The Skinny on High MPG

I recently towed a car from my daughter's house to mine, a bit over 65 miles, with my 2011 Tacoma.. Almost all of the trip is on a 4-lane to 8-lane highway, half of that is the I-485 loop around Charlotte, where speeds on that oval seem to rival the speeds on the racetrack but include semi's as well as cars. Posted speed on I-485 is 70 mph and the other 4-lane goes between 55 and 65 mph. I stayed at 60 on the interstate and 55 on the other highway and averaged 15.4 mpg for the trip, while pulling an 18 foot flatbed with a 2011 Toyota Corolla S strapped to it. Everybody was zooming past me, I didn't care and stayed in the right-hand lane the whole way. It was one of the more relaxing drives I've taken in a while, not trying to be part of the race.

 

Yall still watch mpgs?

 

I recently started driving the speed limit, or at least closer to it in most situations, having been a +5 mph driver for most of my life.

It's been a revelation. The stress relief alone is phenomenal and probably worth it on it's own for me in the long run vs. the extra time it takes to get places. I always used to feel like people were in my way, now I feel content with staying out of everybody else's.

People still drive like idiots, but I'm no longer constantly stuck behind those idiots (I'm the idiot now?) who apparently missed the day of driving school when they explained how two lane traffic works.

I thought people would be raging behind me constantly with my newfound slothness, but surpisingly I find most people are cool with either cruising behind me, or they'll pass without drama. I'll go with the flow if I'm in some actual heavy traffic, like in a metro area, because I'm not trying to get killed. Most of my driving involves ~35 mph two lane city driving, 55 mph single lane highway, and 65 mph double lane highway. I'll get people who are too cowardly to pass on the single lane highways who clearly get upset. I'm not sure if they are scared of the skinny pedal, the dashed lines indicating a passing zone, or both, but something confuses them where they'd rather rage behind me than pass (despite ample opportunities), but you can't fix stupid.

Other than that, gas mileage is slightly better, travel time is basically unaffected, and my stress levels have gone way down for at least ~30 minutes a day. I call that a win.

 

I have found this to be the way as well.

Depending on the road (busy-ness is the controlling factor) I will either do the speed limit, or I will do 5-10 mph less than the speed limit. I purposefully drive back/small roads (lower speed limits, more interesting scenery many times, and a lot easier to find a place to leave the pavement and explore and camp) as often as I can, and I'll even drive lengthier dirt roads just to avoid large interstates. I drive a lot in the rear view mirror so to speak, so if I see that I am in front of a semi or an RV, or any more than 4 cars and I pull over to the side of the road to let them pass. Probably needed an excuse to stretch my legs, or read an information sign, or something along those lines anyways.

This is a much more pleasant way to drive IMO. Just like you said, stress levels drop significantly, and I have the opportunity to take in a lot more of my surroundings. Driving becomes more about the experience itself, and not so much about feeling like any time I have to pass someone and I drop even 3 mph below my cruise control speed that somehow the universe is going to implode directly upon my own existence, leaving me and mine in absolute ruins.

My MPG has gone up (17 mpg when I was in the city and doing speed limit freeway drives more often to ~19.1 mpg now that I take it really slow on backroads), even in my overloaded brick, and that has been a nice side effect, but not the main driver of the decision.

Same with folks also. Most just fly right on by, the 55 mph or whatever speed limit meaning nothing to them as they are easily doing 80+ mph anyways. I drive my truck basically daily, all over the western US, and have found this idea to be pretty universal.

You said it best. I have been staying out of folks way for years now, and it is still wonderful. Now, if I needed to race to a hospital to see a dying loved one, bet that I will see what a Tacoma can do. But for a day-to-day drive, just to get home to do something like scroll through ig a bit earlier? Nah, I'll pass. Time truly is limited, as others have noted, but peace of mind has tremendous value as well.

*Gets off of soapbox*

 

22.1 mpg with a couple of boats on top is pretty damn good OP! I'm not sure I would classify it as "high", but I dream of getting those kind of numbers with my E-rated tires.

 

I've been seeing a lot of posts about fuel economy being 14 to 19 without towing anything. And I bet you they're mostly automatics. My 6-speed manual has been consistently getting 25 and on some occasions. 28. Colorado's highway speeds are 75 mph and that's the speed I do mostly when I'm on them . I'm in the mountain canyons as well. I'm checking it at the pump. Not relying on the computer so I'm real happy with my trucks economy.

 

I once in a while would get some fluky high MPG on the dash, turned out every time it was just a hoax. The fuel pumps always disagree with those numbers.

I could get 18.5 on a good day. The terrain is as flat as it can be.

 

Two thumbs up post !

 

You're in the right lane, cruise set at 5-6 m.p.h. above the speed Limit, your come up on a vehicle that is going ~ 10 m.p.h. slower so you switch over to the left lane to pass which takes a considerable distance to pass and not be an a.. to pull directly in front of the vehicle you just passed. While still in the left lane you're watching the rear view and notice another vehicle approaching from a long distance rapidly closing the gap going probably 20-30 m.p.h. faster than you , they are now on your rear bumper, what do you do, you're still in the process of passing ?

 

That’s pretty decent I live in mooresville that 485 is an actual race track. Don’t even look at that left lane unless you’re prepared for 85+

 

On an interstate with three or four lanes I let them take a lane to my left and pass the passer.
But on a road where there is only two lanes in the same direction and no additional lanes for someone to pass me while I'm passing then I:

• Ascertain if I have time, space and the ability to pass before impeding the other driver. It not, I let them pass me before I overtake the slower car on the right even if I have to slow down.
• Pass quickly and decisively so as not to hang in the slower cars blind spot or have them linger in mine and so I don't block the left lane from others who wish to overtake.
• This means that if I'm going 5 over posted, I may need to go 10 over posted for a shorter distance to pass or to pass more quickly.

 

Lately I have been watching my dashboard gas mileage right after filling up and driving slow and gentle to see how high of gas mileage I could get if I were to act my age. I'm impressed.

 

That's a good video, I've always liked sheriff Lamb.
I mostly hang in the right lane on the freeway with CC set at the speed limit mostly because people trying to do 90+ are weaving in and out of lanes driving pretty reckless, We need more DPS.

 

On our annual eastern Sierras road trip a couple of weeks ago, on our third day out, an easy jaunt from Lone Pine to Bishop, Ca., about a sixty mile trip where we were in no particular hurry, I had. the cruise set to 60 mph and I wasn't paying much attention to the fuel economy screen until about half way when I noticed it was steadily going up, one tick at a time. Then it kinda became a challenge to see how high it would go. Now we did have a slight tail wind and we were at approximately 4000 feet elevation. When we rolled into Bishop, the dash read 29.1 and was down to an even 29 when I stopped to take the snap. That, for me, was a personal record for a vehicle that weighed over 5000 pounds.

 

What I really find impressive is the clarity of your gauge screen!

 

That's funny. I do remember seeing my gf cleaning that off while I was pumping gas a couple of times during the trip. The anti-reflective coating that is on that from the factory is long since worn off.

 

Funny story....
There was an Instagram post on the Arizonagram account that I commented on.
This lady comments back with a reply and we had a funny positive exchange with her and another lady that joined in.
Then these two ladies start following me. My account is open so I don't think anything of it.
Then one day I commented on a pic that was one of hers - again just funny internet stuff.
Then her husband Frank joins in on it and he starts following me.

That's when I looked at all of the accounts and realized Frank, the cop, and his wife were following me on Instagram.
I don't want him following me in my car or Instagram (still like the guy but too close) so I booted him and his wife but I forgot her friends name so I presume she still follows me.

 

For years, most of my I-485 driving has been on the outer loop heading from the NC 16 interchange to the I-77 south interchange to Rock Hill. The area around the I-85 south and Wilkinson Blvd (airport exit) is totally bonkers, and at rush hour 5pm the exit ramp to I-85 south is backed up all the way onto the I-485 roadway, blocking the right lane. For my part it's the most dangerous area on I-485. Last couple of years I've driven a lot more on the Inner loop from NC 16 to either I-85 north to Concord, or farther down to the Rocky River Rd. I find it isn't quite as hairy although it seems that traffic is heavier there all the time at both the I-77 and I-85 interchanges. Happily, my daughter no longer lives in Charlotte and I don't go to Rock Hill as often (in-laws live there), so I can avoid all that mess altogether.

The only way I could get that kind of mileage is to cut off my engine and coast on the downhill parts. I've seen 22mpg just a couple of times. When I tow, I'm in 4th (5-spd auto trans) and don't expect great mileage and I find when I'm driving locally where speed limits are 35-55, I usually stay in 4th and my mileage empty is almost the same in 4th as it is in 5th (OD), within a mile per gallon. Until I get on the 4-lanes and go 65-75 where I do keep it in OD, is the only time 5th benefits me for better mileage and I usually average about 19-20 at best. That's okay by me, if I really wanted the better mileage, I'd drive one of the other Toyotas in the driveway. I have what used to be my Mom's '99 Avalon, it gets a solid 24 mpg with the V6, or my daughter's 2011 Corolla S that I'm currently fixing up, it gets around 35 mpg and is actually a fun little car. But I love my Taco the best.

 

i draft semi's

 

I just drove the TX-130 a few weeks ago and got my worst milage ever in the Tacoma. With a 10~mph headwind and 90mph (95mph actual) on the cruise control I barely got 9mpg.
During my vacation in Texas my best mpg was actually driving on the beach at Padre Island in 4wd, I got 14mpg, everywhere else I was lucky if I made 13mpg.