Musings on fuel mileage

I do love to get good mileage (I drive motorcycles and a four-cylinder car, and sometimes I skate to work). Here are some interesting links on this subject.

Top Ten Misconceptions About Fuel Economy
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/topten.jsp

Gas Mileage Tip: Keeping Your Car in Shape
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

Gas Mileage Tip: Driving More Efficiently
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml


More interesting to me is what other people think. Check out this this story:
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_driving/62/six-gas-mileage-myths.html

Notice this quote:
"An amazing 65 percent of Americans surveyed support a mandated transition to a 50-mpg fuel economy standard by 2025. That's a tough standard, some 15 mpg better than the ambitious goal set by the Obama Administration (35 mpg by 2016)."

Here is a link to the original survey:
http://admin.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/File/Gas_Oil_Survey_Oil_Spill_PR_5_18_10.pdf

Not sure I believe these results. I would have to know more about the Consumer Federation of America and how they phrased the question.

But ask yourself this: Why, if so many people think mileage should be increased, don't they buy higher mileage cars? Nothing is stopping them, yet they won't do it. When people answer polls like this, are they trying to make themselves look better to the nameless, faceless person on the other side of the phone line? Or are they so full of shit that their eyes are brown?


Let's go one step further: Why do people buy hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius? I believe that many people do it not only because they want good mileage but also because they want to show off what good people they are for saving the Earth. And I think the latter reason, the need to show it off and to get credit, is the more important of the two.

Toyota Prius EPA mileage:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=26425

Now let's look at some old Hondas. The late, great Honda CRX HF (probably the best car I've ever owned) was rated around 50 mpg by the EPA. I got a solid 45 mpg with my CRX HF, and 50+ mpg on highway trips. Not necessarily an apples-to-apples comparison, because cars today have greater features and safety mandates, and I understand that the EPA changed their rating methodology, but still interesting:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/17/autos/honda_civic_hf/index.htm

http://www.automobilemag.com/green/reviews/0907_1985_honda_crx_hf_2010_honda_insight/index.html

http://cars.about.com/b/2006/05/12/what-ever-happened-to-the-50-mpg-honda.htm


Even better, what about the 1992 Honda Civic VX? I remember the window sticker of this car showing 48 mpg city and 55 mph highway.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef7f897

http://www.gassavers.org/garage/view/2458

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/honda/civic/r81422/


Funny, I don't remember any environmentalists lining up to buy the conventional technology Civic or CRX mentioned above...