Driving through Fall on road 242, West of Bend, Oregon - Click to EnlargeSorry, it's been a while since posting. I finished my West Coast roadtrip then had work to attend to, so updating slipped by the wayside.
Wind in Wyoming
The crowning achievement of the Yaris during my West Coast roadtrip (besides fitting a 9 and a half foot surfboard completely inside) was getting 50mpg for about 240 miles on Interstate 80 in rural, wind-ridden Wyoming. I have driven this stretch of road many times and believed if there was any place to get 50mpg, this would be the place. I-80 through Wyoming is a wind factory and I knew the advantage of a tailwind while heading east could help push the fuel economy into the half-century zone.
I'm guessing the tailwind was between 20 and 30mph during my drive. Even with the long, rolling climbs and descents and speeds of 70 to 75mph, I managed to get 50 miles per gallon from Little America to Laramie, Wyoming.
This was nearly the last leg of my 3000 mile trip, and I wasn't terribly excited about taking it easy on the throttle...I wanted to get home. Had I been more patient and kept the speed to 65-70mph, I'm sure MPG could have gone higher. Most big trucks and almost all cars were doing at least 75mph (the speed limit on that portion of Interstate), and I didn't want to be a burden to other drivers, so I stayed out of the way when possible. There were two construction zones that forced 55mph driving, so that couldn't have hurt the results.
Moment of Truth
When I pulled into the Laramie, Wyoming gas station with 241 miles on the trip odometer, I was so anxious to see what the fill-up would be. The first brick on the digital gas gauge of the Yaris didn't even disappear until 97 miles in and the gauge wasn't even to the half-empty (or full) mark when I pulled in. 4.8 gallons later, she was topped off! My excitement and audible, "YES!" made the local cowboys look at me with suspicion.
Wind, Friend AND Foe of MPG
There is something interesting to study on this stretch of road, however. Eight days earlier, I drove the same piece of I-80, but was heading west, into the wind. I did not drive with a light foot and noticed the difficulty of pushing through such a strong headwind. That strenuous portion of my drive yielded 38mpg, driving anywhere between 70 and 80mph. The headwind was quite stiff, at least 20mph or stronger. Quiet amazing that, per gallon, there was a 12 mile difference...just because of wind.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
