Date:         Wed, 26 Apr 2006 12:26:27 -0400
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: More Energy Saving (driving)
In-Reply-To:  <444F6CB3.1080409@verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

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
>