Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 09:50:27 -0700
Reply-To: monte merrick <montemerrick@SPEAKEASY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: monte merrick <montemerrick@SPEAKEASY.NET>
Subject: Re: More Energy Saving (driving)
In-Reply-To: <EB3C27E5-4BE2-4752-A5DB-2E87A8546D9D@mac.com>
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how does using the engine to slow down give better mileage than braking
- i can see the safety angle, i can see the brake saving angle
i live in mountainous terrain and recognize flatlanders immediately
from their constantly glowing brakelights and the smell of cooking pads
-
i just don't understand the increased fuel efficiency - is it the use
of energy already developed rather than just shedding that and then
needing to build it all up again??
thanks
monte
On Apr 26, 2006, at 9:26 AM, Kim Brennan wrote:
Essential the philosophy promoted in the John Muir book "How to Keep
your Volkswagen Alive". Think of brakes negatively. Use them sparingly.
My father is an adherent of that philosophy. He'd often get 100K
miles out of his brakes before they needed to be worked on. Mechanics
never could understand how he did it. A manual transmission
automobile can use the engine for slowing down much more effectively
than an automatic can.
On Apr 26, 2006, at 8:50 AM, -------------------- wrote:
> There are all types of things that one can do with driving.
> Some are dangerous, some are illegal, so keep this in mind.
> BRAKES: Brakes waste fuel!
> First every time you use your brakes, you now have wasted the
> energy used, that got the vehicle moving. So no brakes or as
> little as possible. This means, every time you see a red light
> up ahead, you must not accellerate begond just enough to
> get to the light. In my neck of the woods, this works about 50%
> of the time. There are many places where you can't see the
> light until its to late, and you have to brake. Stop signs
> are the same thing. Many stop signs are place right at
> the bottom of hills, and there is little you can do but run
> the stop sign. At least with a light you have a chance
> of getting it green and can keep you momentum going.
> Brakes are also use WAY to much around bends. Learn
> how to NEVER brake around bends. This is mainly going to be
> limited to your vehicles traction. Very very few cars flip over.
> Wet or slippery roads are your only reason for braking
> around bends, but everyone does it. Again in my neck of the
> woods, about 50% of the time, there is other traffic in front of
> you and they slow down around bends. The best you can do
> is leave enough distance so that going into a bend that they
> are slowing for, you catch up to them.
> Simple: drive, pretending you did not have any brakes.
> Lots to be said but I'm out of time
>
"I long ago lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle dove, and am still
on their trail. Many are the travelers I have spoken to concerning
them, describing their tracks and what calls they answered to. I have
met one or two who had heard the hound, and the tramp of the horse, and
even seen the dove disappear behind a cloud, and they seemed as anxious
to recover them as if they had lost them themselves." - henry thoreau
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