What's the best (MPG) highway speed for an 02 Accent?

Discussion in 'Hyundai Accent' started by Edward, Dec 19, 2004.

  1. Edward

    Edward Guest

    Manual (5 Speed) Transmission
    2 Door
    Hatchback
    1.5 L motor

    Thanks in Advance

    Edward
     
    Edward, Dec 19, 2004
    #1
  2. If you're willing to drive 40MPH on the highway, you'll get phenomenal
    mileage, but there's more to consider than just MPG. Driving too slowly
    creates a serious road hazard as other drivers must brake or maneuver
    around your vehicle. Driving 60-65 should get you good mileage without
    getting you rear-ended.
     
    Brian Nystrom, Dec 19, 2004
    #2
  3. Edward

    Speedy Jim Guest

    I have that exact car. Steady 60MPH hiway routinely gets 40 MPG.
    (I was a little disappointed that it didn't get 50 MPG :)

    Fluff up the tires and hold the speedo needle steady as a rock,.

    Speedy Jim
    http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/
     
    Speedy Jim, Dec 19, 2004
    #3
  4. Edward

    Edward Guest

    Thanks



     
    Edward, Dec 19, 2004
    #4
  5. Edward

    Edward Guest

    Thanks Jim


     
    Edward, Dec 19, 2004
    #5
  6. Edward

    illusion123a Guest

    wow, i have an 02 2 door automatic, and i average 25 mpg, city/ suburan/
    highway driving. I will be driving on the highway more in the comming
    weeks, (and i have in the past, but I dont think I ever got more then 30
    mpg but this was when was car was brand new)
     
    illusion123a, Dec 22, 2004
    #6
  7. I get better mileage than that in my Elantra.
     
    Brian Nystrom, Dec 22, 2004
    #7
  8. How nice.

    If you think about it for 5 seconds, you'll realize that you'll get at
    or close to the best mileage when A) the car is in the highest gear
    possible B) the engine RPMs are as low as possible and the engine isn't
    lugging. This happens around 45 MPH in most automatic-transmission cars
    and is at or near that speed in many manual-transmission cars.
    ("Freeway-friendly 5th gear" may push that up to 50ish, depending on the
    gearbox.)

    If you drive 45 on most freeways in an Accent, some twit in an Escalade
    will run right over you while talking on his cellphone. 55's a decent
    compromise unless you live in the BosWashNYCLA area, at which point
    you'll have to drive at least 70 to avoid getting killed.

    2003 Tiburon GT, mileage at last fillup 24.7 MPG, usual freeway speed
    ~5 MPH over the posted limit unless it's raining/snowing/slippery.
     
    Dances With Crows, Dec 22, 2004
    #8
  9. According to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml, optimum speed
    is 55mph. Pretty graph included. That's a generalization, of course. The
    original poster wanted to know what the Accent's specific optimum speed
    would be, since this can vary from car to car. I doubt that anyone has the
    answer.

    There is a vast difference between highway driving without traffic and rush
    hour (where much of the time is spent in 0 MPG idling) or city driving. My
    2001 Accent (automatic) gets 26-27 MPG on my rush hour route. I once got 38
    MPG where 75% of the miles was from a road trip with mostly highway driving
    at 65-75 mph.

    Chris
     
    Christopher Wong, Dec 23, 2004
    #9
  10. Yeah, it is. I'm pretty impressed with the mileage it gets with a 2
    liter engine.
    No kidding.
    I believe I said that half a dozen posts ago.
    I get away with 65 without a problem in the Boston area and to my
    surprise, I actually pass quite a few cars at that speed. It seems that
    the speed disparity between the fastest and slowest cars is just higher
    around here. Combine that with the traffic volume and the stupid policy
    of letting people drive in the breakdown lane during rush hour and it
    pretty well explains the high number of accidents.
     
    Brian Nystrom, Dec 23, 2004
    #10
  11. Edward

    K. Collier Guest

    The fact that the website is promoting 55mph as the optimum speed is
    government propaganda. It may be the best speed for some cars but not all.
    Having said that, mpg will decrease a fair amount at speeds over 65... but
    in my experience there is a plateau between 70-80 mph.

    Kevin
     
    K. Collier, Dec 24, 2004
    #11
  12. Quite true, though it may be more accurate to say that it's insurance
    industry propaganda. It's funny how the old 55MPH speed limit started
    out as an (ineffective) energy conservation measure, but ended up
    becoming a "safety" issue once the insurance companies glommed onto it.
     
    Brian Nystrom, Dec 25, 2004
    #12
  13. It's funny that you would dismiss the 55mph speed as propaganda and yet
    substantially agree with it. The mpg chart at
    http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml is exactly why 55mph was
    set as the nationwide speed limit in the oil crisis 70s. If you look at the
    chart, you will find that mpg drops off rapidly after 65, but not that much
    between 55 and 65. So basically, you agree with the "propaganda", as does GM
    (http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/environment/fuel_economy_emissions/emissions/fuel_tips.html).

    I'm willing to accept that more powerful cars can have a higher optimum
    speed, but the original post was a question about the tiny Accent's optimum
    speed. Making hand-waving comments about govt propaganda gets us no closer
    to answering that question. My feeling on the other hand is that the old
    numbers are still valid for the Accent. Cars have not changed their basic
    shape much, after all, and aerodynamics still play a major role in the mpg
    game. And the best numbers we have -- and I noticed the pooh-pooh-ers have
    no numbers -- suggest that the 55 mph generalization is still valid. Here's
    another data point for another small car backing the 55 mph optimum:

    "Most people aren't aware of the European mileage specs: (A3 Jetta)
    44-mpg at 75-mph, 56-mpg at 55-mph, and 37-mpg in the city."
    (http://www.stealthtdi.com/BestofBothWorlds.html)

    Chris
     
    Christopher Wong, Dec 25, 2004
    #13
  14. How do you know it was ineffective?

    Chris
     
    Christopher Wong, Dec 25, 2004
    #14
  15. Because it was arguably the most widely ignored law in the history of
    the United States. People hated it and they voted with their right feet.
    It was such a pathetic joke that states and the federal government had
    to resort to all kinds of arcane numbers juggling to show any level of
    compliance at all, in order to avoid every state losing the federal
    highway funds that were contingent on compliance.

    One reason that the "double nickel" hung around as long as it did was
    that many states used enforcement of the speed limit as a means of
    de-facto taxation of drivers. It was a huge cash cow, particularly in
    draconian states like CT and NY, and they were unwilling to relinquish
    the revenue source.

    The other main reason was that the insurance industry mistakenly decided
    that it was a good safety policy that could save them money in claims.
    They were wrong about that, as the speed differential between vehicles
    on the highways has a much greater affect on accident rates than the
    speed limit and the 55 MPH limit increased the speed differential.

    They were wrong about airbags saving them money, too. The irony of that
    is that their greed actually resulted in safer cars.
     
    Brian Nystrom, Dec 26, 2004
    #15
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