What affects miles per gallon when driving...

[NJOYURLIFE]

In the past, my husband has insisted that it costs us about 500-550 in gas to drive from NE PA to Orlando. Imagine my surprise when I use the AAA gas calculator and it said the cost of gas would be $213 ROUND trip. The calculator asked for our vehicle type (Ford WInstar). Now I am trying to figure why his calculations are soooo off. He said maybe because we run the A/C, which I countered with I would think Triple A would consider that. Is it because we put a luggage carrier on the roof? On our last trip my mom insisted that he put the luggage carrier on the roof backwards and that the sloping part was facing the wrong way. Could this have added to our fuel consumption?

Can you share your thoughts and/or experiences with the cost of driving?

Thanks.

 

[crzy4dsny]

How fast you drive is a major thing that affects gas mileage. If you drive 65 mph you will get a lot more m/p/g/ than if you drove at 75 mph. Some other affects are things like tire pressure, if your engine is tuned properly ,and having a clean air filter.

If you put a car topper on backwards you would lose a lot of mileage also. You would be creating a lot of drag on the car. This means the engine would have to work harder to maintain a certain speed. By doing that you will use more gas. The sloped end has to face foward. Even putting it on the right way you may lose some milage. Some people say 10%. With a sloped topper I don't think it is even that much.

I think $213 round trip sounds a little low. In the past it has cost us about $230 - $250. That was before the price of gas went thru the roof. We are driving down next week. I'm thinking now maybe now it will be some where in the $300- $330 range

 

[Tara]

A luggage carrier will definitely affect your gas mileage somewhat, but I don't think that's enough to account for the difference in your husband's estimate and AAA's. Other factors that affect mileage are how you drive (do you speed up and slow down a lot or maintain a steady speed/use cruise control), regular maintenance (is your car tuned up, air filter good, etc.), and how your tires are inflated.

$213 round trip sounds a little low, though. That's $106.50 each way. If gas is $2.35/gal then that's 45 gallons of gas each way. If you get 25 mpg, then you can drive 1125 miles on 45 gallons of gas. Okay, maybe $213 isn't a little low after all.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

We are leaving on Thursday the 18th and coming home on Sat the 27th.

Oh boy, my mom was right about that sloped carrier-lol.

I really have to get us down to 3 outfits each and use that washer/dryer in the room. There are 5 of us.

 

[cslittle999]

$500 does seem very high. We have a Dodge Grand Caravan. The trip from Orangeville (just north of Toronto) to Disney and back is about 2700 miles. I'm guessing it will costs us about $350 US.

Is DH putting premium fuel in the van instead of regular?

 

[Lewisc]

Anything above 50mph will hurt you mpg. The rooftop carrier will knock off at least 10%, putting on backwards will hurt even more.

Slightly over inflate your tires.

 

[jctwizzer]

In the past, my husband has insisted that it costs us about 500-550 in gas to drive from NE PA to Orlando. /QUOTE]

To spend that kind of money for gas, you would have to get about 7 miles per gallon. There's no way that can happen, unless your tank leaks; drastically. A car top carrier will not have any where near that kind of impact; going 75 mph will not have that kind of impact; underinflated tires will not have that much impact-----and all those items combined will not have that kind of impact. Husbands are usually half right; at best. Yours seems to be 200% right, making him an exception.

 

[CleveRocks]

Slightly over-inflated tires, clean air filter, new PCV valve, cruise control (versus what some people do which annoys me to no end, speeding up -- slowing down -- speeding up), plus what I learned from the WWII movie Memphis Belle: once you're not over enemy territory you can jettison your guns and ammunition to get rid of excess weight and save on fuel that way.

-- Eric

 

[CarolMN]

Here's a great article from CNN/Money on that very subject:

Saving Gas without Switching Cars - from CNN/Money

Best wishes -

 

[NCRedding]

As to the AC, running your air at 55 saves more gas than having the windows down due to the wind resistance.

 

[twoeeyy]

the A/C will cut your gas mileage by 15% and as others have said driving over 65 makes a big difference. My car has the onboard computer and when we drive long highway trips we usually go 75-80 depending on traffic and it makes a HUGE difference in the gas mileage , to solve that problem I just turn the in dash display off so I do not see the horrible mileage
what are we gonna do we love our car and bought it for FUN per miles not Gas per miles ( we drive a 2005 dodge magnum with the Hemi )

I look at it like maybe when gas prices hit 3.50 and up if I am lucky there will be less cars on the road to get in my way !!!!

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

Quoted from the article linked above "Pamper yourself. If you're taking a vacation road trip, consider a destination that doesn't require that you drive everywhere once you've arrived. Pedestrian-friendly locations are worth considering, as are cities with good public transit options. Otherwise, you'll spend more money on gas, a lot of energy in traffic, and less time getting the rest you need. "

A good reason to stay onsite Disney as if I needed more arm twisting -

Thanks everyone! It is interesting to see how you lose out going over 55 mph, especially when the speed limits traveling down are between 65 & 75 mph. We do travel heavy. We are going to try and leave the roof top carrier home and like I said before pack very very light and use that washer and dryer.

 

[cranbiz]

I drive a GMC 4X4 Pickup and it costs me aroung $300 RT. Now that was with gas in the 2.00-2.30 range. I am usually loaded with stuff in the back going down, last trip was a sleeper sofa, and towing a trailer, and my gas costs were still right around $300.

I drive from Carver MA to Deltona, so $500-550 seems very high to me. I also don't drive 55 and use the AC when required. If it is not AC weather I usually leave the drivers window open.

Soooo, I am the most unlikely person to get the greatest gas mileage and still can spend $300 of less. (maybe not now)

That being said, Hubby is most likely off on his calculations. If he is looking for justifications to fly, I don't blame him. I would rather fly than drive, but drive when when necessary.

My next trip I don't need to take anything big to the house and I'm flying SW for $ 99.00 RT. (Sept 3-11)

 

[arminnie]

My trip is a little over 900 miles each way. Last November (when gas prices were closer to $2) my gas for the round trip was about $165 in my van.

That was with A/C and driving 70-75 mph. No roof top carrier though.

 

[DVC-Don]

The Myth Busters TV show recently looked into whether running the AC in vehicles reduced mileage and found the opposite was true. Driving with the windows down does reduce mileage, driving with the windows up and AC running increases mileage. It's a small difference, but on the good side.

Now, I'm going to try the jettison of guns and ammo thing.

Yet another side note. Filled my wifes car yesterday and it was a bit over $45. Thats just one fill. Don't forget to factor in extra meals and possibly a room along the way. For us, works out flying is cheaper.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I drove a Grand Voyager down in June - no rooftop carrier, used A/C the entire way and cruise as much as I could. Round-trip cost of gas was $280.