With the increases that seem to come just about every day in the price of gasoline... I thought I would share something that I noticed about my gas mileage quite some time ago.
About a year ago, I purchased a 2007 Honda CR-V. It's a cute little small-to-medium size "cross-over" vehicle... I think the industry calls it. I think the gasoline MPG figures on the window sticker quoted perhaps 23/29 or so... 23 MPG in the city, 29 MPG on the open road... highways, etc. My mileage, however... is usually around 27 or 28 MPG in the city, and right at 32 MPG on long highway trips.
I have found that one very easy way that I can increase my gas MPG is to simply drive as "stress-free" as possible.
It seems that when I am stressed, when things are a bit upsetting, when I am anxious about a closing, or angry or upset about anything... I tend to "press" while I am driving. I "push" a little bit more than normal, my right foot seems to feel heavier on the gas pedal, pushing down harder than I normally do.
Just this little "stressor" and the behaviors that follow... can drop my MPG from 28 down to around 24 or 25 MPG. That is a loss of about fifteen percent MPG efficiency.
When I look at my odometer/speedometer and notice what the current miles per gallon measures... and I see it hovering around 23 or 24... I know I am upset about something... and that I am stressing, or pushing.
It's then obvious that I have to "on purpose" grab ahold of my attitude, slow it down, breathe deeply, maybe even pull over to the side of the road and just sit for a moment and "regain my calm, de-stressed attitude.
Once I do this... breathe deeply, lose the stress, or focus on something calm, or some pleasant memory... my mileage actually goes back up to the 28 MPG range.
So... in a way... my Honda CR-V has become my "shrink on wheels."
Update: I just did the math. A 4 MPG increase from 23 PMG comes to a 17.39 percent increase... which for me with the mileage I drive... saves me $1,415.70 a year. Not bad. Not bad at all.
;)
;)
