Consistency is the name of the game....
Have you ever tried to keep a consistent speed on a level, straight road? The better question is - can you keep a consistent speed, under almost all driving conditions? Regardless of whether you answer "yes" or "no," you need to read on.
The old fable of the tortoise and the hare was intended to show how dogmatic consistency can usually win out over inconsistent effort or concentration. I doubt Aesop had modern Interstates in mind when he wrote it, but he might as well have. It points out a truth that can be proven.
It is appalling how few American drivers will use their cruise control when traveling. Sure, the "cruise" option needs to be generally regulated to interstate travel, and not used in snow, heavy rain, or on overcrowded roadways. However, unless those conditions are present, using the cruise control can not only save time on a long journey, but usually, because so many drivers are awful at maintaining consistent speed, it can save gas too. Consistency does pay off!
Why is this true? For reasons listed above, but many more - most of you couldn't maintain a smooth, consistent speed if your life depended upon it. Even if you turned off the radio, shut your yapper, and put down that useless and unhealthy big gulp pitcher you're constantly sucking on, you'd still be stabbing the throttle like you're killing a spider. Why? Because you don't pay attention, and so you are constantly slowing down and speeding up, in an endless, wasteful cycle.
This activity, which is devoid of intelligence, doesn't just demonstrate itself on the highway. Inconsistent drivers make driving a living nightmare for others on surface streets in both rural and urban areas. The indiscriminatory ebb and flow of speed exhibited reveals a total lack of concentration and consideration for other drivers, much less the posted speed limits.
The argument over speed limits notwithstanding, if the speed limit posted is 35, and you choose to drive 30, then keep it at 30. If you are on the highway and the limit posted is 65, and you want to drive at 65, then keep it there. Pay attention! If you are indeed on a highway or interstate, it is very unlikely you will ever have any reason to slow down even one mile per hour, unless someone else does something really stupid, or you encounter an unusual circumstance. Therefore, if your chosen speed is 65, then keep it at 65 -- uphill, downhill, around gentle curves, at night or day, windy or not. This requires concentration (something the average driver demonstrates little of) but the payoff is big.
That payoff comes in at least 3 classes: economy, flow, and timeliness. Economy refers to maintaining your steady speed with finesse and forethought. This style of driving will yield greater mpg and will result in minuscule reductions of wear on your automobile. Just as messing with your home thermostat will yield higher utilities, constantly speeding up and slowing down will yield lower mpg. "Flow" pertains to traffic flow -- if every driver in American would doggedly maintain a consistent speed tomorrow, traffic problems would reduce by 50%, guaranteed. If everyone is consistent, traffic flows better due to increased predictability and by avoiding the domino effect (whereas one car slows for no reason, that car can cause dozens of others to slow, interrupting flow) that so plagues congested areas on our roadways. Timeliness refers to the tortoise, because we know he won the race, right? But how? Because consistent driving, especially on a longer trip, will result in less travel time. If you can maintain an average of 65 miles per hour for 4 hours, you will get to your destination in less time than the idiot who speeds up and slows down over the same 250 mile trip. What that idiot may not realize is that with his inconsistency, he may only be averaging 60 miles per hour, and that he is wasting gas by having to speed up continually.
Aside from your own benefits, consistent speeds really do aid in traffic flow, benefiting everyone on the road. So, if you are going to drive like a tortoise, then keep it consistent, and stay in the right lane. If you are going to drive like a hare, keep it at hare speed and only move towards the left to pass or turn, and then get your fluffy tail back in the right lane. That way, both the tortoise and the hare can live in harmony, and arrive at their destinations in one piece, and in harmony.
Oh, Aesop failed to mention that the hare would always handily win, and suffer no meaningful consequences, if he would just pace himself and focus more upon consistency than bursts of speed. Translation? On the highway or interstate, you can cut hours off a long trip by keeping a consistent speed at the highest allowed by law. Or, just keep stabbing that throttle and stretch a 4 hour trip into 5 1/2.
Drive Precise!
Car Care Tip of the Day: Oxygen Sensors
What is an oxygen sensor, and why should you care? Well, every modern car has an oxygen sensor, located on the exhaust pipe of your car, usually close to the exhaust manifold. It threads into a welded-on bung and usually has 2- 4 wires coming from it. It's purpose is to "sniff" the exhaust of your engine, determining how well your engine is burning the fuel and air that makes combustion. If your engine is cold, or has a mechanical problem, the oxygen sensor communicates this information to the on-board computer, and revised calculations are made to try to keep the air/ fuel ratio at the optimum setting (usually 14.5 to 1).
If the oxygen sensor loses function, your engine will not be able to adjust properly to a variety of conditions, and you will begin to lose efficiency and performance. However, such losses will be very gradual, as most oxygen sensors go bad over time, gradually losing their ability to function properly. You may not notice until your engine begins to really run poorly.
This is why most manufacturers recommend that you change the O2 sensor about every 30 - 40,000 miles. It is a routine maintenance item, just like changing coolant or thermostats or belts. It may not be talked about as much, but it can greatly affect the performance and economy of your car. What's more, most are relatively inexpensive, and for the competent shade tree mechanic, they can usually be changed at home in less than an hour, or less. Otherwise, have the people who change your oil add it to that maintenance and it can be done lickety split.
If your car has over 40,000 miles, or if you bought it used and you don't know if it has ever been changed, go ahead and replace it and enjoy faster starting, smoother running, and better efficiency right away.
