Prius belongs in the slow lane! August 18, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Whatev's.add a comment
IMG00300.jpg
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Okay, you’re travelling on I-95 and trying to get to where you have to be, but you’re stuck behind a mile of traffic! When the traffic congestion begins to clear you see that it was caused by a slower moving vehicle that is really not capable of travelling and keeping up the flow of traffic on a MAJOR interstate! In this case it was a Toyota Prius which are designed for fuel economy, that means they are slower moving vehicles that belong in the slow lane! So, if you own a Prius I applaud you for being a tree huger, but know your place! THE SLOW LANE!
My Commuter Bike July 24, 2008
Posted by invisionz in bike stuff.Tags: bicycle commuting, bike commute, soho, soho 3.0, trek
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So, after I got a mountain bike and doing a little bit more research, I decided to get a commuter bike. There seems to be a push by the bicycle industry and environmentalists to push more cycling citing the rising fuel costs and a way to improve our environment, but that is not why I chose to get a commuter bike.
I agree with the green concept for most mundane trips in the city, however, I don’t agree with regularly commuting to work by bicycle and the rising fuel costs as a justification to use a bicycle as my main form of transportation. The reason why I got into bicycling is to create another exercise venue for me. With that said, I am planning on commuting to work 2 days a week to begin with and then 3 days a week IF my schedule and activities at work allow me to do so.
The draw backs to commuting by bike are more than worth it for me, but the big reason for me to do it is because I can exercise on my way to work in hopefully a relaxing manner. So, I am going for it! My trip is 11 miles one way, 22 miles a day or 44 to 66 miles per week just to and from work based on a 2 or 3 day commute, not bad for a rookie or maybe it is?
My commuter bike is a Trek Soho 3.0 and I love it!
Trek Soho 3.0
My Trek 6500 Disc July 24, 2008
Posted by invisionz in bike stuff.Tags: 6500 Disc, bike, biking, mountain bike, trek
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Hey, I decided to get into biking as an alternate form of exercise. So, I got me a Trek 6500 Disc.
Trek 6500 Disc
I am excited about getting outdoors to use it. I have a lot to learn about the sport. In my experimentations I have travelled about 70 miles with it and I have had some sore knees and legs from it. A little more research revealed why. I will keep digging for the info, if you have some information that you could share that would be great! BTW, the hydraulic disc brakes are KILLER – AWESOME ! ! ! ! ! !
Fill Up July 22 July 23, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Last Fill Up: July 20th
Refueled On: July 22th
Trip Meter: 348.8
# Gal Purchased: 12.823
Price/Gal: $ 3.899
Cost: $ 50.00
MATH: 348.8 / 12.823
Miles / Gal: 27.201
Driving Habits & Conditions:
This fill up was from my return from NC and some running around town kind of errands. On the return trip I was minus the beach cruiser bicycle but I still had the roof rack on it and my mileage improved to 27 miles per gallon which is better but it is not the 31 hwy mpg.
SUMMARY:
27 hwy mpg is good to me, so I am okay with it. I wonder what it would be without the roof rack? I think the best I ever got was 29 hwy mpg.
July 20 Fill Up July 23, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Last Fill Up: July 18th
Refueled On: July 20th
Trip Meter: 303.8
# Gal Purchased: 12.472
Price/Gal: $ 3.989
Cost: $ 49.75
MATH: 303.8 / 12.472
Miles / Gal: 24.35
Driving Habits & Conditions:
About 230 mile of the 303 miles driven were highway miles going to NC from VA. Now my car is supposed to get 31 mpg for the Hwy, but as you can see I only got 24 miles to the gallon. This was because I had a beach cruiser bicycle on a roof rack and man that was a drag.
I knew my gas mileage was going to suffer BIG TIME when I was driving on the highway. The Camry’s performance suffered because of the bike on the roof top. The engine worked harder to move the vehicle and operated at higher RPM’s. I could feel the car literally drag on the road. I used the cruise control on I-95 and it had a workout. The car could not just maintain a steady speed with the cruise on and it seemed to rev up every 2 to 3 minutes to maintain the set speed. The rack and bicycle generated a bunch of noise and people complained about it when I spoke to them while using my hands free Bluetooth microphone that is factory installed above the mirror.
SUMMARY:
I will not transport my bikes for any far distances on a regular basis!
The drive really felt like a chore and I did not enjoy it. I am glad the weather was decent; partial rain. If the weather had been bad then I just know I would have been in for it. Note to self, do not transport bikes on roof rack in bad weather.
Fill Up July 18 July 20, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Last Fill Up: July 13th
Refueled On: July 18th
Trip Meter: 200.8
# Gal Purchased: 8.509
Price/Gal: $ 3.879
Cost: $ 33.01
MATH: 200.8 / 8.509
Miles / Gal: 23.59
Driving Habits & Conditions:
I mainly drove to work and back with one long errand that was about 55 miles round trip. A lot of A/C use of course. Anyways, it is Friday and I am filling up for a trip to NC. I have a rather large and heavy bike on a roof top bike rack. The bike weighs around 45 pounds and is rather large. This should be a rather interesting trip because the bike and roof rack will be a huge drag in the wind. I am curious about how the vehicle will perform and the gas mileage I will get from driving on I-95 for about 230 miles.
SUMMARY:
I was in class and did not have to do too much running around but I did use the A/C a bunch. I guess I am doing fairly well with my city gas mileage. More to come about my trip to NC as well as my return trip to VA with and without a bike on the top of my car.
Fill Up July 13 July 14, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Miles Traveled up to July 13, 2008
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Last Fill Up: July 5th
Refueled On: July 13th
Trip Meter: 338.2 miles
# Gal Purchased: 13.885
Price/Gal: 3.889
Cost: $54.00
MATH: 338.2 / 13.885
Miles / Gal: 24.35
Driving Habits & Conditions:
Well this time around I got 24 miles per gallon out of the Camry. I made a lot of short trips on hot days. I sat a lot in traffic. I ran the A/C at medium fan speed and at it’s coldest setting a lot, with the exception of mornings. In the morning I turned off the A/C and opened the sunroof for the 25 minute drive into work.
SUMMARY:
A lot of stop and go type trips and not very much long distance trips. Also I had to sprint a lot because of all the older drivers out there not making room for others to pass, merge or turn, etc…. The older drivers around here are literally scared to death to drive and cause a lot of problems because they don’t look around and adjust to the flow of traffic.
Fill up July 5 July 6, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
Last Fill Up: July 2nd
Refueled On: July 5th
Trip Meter: 222.7 miles
# Gal Purchased: 8.783
Price/Gal: 3.929
Cost: $34.51
MATH: 222.7 / 8.783
Miles / Gal: 25.92
Driving Habits & Conditions:
I began with a full tank in Virginia Beach, it was a hot day and I was generously using the A/C. I drove back to Newport News on the interstate. I later went out to Jamestown and Williamsburg. In Williamsburg I did a lot of city driving looking for a place to eat and just driving around.
The next day I went to Yorktown and Jamestown Beach. Again it was a very hot day and I used the A/C generously. I did a lot of city driving again and I had to gun it a few times to work my way through traffic. I also ran some errands around Newport News going to the store, car wash, etc….
On the 4th of July I made the trip out to Yorktown for the fireworks. I sat in traffic for awhile both going into and coming out of the fireworks, traffic jam type driving. Light A/C use because of overcast conditions.
On the 5th I ran to the store and then filled up and did the above listed math.
SUMMARY:
I did a lot of running around and generously used the A/C to blow cold, cold air at almost full fan speed (recirculation mode). I drove about a 50 – 50 mix of interstate and city driving to obtain almost 26 mpg. If you consider the city mpg at 21 and the highway mpg at 31 then the average is 26 mpg.
2009 Toyota Camry Operating Expenses July 6, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
So here is the gist:
1. I am mostly concerned with capturing the operating costs associated with gas, oil changes and tires.
2. The gas tank holds 18 gallons.
3. Oil changes are recommended every 5000 miles
4. Tires are rated for ? but I plan on rotating them every 5000 miles.
* * * * * THE PLAN: This is how I am going to do it. * * * * *
TO START, I am going to fill the tank all the way up to obtain a full 18 gallons.
With a full tank, I am going to reset my Trip A trip meter.
When it is time to refuel I will fill the tank up (back to 18 gallons) and note the mileage from the trip meter.
From the printed receipt I will obtain the amount of gallons purchased to top off the tank.
I will then divide the amount of miles driven by the amount of gas in gallons to obtain the miles per gallon.
After each fill up I will attempt to blog the miles per gallon obtained and a generalized statement of my driving habits and other conditions.
I painfully let go of my Nissan Titan July 6, 2008
Posted by invisionz in Toyota Camry - 2009.add a comment
Originally uploaded by invisionz
I painfully relinquished my Titan pickup which was a gas eating beast for a 2009 Toyota Camry which sips gas. BUT, I hate that I had to get rid of it, I loved that truck soooooo much! The decision was the result of both increasing gas prices and a continuing trend in the depreciation of large vehicle resell values. So, I made the decision to bail out before I took more of a beating! I will probably break even after about 3 or so years of driving and owning my new Toyota Camry, ouch! My savings also took a hard hit as well. I just could not stand to think of operating my truck for as much as my mortgage payment.
Now, I am planning on documenting my Camry’s operating cost and usage trends for my info and state of mind.
