Reply to: How to save £100 a year

[Diver]

I hate to make a splash, so I'm always slow and careful when backing one out

[Ardesco]

I always reverse in to a parking space so that I can make a quick getaway!!!!

[TimberWolf]

I used to reverse park, on the basis that a little extra work done now made it easier to leave later.

Then I worked out it made no sense.

The average ease of parking/leaving is not affected by whether you reverse park or not, either way you have to go into narrow space once and out once, and drive forward once and backward once, but reverse parking makes things worse by the alternative metric of the maximum of complexity, since you combine the two more difficult operations, reversing and going into the confined space.

It's easier reversing into a space because cars are steered from the front, making the back more manouverable, and because getting out is an inverse opertion of getting in, getting out will be easier too! Next.

[Bagpuss]

IMHO mainly birds reverse into parking spaces because they don't like to reverse out when it's busy.

[IR35 Avoider]

I used to reverse park, on the basis that a little extra work done now made it easier to leave later.

Then I worked out it made no sense.

The average ease of parking/leaving is not affected by whether you reverse park or not, either way you have to go into narrow space once and out once, and drive forward once and backward once, but reverse parking makes things worse by the alternative metric of the maximum of complexity, since you combine the two more difficult operations, reversing and going into the confined space.

[TimberWolf]

My tip:

Park on an incline so that you can freewheel backwards without starting the engine.

Cost of fuel to exit parking spot = ZERO

I used to do that when I were a lad. Saved push starting it. Didn't have a starter motor.

I reckon engine friction must add quite a bit to the cost of running a car. I wonder how much could be saved if, on a slight decline and tailgating a juggernaut, you glide out of gear until reaching say 50 mph, then go back up to 70 mph? All the while the engine would be idling naturally, we wouldn't want to do something dangerous.

[NotAllThere]

The original article is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7511266.stm

The idea is you should do complicated manoeuvres when the engine is warm. It was floating around over 25 years ago - my dad always used to reverse into parking spaces, with the claim that it saved fuel. It may do, but he was so bad at reversing into parking spaces, he probably used more fuel then if he'd reversed out.

[TheBigYinJames]

Blocked here.
Humph.

Shame, that page isn't bad, but other pages on the site might be.

You could try pumping it through my bouncer:

http://www.bampotty.com/cgi-bin/read...ly-trying.html

[Xenophon]

Blocked here.

Humph.

[darmstadt]

Next week, how to save £45 a year by hopping on alternate legs.

What happens if you're a monoped?

[Sockpuppet]

http://www.cracked.com/article_16484...ly-trying.html

NSFW?

Access to this web page is forbidden. 
http://www.cracked.com/article_16484_6-retarded-gas-saving-schemes-people-are-actually-trying.html 
Category= Violence

[Cyberman]

My tip:

Park on an incline so that you can freewheel backwards without starting the engine.

Cost of fuel to exit parking spot = ZERO

[Diver]

http://www.cracked.com/article_16484...ly-trying.html

[BrilloPad]

How much could I save by getting my kids to clean chimneys?

[DimPrawn]

Next week, how to save £45 a year by hopping on alternate legs.