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Permalink Reply by FutureMedia on July 9, 2008 at 3:51am

Been driving 55 for several years and recently lowered to 50. I also coast in neutral down all hills. Result is 40 MPG in a 1993 Honda Del Sol. With cruise control going 50 is easy. But annoying other drivers who all want to drive 65-70 or faster is a problem.

At drive55.org Tim Castleman is selling bumper stickers for $4. But I just blew one up on my computer screen, screen captured it and printed it out on my printer. Will be taping it to my bumper tomorrow morning. It has a "55" with a green circle around it and the words SAVE MONEY next to it. Trouble is I only go 50 now. But at least it's close.

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Permalink Reply by Ed "AceEyeEd" Fowler on July 9, 2008 at 7:38am

I used to speed at 80 to 85, now back to 55 60.
But the baltimorons where I live have been quoted on the news as saying they don't want to go slow.
I still see people idling the car/truck while going into a store. I have seen people idling while talking on cell phone for hours. go figure.

I also keep the car tuned, syn oil, plugs, combine trips , walk if it is close by.

If most of the people are speeding like on 695/95/495 it is scary as they fly by you. the police cannot patrol because of gas cost. they are not out, so I called the police, and wrote the MD governor , and my state rep.

btw I have been driving a 4 cyl car since 1980 avg 32 MPG

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Permalink Reply by Wanda Giesick on July 20, 2008 at 8:09pm

I was checking groups out yesterday and I perused this one but didn't join. I decided this morning that I would slow down on my commute to and from work today. It's a 70 mile round trip commute and I drive it at 75 to 80mph. I decided to drive 60mph all this week and if that went well I'd slow down to 55mph starting next week. OMG what a difference! I cut my gas use for one day to nearly half! I ended up slowing down to 55mph halfway home today. It defenitely cut my stress in half too. I realized this morning that driving the speed I was, was an act of competition and at times aggression. What was I doing that for? Instead of worrying about passing up as many vehicles I could I let vehicles pass me by while I drove in the slow lane and it was nice to not be rushing around like I have been. I empowered myself mentally by knowing that driving 55 was my way of giving the bird to high gas prices, and I'm not talking about a canary by any means. I was also thinking that I wish I had a bumper sticker to declare why I was driving 55mph. Here are some slogans I thought of;

driving 55mph to stick it to high gas prices

I CAN drive 55 to conserve gas

do something about our energy crisis, drive 55mph

taking action by driving 55mph

Surely some of you out there can come up with better slogans. What say you?

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Permalink Reply by Scott Doyle on September 17, 2008 at 12:00pm

I agree with Wanda, driving slower is less stressful and saves fuel.

You can also save fuel by hypermiling. Check out cleanmpg.com.

My combined MPG is better than the EPA highway MPG.

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Permalink Reply by Wanda Giesick on September 18, 2008 at 1:52pm

Thanks for your reply Scott. I've been driving 55 consistently and it is so much more relaxing than trying to jockey around on the freeway in the fast lanes. I just stay to the far right, crank up my tunes and set my cruise control to 55. Once in a while some bone head will tail gate me when there is plenty of space for them to pass me to the left and it's obviously an act of pure aggression. It says a lot more about them to be tailgating a car going 55 than about me so I let it go but what they do is so very dangerous.....please John Q. Public out there....don't tailgate! Just don't do it.

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