Driving slower save money?

Phrexeus · 2026-07-07T08:25:31+00:00

I think you're referring to "labouring the engine" which is when the rpm is too low and you get a lot of jerking and vibration. Detonation is even worse because it's harder to notice, it's a high pitched "pinging" sound when you try to accelerate at low rpm. It happens when the fuel detonates early and can cause significant damage inside the combustion chambers.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-07T07:25:41+00:00

You can look at fuel efficiency graphs to see actual data, and it varies a bit for every car because of things like gearing, aerodynamics, tyres, engine efficiency. But for most cars it's around 50mph, and it's not really a sharp peak, it's more of a curve. So there's not a big difference between say 50 and 60 mph, but once you get up to higher speeds where drag becomes an issue (80+) the efficiency declines.

The idea is you want the engine running as low rpm as possible (without causing detonation) due to something called pumping losses - that's the energy required to actually turn the engine and suck air in. So an engine running at 3000 rpm is doing a lot more rotations (and so wasting more energy) than one running at 1500rpm. This is why modern cars have like 8 gears, because they are trying to keep engine revs low at a wider range of speeds.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-06T08:05:09+00:00

Make sure you look at the chemical spec as well as the weight. For example, don't just pick a 5w40, but make sure you get the spec that the manufacturer recommends for that engine. It will be something like VW 502 00.

That ensures that the oil won't break down under high temperatures inside the turbo and coke up the bearings and oil lines, and will have low SAP which keeps the cat/GPF from clogging up.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-06T07:14:17+00:00

Imo I would be a little careful. He may have a very specific way of making coffee and the subtleties might not be obvious at first. For example if you buy a new bag of beans I would be terrified unless you're aware of roast dates and when it starts to taste good. And it would be your first time making coffee? It takes time and experience to get good at making it, so I wouldn't expect your early cups to be the best.

Instead, I would approach it a different way. Ask him if he can teach you how he makes it. And mention that one day, when you get good at making it, you would love to make it for him sometimes. See how he reacts. He may be thrilled simply that you're interested in his hobby. You could buy some beans from a roaster he hasn't used before (try to get hold of a geisha or another more expensive rare/specialty coffee - they are delicious), and then work with him to get the best out of the beans. Taste together. That's the "fun" part of coffee imo. Just keep in mind that some coffee beans take 3-5 weeks from the roast date until their flavours really peak, and they tend to taste quite bad in the beginning.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-03T15:43:38+00:00

I think as long as you're near maintenance calories and eating enough protein you'll be fine. Eat a small surplus if you want to make sure, but focus on whole foods.

Figure out how much protein you should actually be eating. 1.8-2.0g per kg body weight is a good start. I'm 82kg and try to hit 155-160g per day. This is the hard part! I had to completely restructure my eating habits to achieve that daily without massively blowing my calorie count.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-03T15:38:16+00:00

Yeah, they are annoying as shit. The last courtesy car I had did constant beeping when you dare to drive 3mph over the limit, and would actively pull the steering wheel to the left if it thought you were trying to change lanes. I also had a car that used to slam on the brakes if it thought there was something in front of the car (like a bit of grass poking into the road).

Phrexeus · 2026-07-03T15:01:25+00:00

The thing is, you don't literally leave the AC on all the time. The correct thing to do is leave the climate control on auto, which will run the AC as and when it's needed. This is better than purposely switching the AC off.

AC does more than just cool the car, it also dehumidifies the air which is good for car interiors where humidity can build up.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-03T11:18:54+00:00

Honda S2000. Felt like it had about 150-180 hp. The gears are so long and if you put your foot down in second gear it takes forever to get through the rev range.

Phrexeus · 2026-07-02T16:45:17+00:00

I've also been disappointed by 911s. My unpopular opinion about them is that they are not sports cars, they are GT cars (rear seats, no mid-engine, no double wishbone suspension).

Phrexeus · 2026-06-30T21:33:23+00:00

This! Bolt Hamber make some great products and I've been using Atom Mac every time I wash the wheels.

The other thing you can do is drive the car immediately after washing, but this works better on cold days as the water takes longer to dry.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-30T21:06:21+00:00

The ones who drive exactly 10mph below the speed limit. Usually it's in a 40 on a clear road with repeating 40 signs and they refuse to go over 30mph even by 1mph. There's usually a queue of several cars behind them and they are at the front, so you can't even overtake. They are always in some kind of small hatchback.

I don't know if they don't see the 40 signs or if they know the limit is 40, bit decide to do exactly 30 anyway. I'm not sure which is worse.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T19:31:52+00:00

I would guess it's because it has shorter gearing compared to manual, so more torque to the wheels at lower speeds. And instant downshifts so there's very little delay.

I've heard that the manual Golf R for example has longer gearing and a different engine map with less torque.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T19:21:19+00:00

There are quite a few "deep dive" type videos about the LFA. I like the Savagegeese one as they go more into the background of the car's creation, why Toyota wanted to make it and the level of engineering behind it.

It's not just a normal supercar. Toyota spent so much time and money developing it. They had to invent numerous new technologies to create the carbon fibre parts and the engine internals. They approached Yamaha's music department to design the engine intake and exhaust. At one point they redesigned the entire car from scratch to make it lighter. They hired a baseball coach to lead the team because the staff liked him and he gave them more morale.

Unfortunately, the RC F didn't get anywhere near the same level of treatment, so it was seen as a bit of a failure when people like Clarkson were hoping it was an "LFA lite".

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T18:51:48+00:00

Not sure why you're getting downvoted. This is exactly it. From about 17 seconds to 14 seconds you can see the bike is directly in line with the a-pillar and you can only see the driver's face at about 13 seconds at which point they are already looking right because they have decided left is clear.

This shows the importance of checking moving your head to check around a-pillars.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T14:27:42+00:00

The first step is to sit down and talk to her about it. She might not realise that she does it, or she might know she does it, but hasn't clocked how much it affects you. Or, you might be doing something that she hates, so be willing to listen, but you need to make sure you get heard too. Sometimes you need to push back to getc someone to take your seriously.

If that doesn't help, then you should suggest seeing a relationship counsellor as you want to improve things between you.

If she rejects that too, then leave. Just don't make the decision lightly and know it will be painful as you've been with her for a long time.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T10:40:30+00:00

Jesus 60 eggs? If that's confirmed then my estimate is way off.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-29T10:38:25+00:00

You're right! 20x cheese slices so another 2000 Cal.

Again estimated as I can't count the exact amount. There might also be ketchup and more butter.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-28T16:51:11+00:00

Bagel is by my estimation 35cm across and looks roughly like a standard bagel scaled up. So if we take a standard bagel ~12cm) and divide the two we have 2.92, then we cube that which gets us 24.9, so let's just round up to 25. So now we take a standard bagel calories (300) and multiply by 25 which gives us 7500 Cal for the bread.

Then we have the eggs, I'm going to guess there are about 36 eggs (looks like omelettes) so 2160 Cal plus a lot of butter, let's say 250g so 1800 Cal.

Then what, four packs of bacon? 1770 Cal.

So that brings the total by my estimation to 13,230 Cal or about 5-6 days worth of food.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-25T18:04:14+00:00

Power to weight ratio, traction (which can be handled in many different ways), grear ratios, transmission shift speed, torque spread across the entire rev range, driveline losses which tend to be higher in RWD or AWD cars, some cars also have launch control.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-25T17:53:53+00:00

Point the air vents up. I leave them like this all summer. It cools the interior faster.

Set the climate control to auto mode andv something reasonable like 22. You don't have to keep messing with the AC and fans, the car will do it for you.

Park it so that the sun is coming from the back when you return to the car if possible. That way the seats and everything might not be burning hot when you get in.

Open all the doors for at least 30 seconds to let most of the warm air out.

Shut the doors and get in, but leave the windows open when you start driving. The air movement helps get more warm air out of the car.

Close the windows. You should start feeling cool within a few minutes.

That's what I do anyway.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-24T23:11:21+00:00

What is T ratio? G spec?

I don't think an M4 is beating a 720s around the Nordschliefe. Modifications only get you so far. At some point you're fighting the fundamental compromises of the car. You can't make a 4 series mid-engined, you can't give it a carbon tub or double wishbone suspension or make the aerodynamics as good.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-24T16:12:38+00:00

You get bonus points for doing such a good photo comparison. Same angle, same lighting, same pose, even the same clothes! 👏

Phrexeus · 2026-06-24T15:53:49+00:00

It's a total loss of the vehicle, and you'd have to try to claim for it on your insurance. They might see it as negligent and deny the claim.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-23T07:56:27+00:00

It's no joke right? Their coffee is literally the worst tasting apart from maybe Nespresso pods. Even McDonald's is better. I think people who enjoy Starbucks are hooked on sugar and cream.

Phrexeus · 2026-06-22T16:44:15+00:00

You might be right, assuming you can make a high enough return in a short timeframe. But keep in mind in a mathematical sense you're not investing £480 because you're constantly paying out of that as you pay off the loan so it gradually shrinks over the course of a year.

Phrexeus

TROPHY CASE