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Helping conserve fuel


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I have a hybrid Prius. I average 48 mpg, plus low emissions.

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I have 1 year until my used Saab is paid off, and the Prius is #1 on my list...with the civic hybrid #2. I drive about 80 miles round trip a day.

 

We don't drive my wife's SUV other than her going to work. It's not worth it, even though its a newer car. It gets about 1/2 the mileage of mine. Luckily, she just accepted a job that's 5 miles from the house, unlike her 70 mile a day current drive. It makes a difference when you add it up.

 

The gas hikes have been prison raping me lately.

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The advgice to leave your AC on is bull sh--.

 

Nothing puts a bigger drag on your motor than a running AC compressor.

 

Tying a fat drunken boy from Indiana to your roof causes less drag than running your AC.

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No, the AC suggestion is correct. There is more gas used with the drag of open windows than there is with the engine drag of the AC on. I do believe though that the AC drag was greater on cars made say 20 years ago, and they did use more gas. I had a Celebrity back then. Turning on the AC was like throwing the anchor out. Today's cars you don't even feel the compressor engage. The AC causes your RPM to jump about 50, that's all

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Don't forget about the off-shore oil off the coast of CA and FLA. :D

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I thought I read somewhere last month that Alberta Canada has enough supply to keep North America fueled for the next fifty years. Lets see CA, Fl, Alaska, Alberta.

 

 

Lets invade Canada!

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I think it's really cool that probably 75% of America wouldn't have given this conversation the time of day before it hit their wallet. Now, folks are getting concerned.

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Watch the value of thoses SUV's and large trucks go down, I've seen this shiit happen before. From having equity to being up-side down. Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...

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No, the AC suggestion is correct.  There is more gas used with the drag of open windows than there is with the engine drag of the AC on.  I do believe though that the AC drag was greater on cars made say 20 years ago, and they did use more gas.  I had a Celebrity back then.  Turning on the AC was like throwing the anchor out.  Today's cars you don't even feel the compressor engage.  The AC causes your RPM to jump about 50, that's all

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The AC is used a lot more than people think, it's not just when you have the dial set to 'AC'. On my 2001, I have only one setting - Panel - that doesn't use the AC at least partially in maintaining the desired temp.

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I thought I read somewhere last month that Alberta Canada has enough supply to keep North America fueled for the next fifty years.  Lets see CA, Fl, Alaska, Alberta.

Lets invade Canada!

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Peat is a fuel source. Florida leads the nation in peat reserves.

 

If you were a moose, OK, can't touch you - but you are not a moose, so get out and let use that peat. :D

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I think it's really cool that probably 75% of America wouldn't have given this conversation the time of day before it hit their wallet. Now, folks are getting concerned.

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We live in a capitalist society. That's what you get. Enjoy it.

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Now that gas prices are going to be close to 3.00/gal up here in the near future sooner or later .....steps will be taken in my house to conserve fuel consumption

 

-No unnecessary trips...if it is not on the way home from work or to work then we don't go

 

-dining out is going away

 

-the wife is carpooling which will save us a ton of gas since we live 1 hr away from our jobs

 

-cars tuned up

Any other advice you can give or any ideas you may have would be great

(wisecracks aside)

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Told my mother-in-law not to come visit.

She saves money by not driving 6 hours to stay with us.

I save money by not having to drive to the local bar every night,

then calling a cab to get home....

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No, the AC suggestion is correct.  There is more gas used with the drag of open windows than there is with the engine drag of the AC on.  I do believe though that the AC drag was greater on cars made say 20 years ago, and they did use more gas.  I had a Celebrity back then.  Turning on the AC was like throwing the anchor out.  Today's cars you don't even feel the compressor engage.  The AC causes your RPM to jump about 50, that's all

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Both are correct depending on your speed.

Windows/AC

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--keep your tires at a consistent pressure

--drive with your windows up and AC on... It's more efficient to do it this way than the other because of drag caused by the open windows

--Make sure your spark plugs are gapped correctly and are in good condition

--don't slam on the gas or brake... Use the cruise control as often as possible

--Drive in the highest gear comfortable for your car (i.e. if you're going 40mph, shift to 4th and drop your rpms to 2800 instead of leaving it in 3rd at 3900rpms.

 

 

In your house:

--shades drawn

--leave AC at a constant temperature... it uses more energy to move along a temperature gradient than it does to maintain a constant temp.

 

This is the norm for me because I hate utility bills anyway and am always looking for ways to reduce them.

 

Also have set my AC at minimum during the day and slowly cool off in the afternoon. We can't turn it off down here because we must keep the inside air dryer.

I pre-plan all trips in the car and try to complete all stops on the way home from work.

Have a brick in my toilet tanks to save water. Run pool filter pump at a minimum. Keep sprinklers properly aligned and run at a minimum so I don't water the sidewalk.

Not sure what else I can do.

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Do you have dinner ready for the better half yet? :lol:  :D

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Of course I do...6 o'clock. Done the dishes from the breakfast I make for her every day when she goes off to work, policed the domicile for our coming heavy rains, charged up the extra battery for the back-up sump pump, took the empties out to the recycle bin.

 

Don't you think I earn my free beer and cigarettes??? ;)

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