Duo saves fuel, motors on happily

Years ago, my sisters and I embarked on an overnight road trip with a peppy family friend to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth.

It wasn’t four hours into our travels that my sister blew her mind, clearly tired of our friend’s nonstop road games and her word-for-word rendition of “Seventy-Six Trombones.”

My sister’s tirade, minus the expletives, went something like this: “Horse! Horse! Horse! One hundred bottles of beer on the wall! Seventy-six trombones! Beetle bite! Beetle bite! Shut up!”

We all fell quiet, pretty much for the rest of the trip.

Some people love road trips, others dread them.

Australians John and Helen Thomas fall into the first category. They’ve been on the road in the United States for 78 days in an effort to log their 90th world record for fuel efficiency. This is a hobby – or in their words, an “addiction” – that has carried on for three decades.

Currently, they are motoring along in a rented 2011 Toyota Prius, stretching one tank of gasoline into 1,500 miles. Now, let’s just get this out of the way: The two are a bit secretive about exact figures because they are gunning for a world record and undoubtedly want their sponsors – Pennzoil, Shell and Jiffy Lube – to reveal their total gas mileage.

They’re positive, optimistic, Pollyanna-type folks, which explains why they can drive for 14 hours a day weeks on end without killing one another.

“We’ve driven 19,000 miles and have not said one swear word or had one argument driving 16 hours a day,” John said.

It took some tugging to get them to be candid.

Upon learning that one fuel-saving tactic is to drive well below the posted speed limit, my first thought was, how many times have these people been flipped, well, the emu? They did this in Las Vegas? Are they nuts?

Helen said fellow motorists have been nothing but kind. John was a bit more honest.

They were cruising one stretch of our nation’s freeway system at 73 mph. The speed limit was 75, which probably means most were hovering around 90 mph.

“We had this one guy using gestures with his finger,” John recalled. They coincidentally met up down the road at a gas station, which made me wonder whether the rude man spent the night in a nearby motel. Anyway, John approached the guy to ask why he was so upset.

“He said, ‘If you don’t want to drive 80 mph, then beep, beep, beep,’ ” John said, obviously not wanting to wanting to break the couple’s personal record by muttering a swear word.

Just traveling 65 mph in a 70 mph zone can save a motorist 23 percent in fuel costs.

Sounds good, so on the way back to work I gave this a go on Interstate 15 and nearly died. After a few miles, I thought, “Am I nuts?” I felt Helen frowning upon me.

Thirty-plus years ago, owning a family vehicle in Australia meant you were wealthy, Helen explained. She badly wanted a car and saved until she could purchase it. Fuel was a problem. With 72 cents in her pocket, she carefully planned on how to efficiently get from one job interview to the next.

“I had no money,” Helen said. “It was like survival really.” Her addiction was born.

She joined a group studying methods to keep fuel use down and met John. Having just been introduced, the two embarked on their first sponsored 6,000 mile trip. Come on, even back then there were no arguments? Directions? Pea-sized bladders? Road games?

“No,” she said. “We played a lot of music I’d say.”

The two strangers married. Eight-track tapes turned into iPods. They no longer load film into their camera but instead instantly upload photos to their blog. Many motorists have replaced their petrol-fueled vehicles with hybrids.

Their first trip in Great Britain was in a Ford Fiesta and the couple’s record was 44 miles per gallon. Last year’s trip across the continental United States in a Chevy Cruze Eco, their new record was 64 miles per gallon. What hasn’t changed is their love to drive in the most efficient manner possible.

“Seventy-eight days we were on the road and it was the most magnificent trip,” John said. “For us, it’s like being in a dreamland.”

To say they are obsessed wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Helen admitted that when she walks through a parking lot, she eyes tires to see if they are properly inflated. One pound per square inch (psi) off can amount to 3 percent in fuel loss.

You know those drivers who blast past everyone, speeding and weaving through traffic, only to find themselves right next to you at the next traffic light? Well, they’re losing fuel 5 percent faster; 33 percent if they are on the freeway.

Some other tips from the Taylor duo is to reduce your load. In other words, it would be wise not to carry two golf bags in the trunk at all times. I know, but if someone invites me for a round, I need to be prepared. Obey the vehicle manual when it comes to oil changes and the type of oil to be used.

This Australian couple truly believes that Americans will get this some day, especially as fuel prices increase. The Taylors, a couple who survived traveling 80 mph on Germany’s autobahns, believe a time will come when drivers in this country will not drive above the speed limit.

“I think there will come a point where people won’t break the law,” Helen said.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at 702-387-2904, or send an email to roadwarrior
@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.