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My first two tanks since both getting the car and discovering hypermiling.
Approximatley 23mpg and 26mpg.

I'm driving a '96 Honda Civic with a badly dented hood.

In New York. In January.
Also each tank had at least 10-20 miles of driving 80mph (just got a car, I would be remiss in my duties as a teenager if I didn't do that)
Also I'm pretty sure that wind almost blowing you out of your lane isn't too good for mileage either.

Anyway there's all my excuses, how's that for a start?

Those numbers are kind of low. I'd like to see mid 30s possibly. You can do it. Use these as the baseline and in a year see how much you have improved.

Just fight the status quo and don't be a typical teenager. Drive for efficiency instead of speed.

Stifin,
First, a belated welcome. Next, I agree with Tom. Fight the trend and drive for efficiency instead of for speed. My son who just started driving about a year ago is beginning to rub off on his friends with his driving for efficiency. He is driving the car that is listed in my garage as "my temporary ride." Even in the northern IN winter, he has been averaging over 41 mpg for the last month or so and most of his driving is to school and back. I'll bet that with practice some occasional low 40's could be possible for you.

Hey, Stifin. It's a great start even to be here. The interests of most kids your age, as you know, are elsewhere. Heck, it took me almost until I turned 50 to develop an interest in optimal FE. (I'm a slow learner.) I applaud you!

It's probably not a fair comparison given the weather and age differences (of our vehicles, not us), but I managed to get 46 MPG on my fiancee's 2006 Corolla during a weekend trip a few months ago with a mixture of highway, suburban, and urban driving. So I agree with the others that 30s to low 40s are possible if your car's in good shape (dented hood aside) and you apply what you learn here.

Also each tank had at least 10-20 miles of driving 80mph (just got a car, I would be remiss in my duties as a teenager if I didn't do that)


I spent years thinking like that. Problem is that a ticket for 80+ in NY would be a miserable experience. 6 points, $140 fine, and the state tacks on a $300 "bad driver tax" just for kicks. Your insurance rates would skyrocket given your age.

I never was ticketed for anything, myself, but I'm much happier now that I've chilled out. Not to mention safer. I know you probably don't need anybody to tell you this, but I would be remiss of my duties as a board member not to remind you. ;)

Wow, good responses, thanks everyone.
It's good to know I have everyone looking out for my best interests.

Tbaleno, I definetly am trying to drive for effiecency instead of speed (or I wouldn't be on this forum in the firist place), but I'd like everyone to think back for a moment to their teenage years *wavy flashback*
Brick, you did it, and you know it was fun. But I should clarify, I meant that I had to do it a couple of times. Now that I've gotten it out of my system, my current tank of gas is my first 100% driving for efficency attempt. I've had some bad hits so far, sudden stops on the highway and getting stuck behind garbage trucks, but it should come out higher this time around.

Oh and Brick:
...but I would be remiss of my duties as a board member not to remind you. ;)

clever ;)

I'm thinking back. Thinking how I spun out on the highway with a car stalled facing the wrong direction with on-coming traffic. I'm thinking when I took my car through a brick wall and totaled a limited edition sports car and sent an elderly person to the hostpital. I'm thinking speeding to make it to the movies on time and t-boning another car sending my passenger to the hospital for a month or two with a ruptured spleen. Oh, I was thinking back to when I was a teenager. Sure, it was fun until there were consequences.

Fortunatly for me I survived. Unfortuntately for others I didn't learn my lesson the first time. Many people spent a lot of time in pain and in hospitals because of me.

Us old timers say what we do BECAUSE we remember our teenage years.

I am so glad you are here learning about FE. Nothing would make me happier than for CleanMPG to get more younger drivers here, and to educate them on the safer aspects of driving for fuel economy.

I hope you don't feal like we were giving you a hard time. We just want you to be safe and to get better mileage ;)

Wow.
I don't feel like you were giving me a hard time, I really appreciate all the advice, FE related or otherwise. But I think I was pretty safe on an empty road at 3am (not even the kind that people drag race on). Just had to do it at least once, but I'm not a very big risk taker, it was only under pretty optimal conditions, no bobbing and weaving through traffic or anything.

Anyway, I just filled up and calculated my latest tank. 35mpg, which is +3 from the combined EPA, with all the problems I listed. That is awesome. I might actually be able to afford to keep the car fueled up. ;)

Anyway, I just filled up and calculated my latest tank. 35mpg, which is +3 from the combined EPA, with all the problems I listed. That is awesome.

That was fast progress! Now get those tanks in the mileage database and check out the graph it'll make for you. Keep on building those buffers in front and keep us posted.