Fuel Economy

[henry33]

I get the fuel consumption of 5.5 l/km, should be something around 43 mpg I do not really know how you are able to get 50 mpg
I have 1.33 1nr-fe engine and manual 6 speed trany ;) it helps a lot on the highway ;) nut still not able to get 50 :(

[nmgolfer]

Originally Posted by henry33

I get the fuel consumption of 5.5 l/km, should be something around 43 mpg I do not really know how you are able to get 50 mpg
I have 1.33 1nr-fe engine and manual 6 speed trany ;) it helps a lot on the highway ;) nut still not able to get 50 :(

Drive like a sailor.... Think SMOOOOOOOOOTHHHH....Don't turn that tiller or you'll scrub off some speed. Pretend you don't have any brakes and drive accordingly. When I was a kid my boss had a truck with crappy brakes I occasionally had to drive... Old Swede farmer that he was, he had no sympathy for me and simply said: don't get into a position where you need your brakes! I still drive that way today nearly forty years later and I still have nightmares of standing on those brakes and that thing slooooooowly coming to a stop.

Thing is anytime your foot is off (I mean off) the gas pedal you're getting better than 200 mpg (ac off right?) It adds up. Too bad our littl' Yaris doesn't have regen brakes say spinning up a little flywheel so we wouldn't have to feel so bad about using them... In time it will I suppose

[STC]

Originally Posted by henry33

I get the fuel consumption of 5.5 l/km, should be something around 43 mpg I do not really know how you are able to get 50 mpg
I have 1.33 1nr-fe engine and manual 6 speed trany ;) it helps a lot on the highway ;) nut still not able to get 50 :(

Drive below 55 MPH (88 KPH). Be very gentle on the accelerater, as if it is an egg! Pump up your tires to manufacturer maximum rating. Use long in gear glides on hills/grades... coasting. Drive 70% of the time or above highway miles. Limit your weight of car...

Cheers!

[bkrownd]

Originally Posted by STC

Drive below 55 MPH (88 KPH). Be very gentle on the accelerater, as if it is an egg! Pump up your tires to manufacturer maximum rating. Use long in gear glides on hills/grades... coasting. Drive 70% of the time or above highway miles. Limit your weight of car...

Walk, bike and bus whenever possible.

[STC]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Walk, bike and bus whenever possible.

YES! Would be nice if this was promoted and actively encouraged by American culture!

Cheers!

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Walk, bike and bus whenever possible.

Originally Posted by STC

YES! Would be nice if this was promoted and actively encouraged by American culture!

We lack the infrastructure in most cities/towns/counties to make this practical.

Case in point:

I live near Allentown, PA, but work in Philadelphia, PA. Philly does have Septa (public trans) which does extend up relatively close to where I live. But to catch one of their trains, I still have to drive an hour to the train station. Than sit on the train for 40-55 minutes (depending on express or local train, and if they're running on time). Then take the subway for 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to work. Total commute, approximately 2 hours 20 minutes (depending on traffic, Septa running on schedule, etc).

BUT, if I drove all the way to work, it'd only take approximately 1 hour 25 minutes (depending on traffic).

Yes, I know I'm the exception to the norm, given how far I live from work. However this is becoming even more popular. Where I live, we're close enough to NYC, Philly, Poconos that a lot of people live in our area but commute to work to those areas, particularly NYC.

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

[bkrownd]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

I live in the country. There is NOTHING within walking distance. And I'm not making excusing, I am explaining the situation as it it. There are some very rural areas in this country. There are very few jobs in those rural areas. Come visit sometime. I'll show you.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

We lack the infrastructure in most cities/towns/counties to make this practical.

Case in point:

I live near Allentown, PA, but work in Philadelphia, PA. Philly does have Septa (public trans) which does extend up relatively close to where I live. But to catch one of their trains, I still have to drive an hour to the train station. Than sit on the train for 40-55 minutes (depending on express or local train, and if they're running on time). Then take the subway for 5 minutes to walk the 4 blocks to work. Total commute, approximately 2 hours 20 minutes (depending on traffic, Septa running on schedule, etc).

BUT, if I drove all the way to work, it'd only take approximately 1 hour 25 minutes (depending on traffic).

Yes, I know I'm the exception to the norm, given how far I live from work. However this is becoming even more popular. Where I live, we're close enough to NYC, Philly, Poconos that a lot of people live in our area but commute to work to those areas, particularly NYC.

Even if I worked locally (within the Lehigh Valley), our public trans is not up to par. It works great if you live within the larger city limits and only want to get around the city. But it does not exist in the outlying towns. So I'd still have to drive, to catch the bus, and probably wouldn't get close enough to work that I'd have to walk 10+ blocks. It's a lot easier to just drive where you need to go.

Public transportation is about convenience. If it is cheaper to use it, both in terms of time and cost, you probably would. When it costs more, you won't.

People need to use common sense about transit....and it sounds like you are using very good common sense!