[ZTWsquared]

(07-07-2010, 08:16 AM)WuNgUnSVT Wrote: DON'T use cruise control...especially on hills. BUT, you must be good with the throttle foot...
If I use cruise, I get on the gas and speed up on the down hills so then the cruise doesn't have to mash the throttle 3/4 to the floor to try and maintain speed on the up hill (major gas waster).

With an auto as well, don't lift all the way off the throttle when slowing (on the highway)...this unlocks the direct output in the tranny...if not, when you go to speed up again, your slipping with the viscous drive for a few seconds before it locks back up again.

And momentum is everything. Which means stay off the brakes. Every time you slow with the brakes means you gotta burn gas to get that speed back up again. This becomes second nature when your looking WAY down the road, anticipating traffic and lights.

The most effective way to save gas in a car is your driving habits. But I also like to over inflate my tires a little, stay out of the ruts on the road, draft a little, don't use the AC and turn the engine off when waiting at the drive thru/waiting for a train/stuck in grid lock...

The idea behind using cruise control is to avoid the inevitable speed-creep ... one minute you're doing a hundred and the next you're doing your usual 120 ... it's really difficult to maintain a slow and steady speed without it. Yes, it burns a bit more fuel trying to maintain speed up hills, but we tend to do that ourselves ... OTH it saves you fuel by letting up on the gas going down ... something that the human right foot is loathe to do ... I've tested it myself ... and for me - I can't beat the cruise when it comes to saving fuel.