What method do you use when driving at constant speed?

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Assuming you're not using cruise control, when you drive on the freeway at a constant speed (say, 70 mph), do you keep your foot on the accelerator and keep it there so that the speedo stays at 70, or do you do what I do?-- give it some gas, let it coast for a couple seconds while my foot rests, then repeat speed begins to drop too much.

Which method saves more gas?
 
Hmm, continually making small accelerations (which wouldn't be constant speed, by the way) or steady state cruising?
I think I've been stuck behind you, and it's really frigging annoying (and a waste of gas), so stop doing it!
 
accelerating , deceleration sucks gas.

Use a constant flow. I drove 20 hours straight once in a Daewoo with No cruise control. Cruise control is a must for me.
 
I tend to roll my accelerator foot against the door jamb (right hand drive remember), which damps my foot movements considerably (a mate used to jam a thong (flip flop) in the gap in years gone by).
 
Wow, I didn't know I was wasting gas that way. It's easier on my leg muscles, though, that's for sure. As for not driving at a steady speed, that's true, but the variations are quite small. I'll go to 71, slow down to 68, then hit the throttle again.

How do you manage to keep your foot on the pedal for so long without moving? I tried it today after being inspired by cruise control, and it was difficult. My father taught me to drive the way I do now.
 
Dave, come down under.

We install a special pillar, especially to lean your right foot upon.

I never even realised that it was there until your post...and driving my bosses car without a footrest next to the clutch pedal for the left foot.
 
I keep my right side of the foot brushed up against the carpet and it helps having the sort of gas pedal that starts from the ground up (BMW)
 
The combined weight of my foot and shoe keep the gas pedal in the right position.
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quote:

How do you manage to keep your foot on the pedal for so long without moving?

Different vehicles are easier to hold the throttle at a specific position with your foot. My wifes Cherokee I can hold constant for hours with no problem-it has good resistance. My Subaru has a real light touch and is much more difficult to hold at a steady speed.
 
quote:

Originally posted by DaveInLA:
or do you do what I do?-- give it some gas, let it coast for a couple seconds while my foot rests, then repeat speed begins to drop too much.

Which method saves more gas?


I have a buddy that drives like that, weather it's on purpose or not I don't know but it's makes me crazy to ride with him. Even for short distances.

Keep her steady, I dont have cruise on my truck and can keep it pretty consistant, on long trips when my leg gets tired, I'll move my righht leg over towards the passenger side and use my left leg for a short period (only on clear highway sections in light traffic) It's kind of funky at first but works for me.
 
i wedge my foot halfway on the gas petal and halfway on the tunnel where the shifter resides. this creates a "wedge" between the sole of my shoe and the tunnel so that i dont need to actually maintain speed. i just need to adjust the speed every 5-10 minutes. plus its really comfortable.

with that said, i still love cruise control and wouldnt own a car without it.
 
I completely agree with Tosh. Stop that! It may use more gas, but the annoyance factor for passengers and other drivers is much more important IMHO. I actually push my heel as far forward as possible, allowing me to have my foot at a 90 degree angle to my shin. That greatly reduces the effort involved to keep my foot steady. On some cars, though, I will rest one side of my foot along the tunnel in the center of the car, as some above have stated.

About the annoyance thing, I tend to let myself get really close to people like that as they slow down, then back off as they accelerate. It's not that I want to tailgate, it's my way of sending a message to quit slowing down. If you do, I'll back off. As a passenger, it makes me nervous. The only thing worse was the one time I drove with this guy who kept letting his car drift right until he was almost in the next lane, then correct it. Sort of the steering wheel version of what we're talking about here. My buddy and I in the back turned 6 shades of pale. Scary.
 
I use the same method as mori....find that "happy" place for the foot/gas pedal. But, I live where we don't have many hills and traffic is fairly light, Oklahoma....where the "O" stands for "OOOOOHHHHHHHH, what a lot of wide spaces"
 
You're wasting money. Keep it at the same speed. Better yet, why not always use cruise control when on the highway? I always use it. And using it takes the stress off your foot and leg and allows you to concentrate on other things than the speedometer.

What's worse, and really bugs me, is people that speed up and then hit the brake, then speed up and then hit the brake, over and over. Kids especially love to do this when driving in the city.
 
I tailgate a big SUV within 10 feet so I can take advantage of their air drag. Annoy the heck out of them but hey, I am taking advantage of their waste anyways.
 
The old Mobil economy run technique was to gently (part throttle) accelerate, coast and repeat. This was with old carbed engines and manual transmisssions. You wont make any friends among your passengers or others on the road, but you will save gas.

Both the BMW and Toyota have no trouble holding a steady speed and I have no trouble keeping a steady foot on the go pedal. There is just enough traffic to make cruise control almost unusable here.
 
i keep foot on accelerator and maintain consistent speed. i dont use cruise because i feel less in control. with my foot on the pedal, i can quickly brake if necessary. i guess im trying to say it keeps me more attentive.
 
I absolutly love the cruise on my truck and car. I wouldnt own a car without cruise, and try my best not to drive on a long trip in a car without cruise. However, if traffic conditions prove to be to erratic to use the cruise (like if I was following DaveinLa) I roll my foot to the right and wedge it between the hump and half of my foot rests on the pedal. This is an easier task on my truck cause the space is adaquate but in my wifes Sentra the pedal is close to the hump and I cant do it and my leg is on fire by the time I get where I am going even if it only a short hour and a half trip.
 
I don't have cruise on my 4 banger TJ. It's a challenge to keep a constant speed ..even on the highway. Even the AC will vary the speed, let alone the variations in incline. The thing is at its most disadvantaged at highway speeds. I will probably add cruise as soon as I find the disposible cash (this thing actually lends itself to OEM after-sale install).

With this ride, it's not maintaining your foot in one position ...it's constantly adjusting to environemental variables. My minivan, OTOH, the cruise is just a convenience. I can maintain a fairly constant speed in that without too much difficulty.
 
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