How to Encourage Society to Drive at Safer Speeds and Save Gas

[ChewChewTrain]

Just as Tire Pressure Monitor Systems are required by law to make a vehicle more fuel efficient, it should ALSO be required to have a VERY obvious MPG display.

Not will this save lives (due to fewer freeway speeding accidents), make a country a little less dependent on foreign oil, and better for the environment, but a blatant dashboard MPG display would be a constant reminder about the wastefulness of fast driving.

BTW, my most recent tank refill, numbers were 51.5 mpg today and 51.3 mpg last week done with my 27y/o Honda Civic hatchback.

[Draigflag]

All new cars have some form of measuring fuel consumption and displaying it. I can configure mine to display in a few places. I usually have a digital speedo right in front of me, and the MPG screen to my left on the larger touchscreen. Truth is, some people don't even know what a MPG is, or other methods of measurement for that matter. A cost per mile display would be better, where the user can input the cost per litre or gallon, and then the car will display your instant cost per mile, and then at the end of every trip, your cost per trip too.

Some cars use a scoreboard, giving points for acceleration, coasting and braking. This is displayed at the end of every trip. This could be a fun idea, making each journey like a game trying to beat your previous score.

[SteveMak]

If someone doesn't care about fuel economy, then it's easy to ignore the MPG display. That's what I did in my old car.

If someone does care about fuel economy, then they've likely already adopted driving habits to increase fuel economy. An MPG meter is for those who care.

FYI, I used my instantaneous fuel economy meter[1] to determine my ideal cruise speed for hypermiling. It also shows me when my diesel engine is in a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) "renewal" cycle because fuel consumption jumps notably. If I'm on the highway when this happens, I'll increase my cruise speed to roughly where the consumption is about the same (higher speed) so I can cover more distance with the same, higher fuel burn brought on by the DPF cycle.

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[1] Inaccurate, but useful for relative readings.

[R.I.D.E.]

87 300 ZX I bought at a salvage auction had a fuel economy display. Had all the parts to fix it in stock. I remember average speed and mpg displays. Digital dash. Friend who bought it was still driving it 10 years later. Recycled almost 200 cars over a 30 year period.

30 years ago

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

87 300 ZX I bought at a salvage auction had a fuel economy display. Had all the parts to fix it in stock. I remember average speed and mpg displays. Digital dash. Friend who bought it was still driving it 10 years later. Recycled almost 200 cars over a 30 year period.

30 years ago

R.I.D.E., with so much salvage auction experience, what advice can you give us?

[R.I.D.E.]

Stay away from them. Seen people get burned badly when they get involved without a huge amount of experience. Every single example is a unique set of circumstances.
My buddy just bought a totaled Neon for $150, marked flood damaged. He stuck his finger in the wet floor carpet and tasted it, no salt taste, so it was fresh water.
He did nothing except dry out the car and started it up, and it ran perfectly. Ten years old with 50k miles, garage kept, with no paint deterioration.

Nobody wants 10 year old Neon. If it was a Honda, it would have never sold for that and by the time he got through all the auction fees, and state inspection charges, his cost was $650. He has a dealership license in Virginia. I don't think private parties can even get into the auction and he has been doing this for 30 years, worked for his father when he was 12 years old.

If you decide to try anyway, look for a driveable total, but you can not start the cars, so you have to just take a chance, and your playing with the big boys, and they seldom let anything good get by them. A lot of the totals are shipped overseas, where they could care less about branded titles or even titles, which for a US citizen is a critical component.

I've bought cars that never had a full tank of gas through them, but the chances of getting burned are much higher. One of the best examples I remember was a 1972 BMW 2002, that I won with a $300 bid. IT had $1100 in receipts for various things in the previous month, was hit in the rear end, and driveable.

[Jcp385]

I left the FCD up in my wife's van, she won't bother changing it. The result? She tried for a week or so, and now just carries on as before. For her, the time saved, real or imagined, is more valuable than the fuel saved.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by Jcp385

I left the FCD up in my wife's van, she won't bother changing it. The result? She tried for a week or so, and now just carries on as before. For her, the time saved, real or imagined, is more valuable than the fuel saved.

What's an 'FCD'?

[R.I.D.E.]

fuel consumption display

[Jcp385]

Originally Posted by ChewChewTrain

What's an 'FCD'?

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

fuel consumption display

Correctamundo!