the attempted justification of it when there is no justification). The fact remains that people like you, who exceed speed limits and then take their anger out on others through aggressive driving, put more people at risk than the lone hypermiler who travels at a relatively constant speed over a long stretch of open road. Unnecessary lane changing, aggressive driving, speeding, and tailgating (behaviors you either engage in yourself or are justifying) are all proven to cause a greater number of accidents than traveling at a relatively constant speed in one lane.

If there is any idiot here, it is you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jun 8 2007, 12:01 PM) [snapback]458046[/snapback]</div>

Been going for over a year now, 1 year and almost 2 months to be exact. Had the Prius since October, so it's not gonna change. We need more money, and thats what's causing us problems. We are like stuck at my parents house since we are in debt, though it's not our fault. Our ex-roomates in our apartment owe us well over $1200 and we only owe about $1000. If it weren't for them we wouldn't even be in this mess. It's been over 3 months for them and they still haven't paid us anything. They said they will have money in a week or 2, and if they don't then I don't have a choice but to sue them. I shouldn't be strapped financially because of them.

Anyways, when I say they can pass me, I mean without having to brake or speed up you moron. If they can't tell that they are gaining on me after 10 seconds then that's their problem. It's not like I'm going 30 MPH in a 40 MPH zone on a one lane road. If it's one lane I go speed limit, if not slightly above.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ACD @ Jun 8 2007, 08:07 AM) [snapback]458010[/snapback]</div>

Use logic here. If you are traveling 50 mph and the car behind you is traveling 60 mph, he passes you at 60 mph, the same speed at which he was going in the first place. His velocity hasn't changed, your velocity hasn't changed, so how is he (or anyone) burning up more gas by passing you? This argument makes no sense. Unless, of course, that person who is passing decides to accelerate to 70 mph simply to make a point, but then that isn't very smart driving is it?

 

I'm with some of the other guys, this girl has got to go!

What you should do is sit her down to have a heart-to-heart and in your best action hero voice (try Arnold Schwarzenegger) say, "I don't think this relationship is getting any mileage".

Just kidding. Get the bear.