

New tech by Nissan: Tactile feedback in gas pedal to help you save gas - MikeCapone
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/nissan-eco-pedal-system-fuel-efficiency-save-gas.php

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kirse
As someone who drives a stick, I would love to see this feature under the
right foot of drivers of auto cars. I drive a 300hp sports car and on my
stoplight commutes if I'm not accelerating pretty aggressively, people will be
on my tail behind me.

I think many people just don't realize how much they slam on the gas once the
light turns green. With auto cars getting smoother and quieter (especially
with the CVT transmissions), many people don't even get the auditory feedback
anymore that they're hauling ass. Combine that with your average driver who
doesn't understand what the RPM gauge is for, and you get the stoplight
quarter-mile drag race on repeat until you get to work.

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ajross
I'm trying to square your concern for the gas mileage of your fellow drivers
with your choice of vehicle. Those cylinders and their parasite losses (more
air to compress, more manifold vacuum to suck, more surface area to rub
against) don't come for free...

You'd have to be a true leadfoot to pull a typical automatic sedan down to the
mileage range of a 300hp monster (c.f. the Mustang GT, which gets 15/23mpg on
the EPA test). My '99 Saturn, a pure commute vehicle which drives 5 miles at a
time in stop and go traffic on a cold engine (basically pessimal fuel
efficiency conditions) never gets below 22.

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kirse
The point of my comment is that I'm driving a sports car yet have to
accelerate pretty aggressively to keep up with the automatic drivers. I have a
Mazdaspeed6 with K&N intake and turboback exhaust (~300hp and 250 to the
wheels). The few mods aside, Mazda's 2.3L I4-DISI engine is highly efficient
and there's a reason it has been on Wards 10-Best Engines for the past 3
years.

I get 22-24mpg around town and 26-29 highway depending on how aggressively I
drive. I've gotten it as low as 17 when I initially owned the car and was
racing everywhere, but that's the absolute worst I've seen. My best efficiency
run on a drive from TX->PA saw ~455 miles before I had to fill up again.

Here's some more information for you on why my 300hp "monster" gets equivalent
gas mileage to your Saturn:
<http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_story_behind_wards_2/>

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Retric
I have an 205hp Acura TSX (07) and I have gotten anywhere between 32 - 36
highway on a tank of gas which is almost 25% better than your Mazda and IMO
the TSX has great highway acceleration even if it's a little slow from a dead
start. Granted it takes an extra second on the 0-60 vs. Mazdaspeed6 but you
don't accelerate that hard anyway so what's the point.

I like power but there is a direct relationship between HP and efficiency but
going over ~200 in a car seems to be a waste IMO.

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kirse
That's the tradeoff. I smoke you through the turns, and you get better gas
mileage. I don't drive hard on commutes, but I don't work on the weekends =)
Also, the MS6 is a mid-size sedan, the TSX is a compact entry-level sedan that
weighs ~400 lbs less. The Acura TL vs. MS6 would be a better comparison.

Finally, gas mileage is much more related to the weight of the car mated to
the engine, rather than the horsepower output of the engine itself. A simple
example -- when people drop in an LS1 engine (when tuned it's upwards of
400hp+) to a Mazda RX-7 body - which weighs about 2400lbs - they get around
25-30mpg.

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Andys
I think you're on the right track here when you mention vehicle weight.

Some kind of feedback for drivers on the ridiculously weights new cars are
carrying these days would be more useful than gas pedal feedback.

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mhb
I think a dashboard meter displaying $/hour of fuel consumed would be more
effective - and probably cheaper to implement.

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hugh
Why bother? Sure, you might save a few dollars a week, but in exchange you'd
spend your whole driving time depressed. Not worthwhile.

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mhb
Some people find it entertaining:
[http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/king_of_the_...](http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/king_of_the_hypermilers.html)

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occam
If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that there is no such thing as
excess acceleration.

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jobeirne
is there some physics in-joke I'm missing?

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aardvarkious
In regards to the first paragraph: my mom has a sweet gadget I'm envious of.
It is a sensor you attach to your electric metre (its a camera which reads how
fast it spins) with a wireless monitor. The main feature of the monitor is how
many $/hour you are spending on electricity (you can have it in real time or
averaged over any length of time). I enjoy walking through the house turning
on various lights and appliances to see how much they cost to run.

