powerball run

today i made my first "powerball run" since i installed my Scan Gauge II, it was a short trip from Illinois to Indiana and back. i play the lottery on a regular basis and when the powerball (Indiana and other states) gets over $100 million, i play that one too. on the way there, 37 miles, 28F temp with good traffic i got 49.9MPG, avg speed of 51mph, on the way back i hit rush hour traffic and was stuck a bit, avg speed 37mph and got only 47.2MPG, 48.5MPG average for the trip at highway speeds (mostly) kicks the crap out of the EPA ratings!!!!

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10 Comments

Comment by Not so smart on January 5, 2009 at 11:45pm: Do you use 100% auto mode to get that mileage,or different techniques depending on the conditions ? Also what smart car would you buy if you won the powerball ? What would it look like ?

Comment by mr bad example on January 6, 2009 at 8:28am: 100% auto mode, about 30% of the time i was "drafting" behind a semi-trailer, that gave me a little "boost" in milage (if i could draft 90% i'd get over 60 mpg, easy, you can watch the mpgs go up when you get in the "sweet spot", if you drop out and get turbulance, you get worse milage than if you're on your own)
also, i was using "winter blend" gas and it was cold, 28F, i expect milage would be higher with summer blend gas and warmer temps, i notice a big difference in fuel consumption with lower temps. my normal work commute at 10F is 39mpg, at 40F it's 44mpg (i've only had the SG a bit over a month, so it's always been cold. last may, coming home from wisconsin with wisconsin REAL gas (no ethanol) i got 53MPG at 55-60mph with temps in the upper 40's, no drafting involved, that was with only a few thousand miles on the car.

if i won the powerball, i'd get a brabus, and i'd move to vegas, no potholes like NE illinois. (unless i moved to europe if i win more than $10million, barack would take $1,000,000 (or more) more in taxes that i could use better than him)

Comment by Not so smart on January 6, 2009 at 11:40pm: Thanks for that, I hope obama dosn't use to much of our money. This spread the wealth thing is very scary to me. We will see what happens. O-bummer

Comment by mr bad example on January 7, 2009 at 12:12am: it's funny, on my own i was getting mid 40's, i get semi turbulance and drop to upper 30's, same as falling too far behind in drafting. get closer and you're back in 60+'s MPGs. you just get a silly grin when the SG says you're getting over 100MPG when you're cruising along at 60mph.

Comment by Not so smart on January 7, 2009 at 12:24am: How close do you have to follow the semi to get to the sweet spot ? Do you feel it's a safe stopping distance ? Could I do it and hot get killed ?

Comment by mr bad example on January 7, 2009 at 12:51am: it's about 30-40 feet, you have to be alert, and hope for an empty trailer, if it bounces a lot/easily, he can't stop too fast (he'd burn his tires). i just look for a passing trailer that is riding light and tuck up behind him. try to stay in the middle lane(s) where traffic is constant. when you get a SG, you'll know when you're IN or OUT, if you sit high in the seat, you can see the radio antenna vibrate less when you're IN as well.

the main thing is to be alert and aware of everything. the smart can stop faster than any semi, if possible, read the traffic ahead every minute or two by moving from side to side and taking a peek. truck drivers are usually conservative and won't brake suddenly, for they see traffic ahead of car drivers, and they have to "budget"their trips to make $$$, so they sometimes will cruise slower than traffic because they see something farther ahead.

it's almost a game, you have to choose your driver, i look for them in my rear view mirror, who's driving steady, who drives in spurts... when i lose a "draft" i start looking for the next in the rear view mirror. when i lose a "draft" i sit in the right lane at 50-55mph and wait for the next to come along, there i get 45MPG easy.

Comment by Not so smart on January 7, 2009 at 1:10am: I will have a scan gauge when I get my car. Everyone that's had one has liked it. It seems to be a good tool to have. Takes away allot of the guess work. I will give it a try,.but only when my wife is not with me. Thanks again for the info.

Comment by mr bad example on January 7, 2009 at 1:33am: the SG is the best tool, you can see instant MPG and GPH, and you can choose of a dozen other functions to help you while driving. i'm just starting to play with mine, currently i run MPG, GPH, RPM and coolant temp, that tells you how warm the engine is, and when it's hot, it's economical.

Comment by Bruce Fromoz on January 7, 2009 at 5:44am: Check out LOD & TPS . Cool.

Comment by Gary on January 7, 2009 at 12:15pm: Beware: That vaccuum behind the truck is loaded with carbon monoxide...if you start to feel drowsy from all the exhaust fumes in the draft area, get away and get some fresh air.