It's been awhile since any of us poked a little fun at Wild Willie's frugal nature. But for some reason, after reading this article about hypermilers, I sat and wondered if Willie ever had an inkling to go to these extremes to get just that little bit more out of a gallon of gas. Seems like a different way to motivate one's self to succeed in that New Year's Resolution to lose weight:
What can't be jettisoned is Wayne himself, who at 6 feet 1 inch and 210 pounds looks too big to fit into this tin can two-seater. ("I would love to lose 60 pounds," he tells me, "because it would help my mileage.") In Wayne's world, fuel efficiency is not about the car. It's about the driver. Wayne doesn't get high mpg marks by tinkering with engines or using funky fuels or even, most days, by driving a hybrid. He gets them by driving consciously—hyperconsciously. He takes out his wallet and his keys. Then he removes his sneakers.I know we've all pushed our cars to the limits of empty, running solely on fumes and adrenaline that we can make it just a little bit farther till the tank really runs out of gas. But when you start ditching clothing in the name of saving weight? Man, I think Willie has met his match.
2 comments:
Here is one you will like. If you fill up your car in the early morning the specific gravity of the gasoline will be higher because the temparature is cooler. The colder temperature effectively increases the amount of gasoline you could purchase for the same cost in the afternoon. We are only talking pennies, but hey ... I still bend over to pick 'em up.
HC? Physics! I think you're on to a really great idea for a TV show--how science can save you a buck in the real world. Stingy old farts would eat this up!
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