Since I am a european an fuel is much more expensive over there, we were raised with these fuel saving driving style.
The basic rule is, try to come into the higher gears as soon as possible (3500rpm latest), press the throttle as smooth as possible. The biggest energy waste happens when you accelerate and floor it. More fuel is wasted than really needed. Try to drive in neutral when ever you can before coming to a stop. I always slow down before the red light, to avoid stoping completely (keeping a gap between me and the last in the queue). This will keep the momentum of the car and acceleration will take less fuel than starting from a death stop. You have to feel the throttle though....

 

There will certainly be cops out there that will profile you "just" because you're a minority. Those cops are "also" a minority. Try not to judge all cops by the few bad ones out there. Also, YOU know when you're speeding. YOU know when you're playing around. If you get caught doing these things, take responsibility for your actions. Don't blame the cop for getting pulled over. He's just doing his job.

As much as it might hurt, do your best to be polite and do what the cop asks of you without an attitude. A smart mouth and an attitude will get you "nowhere" with a cop regardless of whether you're a minority or not. If he is the type to automatically consider you a smart-ass punk, prove him wrong!

Good luck & Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

Hate to jack my own thread, but from that statement you must be caucasian. The same cop that may pull you over will, in my instances, treat you totally different than say a black, or middle eastern (with this whole war thing) person. I obey the law and I am respectful of it, but I've had my share of #@*%ing cops. Every experience I've had with them leads me to believe more and more that they all suck. In my case good cops are a minority. I've even had one cop take the side of a drunk driver who's car was hanging off a lakeside cliff after crashing into me and trying to run off. He wouldn't even write a report. I had to ask for an ambulance and get more cops involved so that he would have to write that report, I mean wtf! Or when I had a hit and run instance. All the cops would look down upon me and wouldn't even shake my hand! They also said there was nothing they could do. After speaking with the insurance ppl, they told me there was a form in front of the police station that I had to fill out and I'll be covered. That's it. I then realized that those cops were just being [insert vulgarity here].

Cops are the prime example of power vs corruption, and I will always hate them until the day I die period

So back to the shifting thing again. I've been driving the way you guys have told me and it seems to help a bit. Cruise control helps alot on the highway. I guess softer acceleration with each shift seems to be the biggie.

 

Back to the MPG question. Drive slower (posted speed limit). The faster you drive the exponentially more the wind resistance will be. You can even hear the difference. Go 80 mph then slow to 69 mph and you'll notice that it is considerably more quiet.

Also, try drafting behind larger cars.

 

Everytime I do that I can hear all the rocks and crap hitting my car. lol. But yea I do agree with you and the wind thing.

 

Also, drive off as soon as you start the engine in the morning and shift at lower rpm, around 3000 rpm, the first couple miles.

 

Hmmm... taking this sunshiney attitude into a traffic stop may explain some of your negative experiences...

But back to your gas question: Gas is wasted the most while idling. Try to plan your drives/commute around hours where you spend less time stopping, and more time going. I know that sounds obvious, but it helps. Also, if you're trying to save gas, using 6th gear at 40 MPH is very doable. Introduce yourself to shifting at 3500-4000 RPM.

If you think you can't live with the lackluster performance, just remember: A million Miata owners can't be wrong

 

I traded in my 2000 Jetta TDI (Turbo Diesel Injection) to the S2000. On the Jetta forums, there was an agreed upon rpm at which the diesel engine ran most efficiently (IE best gas mileage). That number happened to be 2250 rpms. The number was calculated based on engine performance (dyno data from a stock motor), and it was proven by a few Jetta-heads who drove their cars for miles on end, on a track, in 5th gear (top gear) at various rpms.

Does anyone know of track tests used to determine what the optimal rpm range is for gas usage? I realize it would be anywhere near 2250, but I am curious to hear the numbers.

 

its all about throttle position. the more throttle you give, the more fuel is being fed through the injectors. the rpm can be really high at 8k rpm when you're engine braking, but you will be using no fuel because your foot would be off the throttle and the injectors are fully closed during engine braking/de-acceleration.

 

that is probably a very good choice for saving gas...but it's hard for the truck drivers to see you.

Use A/C instead of rolling your windows down on hot days...cuz drag doesn't save you gas on the freeways