The "Whine About Your Commute" thread

[griller]

So, we all get to read the hyper-milers who have magical commutes that allows a billion miles per gallon. How about a thread for the rest of us ?

I'll start:

I drive 13 miles (exactly!) from my driveway to my workplace. On that route (which is the shortest and most level by the way) I encouter 31 traffic lights and five stop signs. I travel through parts of 6 cities. I get to travel 5 miles on the freeway.

Timing the lights is next to impossible, as the individual cities don't seem to care very much about sycronizing their lights.

Mornings are ok, I take off just before 6 am, but the afternoons are brutal. Sometimes stop three times at one light. Not to mention headed directly into a 10 mph wind almost every day. At the end of the commute is a hill that I enter from a stop at a right turn. Most often I am compelled to punch the accelerator to ascend or be crushed by traffic. When I finally get home I have to back myself UP (it's steep) and I do mean up my driveway, it seems like this exercise shaves .2 mpg off my meter every time.

With all that and tires at 40 psi, and a new 2006 Insight it's all I can do to get 55mpg with my CVT Still it's more than 4 times better than I used to do with my pickup truck!!

Now make me feel better, tell us about your horrible commute!

[HafNHaf]

mine is not too bad, actually. 10 minutes at 25 - 45 mph to get to the interstate. mostly flat, but a couple of hills near the highway. one traffic light, plus a few intersections where i might have to stop/yield.

then 20 minutes on the interstate. a total drop of about 80 feet, with the usual overpass hills. traffic is usually light to moderate.

then about 5 minutes from the interstate to NASA. 3 lights (all red, mostly), and a couple of hills.

i have gotten 85 mpg going to work once, and 77 mpg round trip a few times. average 75-80 going to work, and 70-75 round trip.

overall, i am getting an average of 65 on a tank since i have owned the little beast.

next!........

[goat961]

11 mile commute to work/school (right next to each other).

10 traffic lights/stop signs so its usually 6-7 stops- plus cars turning etc.

it's mostly uphill on the way to work... especially right at the beginning (when the engine is cold

the way back is usually pretty good, but rush hour can kill it.

also, if i'm going anywhere around 3pm i pass 6 schools and have to deal w/ about a million busses.

most of he time the traffic isn't bad though, and the speeds are reasonable- current mpg: 64.6.

[jbrasure]

Originally Posted by griller

With all that and tires at 40 psi, and a new 2006 Insight it's all I can do to get 55mpg with my CVT Still it's more than 4 times better than I used to do with my pickup truck!!

It sounds to me like you're doing pretty good considering your commute. I was thinking you would get 45 MPG with all of those stoplights.

I have a commute that's 25 miles each way. It's 95% freeway over rolling hills, mostly 65-70 MPH, and I get 54 MPG in my CVT.

James

[griller]

I was thinking you would get 45 MPG with all of those stoplights.

Yeah, I pretty much live by the FCD line. I get up to about 35 (when I can) as quickly as possible, then feather back the throttle till just before the recharge function kicks in. I still have to learn how to force the auto-stop when I have multiple stops at a light though.

Lol, I forgot to mention that I pass by 4 schools. Fortunately I miss the peak traffic hours when I'm passing by so it's not really an issue.

[Insightful Trekker]

Now that's a commute to "whine" about.

[Dougie]

I go through the city at first, through a half-dozen anti-synchronized lights. (Synchronized so everybody has to stop at every one.) Then into open country with a 60 mph speed limit, no problem, but then a steep long downhill and a steep long uphill, third gear territory with assist.

That's not the problem, though. The problem is that the wind blows at about 50 mph most days...

[trunkout]

47 miles.......EACH WAY.

Not whining....just thought ya'll should know what a REAL commute is.

[HafNHaf]

and uphill both ways, right?

[trunkout]

just like 70% construction tho!