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Scan Gauge Mount

January 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

scanguage mount

 

As mentioned on this and many other websites, the ScanGuage or other iFCD (Instantaneous fuel consumption display)  is vital to measuring the effectiveness of any green driving tip you might try.  I use the scan gauge II pictured above.  I admit the mounting of it is not ascetically pleasing but I like the fact that it  is positioned where I can see it without taking my eyes off the road.

I hate to do anything drastic like take the dash apart but I am thinking about ideas to mount the ScanGuage  in a better location so the wire is not hanging down.   For the time being though this will have to do.

Comments anyone?

 

 

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Flashing Headlights

January 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
flashing headlights

flashing headlights

Have you ever been driving down the road and noticed cars traveling in the opposite direction with their “headlights flashing”? Many times that means that a “speed trap” may be set up just around the bend or over the hill. If you came to this site to discover ways to get better gas mileage you will most likely not be speeding but the do unto others rule applies here. Wouldn’t you like to be alerted if you happened to inadvertently be going faster than the posted speed limit?

Wikipedia defines headlight flashing as ” the act of either briefly switching on the headlights of a car, or of momentarily switching between a headlight’s high beams and low beams, in an effort to communicate with another driver or drivers. This signal can be intended to convey a variety of messages, including a warning to other drivers of road hazards or of speed traps, and it can also be a form of aggressive driving. The legality of headlight flashing varies by jurisdiction.”

The practice of flashing headlights to warn oncoming traffic of possible “radar” in the area, used to be illegal in Florida but effective January 1, 2013, Florida motorists will no longer be ticketed for flashing headlights for any reason, including as a warning to other drivers that law enforcement officials are nearby. That could be welcome news for drivers who felt they were doing fellow motorists a service by giving a heads up that police were waiting in the shadows.

The original legislation, HB 1223, was introduced by Representative Ben Albritton (R-Bartow, 56th District), and proceeded through its assigned committees before being passed unanimously by the House and Senate. The law, approved by Governor Rick Scott on April 27, 2012, included provisions that amended section 316.97, Florida Statutes, pertaining to headlights. Here’s a link to the actual statute that it amended:

The measure contained several other provisions, including the creation of additional specialty tags and a revision of the definition of “swamp buggy”. For a summary of the legislation, please click here.

Keep in mind that the laws regarding “headlight flashing” vary from state to state.

Be a careful driver, slow down (this usually goes hand in hand with getting better gas mileage) and know the laws for your state.

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Coasting in Neutral Legal in Florida

December 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After my last post, A Friendly Drive to better Mileage, it occurred to me when reading other gas mileage saving tips around the web that coasting in neutral might be illegal in Florida.

Not wanting to advocate breaking the law to save money on fuel, I asked my wife, Ofie, to look into it for me.

Here is what she found out.

HB 4019 passed the House on March 24, 2011 and passed the Senate on March 30, 2011. The bill was approved by the Governor on April 27, 2011, chapter 2011-9, Laws of Florida, and took effect on April 27, 2011.

The law repeals unnecessary language 316.2024, Florida Statutes, relating to motor vehicle operation. The language being repealed prohibits motor vehicle drivers from travelling on a downgrade with the vehicle in neutral or the clutch disengaged. (In other words, “coasting in neutral”).

So if you live inFlorida, you can now coast in neutral without fear of getting pulled over for it, which is unlikely anyway.  More importantly, you can do it without feeling guilty that you are doing something wrong.

Does coasting in neutral really save gas?  Is coasting in neutral safe?

Stay tuned for my next post ……

 

 

 

 

 

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A Friendly Drive to Better Mileage

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

better gas mileageI got together  with a friend for lunch the other day at Cabo’s for a nice salad and some chili.  After lunch as Roger and I  were talking in the parking lot, the conversation went from motorcycles to gas mileage and the idea stuck me to do a little driving test.

Roger, like me is a frugal guy and had already been driving much better than most, so I wondered if my driving style would be more efficient than his.

We mapped out in our heads  a round trip route of about 7 miles and off we went in my car a 2007 Honda Civic (EPA 25 City).  As we headed out, I suggested we stop for a cup of Joe and as it turned out there was a Starbucks in our route.

I let Roger drive first. He used a couple of the tips we mention on the site which he had figured out on his own (plan ahead to try to keep moving, no jackrabbit starts.)  His mileage to Starbucks was a respectable 37 mpg.

After our cup of coffee and solving all the world’s problems, we left Starbucks to complete our round trip.  On the way back he got 27 mpg.  As far as I could tell he didn’t drive any differently than he did on the first part of the leg.  The reason for this reduction probably had more to  do with coming across more lights and an uphill grade, while the first part was more of a downhill grade.

Now it was my turn to try.  The only real difference in our driving styles was that I anticipated the lights further away then he did, accepted less than a constant speed than posted while going up hill, and coasted in neutral which caused me to exceed the posted speed for that road.  I commented at one point that the guy behind me, who was right on my tail, was probably a little annoyed as I coasted to the light due to his apparent desire to get to that light even though it was red and he would have had to brake hard.

So how did I do?  I got 47 MPG on the first leg and 32MPG on the second.

Roger made a few points that I agree with.

  1. Putting the car in neutral to coast can be dangerous for an average driver.
  2. While coasting to a light on a 2 lane road, the driver behind you might miss the turn signal.  The “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” rule applies here.
  3. If caught speeding, the ticket will cost far more than the gas saved.
I found this overall to be a good exercise as I think we both learned something from it.
If you have some experiences of your own, please share them using the comment form.
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