WTF ? Now getting 43 mpg

[BailOut]

Hello Wattz,

Everything was going good until your 3rd paragraph.

Originally Posted by Wattz

All that said, I think one of the things I hate most is when one person is totally ignoring the flow of traffic. I came up on a Prius doing 55 in a 75mph stretch of interstate. He was putting lives in danger for the sake of his fuel mileage. I think that is super selfish and incredibly dangerous.

If the Prius driver was in the right hand lane and there is no minimum speed limit in that area then they did absolutely nothing wrong. I respect your opinion that you dislike their action, but please be aware that your opinion means no more than theirs does. If you don't like it, pass on the left.

Originally Posted by Wattz

First priority is to go along with traffic to avoid confusion and accidents. Second is to watch out for the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph. Third is to obey the law. Fourth is to be wary of mileage and wear and tear.

I disagree with your prioritization, and so do both the NTSB and the private studies done by insurance companies. Without fail they found that speeding plays a factor in the vast majority of accidents, regardless of other factors that may also be present, such as DUI. As such the greatest threat on the road is "the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph".

I would place obeying the law next. I do not care what you are doing, as I have no control over you. The same goes for everyone else on the road. What I do have control over is what I do, and I choose to obey the speed limit and all other traffic regulations. Not only is this the right thing to do, which is enough of a reason for me by itself, but I also have no interest at all in the stress of being pulled over, or the time to attend court and/or a driving course, nor the expense of such and other fines, let alone the potential for an increase in insurance premiums, just so you can get to work 3 minutes faster (studies across the decades have consistently shown that the timing difference between law abiding motorists and speed demons is around 5 minutes per hour, and you have a 40 minute commute).

The wear and tear argument you included is paradoxical in that smooth driving at a moderate speed (55 MPH or lower in the Yaris) is easier on a car than any amount of stop and go, and even restarting a warm engine is easier on the vehicle than idling for more than just a few seconds.

Originally Posted by Wattz

Yaris mileage is phenomenal without hypermiling.

I would say the Yaris' mileage "out of the box" is good, but certainly not phenomenal. It also helps you greatly that you live in a flat area with a warm climate. Come drive in my mountainous region with 4 seasons and 400 inches of annual precipitation, and throw in carpoolers, etc., and your outlook will rapidly change.

Hypermiling will add considerably to your MPG regardless of where you live, though. You could easily be at 50+ for most of the year.