Mirage close to 60 MPG again

[Draigflag]

Originally Posted by JockoT

The law in the US is peculiar. In California it is illegal to coast down hill, but not on the flat (such as up to lights).

I think you're confused, coasting refers to engine on, but in neutral. The kind of life risking behaviour I'm referring to is when the engine is switched off.

After a near head on collision at 60 MPH, I lost my ability to steer, accelerate and brake completely, resulting in another severe accident. I can only pass my experiences on to those who are fortunate enough not to have been involved in a near death experience, if it saves one life it's worth it.

[JockoT]

I never coast with the engine off. I'd need arms like Garth just to get round a gentle curve.

[trollbait]

My current car retains brakes while EOCing. Even previous one had power brakes for 2 to 3 hard applications.

The EPS appears to stay active down to 10 or 5 mph.

[R.I.D.E.]

So you lose a power steering belt and wreck the car because you can't drive it without power assist?

Your engine dies going down a mountain and you are condemned to death, since you can't stop.

Sounds like the greatest class action suit in history.

Cars driven without power steering or brakes (did not have either when made).

59 Corvette that would do 160 MPH with drum brakes (that you could melt with the engines power)
57 Chevy
6 63-69 Valiants
67 383 Cuda
67 390 Mustang
Bug Eye sprite (surrounded by tanks (other late 60s monsters) weighing 4 times as much)
37 Ford (cable operated brakes 67 year old original cables) I could stop it with my thumb.
A bunch of volkswagens including a 58 that I used to start with a rope

Driven all of them without an accident that was my fault. Got rear ended a few times when I could not get out of the idiots way, once by 4 girls sliding sideways in the Buick, that knocked me across two lanes of oncoming traffic.

EOC makes NO difference in braking distance for me, no difference is steering ability. At higher speeds I can not even tell the difference. Maybe it's the tire pressure that cripples others. Jocko try sidewall max and EOC one time and come back and tell me how hard it was at over 15mph. It will be harder to stop, but give it a really good push on the brake pedal and I'd bet you can lock them up, the steering effort would be just about the same over 15 mph. I coast the last mile to my house (Engine Off), make a left turn at 25 mph, a right at 16-17 and park behind a truck or coast up the hill past my house and back down to my driveway, where I back down the 85 foot 10 foot drop and park inches away from the wall. Every thing just done after a 55 (in a 45) pulse and a 1 mile distance travelled, without ever touching the brakes (EOC the whole way after the 55 pulse).

[R.I.D.E.]

I forgot, the Echo could be bought without power steering, wish mine was that way, but the AC is nice. I had one without AC and with manual steering but all had power brakes, at least in the US. Pedal effort is high but certainly useable, you do have to put some arse in it.

[JockoT]

My tyres have pretty low sidewall pressures (two at 44 and two with no figure at all). I run at 37 psig.
My steering is electric assist, and is not too bad above 20 mph, but I don't get enough opportunity to corner above 20 mph in my daily driving. Usually, for the tight corners around Kirkcaldy, I am in gear making use of DFCO.

[Draigflag]

As mentioned before, I personally would not compromise any safety aspect, however little, for what works out as very little $$$ worth of fuel. This was my wreck in 2013, lucky to get out alive, first impact destroyed my ability to brake, accelerate and brake straight. Take a good look at those pics and let me know if saving $2 is worth gambling your life.

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

This was my wreck in 2013

How did the accident happen in the first place?

[Draigflag]

A local lady in her 60's lost control on a bend and collided with the front of our car. The first impact smashed every window, broke the right hand steering components, and removed the rear wheel completely.

[R.I.D.E.]

I fail to understand the association between saving fuel and your accident. I avoided a head on, by about 150 feet, that would have knocked me off the side of a mountain but it was pure luck, 800 foot drop, certain death. Sounds like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, without any chance to react or avoid.

I guess I COULD say if you were averaging a lower speed then you would have not been there at that instant in time, but slower average speed also means longer vulnerability to any accident, but also lower impact speed if one happens. Crap happens but saving fuel being blamed on crap happening is a long stretch.