Season Cost Calculator: 07-08

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I do a lot of driving techniques to increase MPG such as slow/gradual acceleration and coasting towards stop signs and lights in hopes I can get a green before coming to a complete stop (that drives most other drivers nuts!!!!! LOLOLOL).. My car is rated for 35 and I can get up to 42 without being too obsessive about it.

I usually do the coasting thing to but I accelerate hard..and yes coasting drives other drivers nuts fo shizzle..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Correct, no lodging cost at all. Day trip only for all 52 days. Most locations I skied are within 2 hours drive so it was not worth the money to stay the night, even if I skied the same location back to back two days on a weekend. That may change this coming season, especially if I can hook up with other like minded skiers interested in crashing the night together near the hill on the cheap. I would only do lodging if it saved money versus gas expense. But at $20-25 per day on the 2 hour drives, it wasn't worth it. With a 25% increase in gas prices and someone to crash with, it would be cheaper than the gas and would save money.

Wow all day trips..but there's something uber steezy about waking up right by the ski area...this past season I spend 25 days...about 1/4 of my skiing in motels/hotels and the rest day trips..

 

[Terry]

I skied 85 days and only one overnight trip. The rest were day trips. Don't have a tally on the costs though.

 

[Greg]

there's something uber steezy about waking up right by the ski area.

Tough to argue with that one.

 

[JohnGD33]

I don't even want to think about it! I have a 2007 silverado with a 5.3 V8 and I drive too FAST all the time. Gotta git to the cabin to start having some beverages

 

[Stache]

Very rough figures off the top of my head and desktop notepad.
Equiptment = $???
Lodging = $375.00
Dining = ~$750.00
Gas = ~$720.00
Lifts = Compd-Employee
Days = 62
Income from teaching skiing = $1,645

Quote from IRS "Mr. Stache you cannot claim $1,845 expenses against $1,645 in income for three years in a row. You have a hobby not a profession."

 

[kingslug]

$1700.00.................thats less than 1 trip for us out west...damn!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

$1700.00.................thats less than 1 trip for us out west...damn!

$1700 hardly makes a dent into my ski budget...Last season was $5,000+ for me and this season will most likely be $6-7,000

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

putting a cost to my ski season would be like trying to apply a cost to breathing. The cost of NOT skiing would far outweigh any $$ I'll spend on skiing...it would require hours of therapy not to mention the cost of being institutionalized or incarcirated...legal fees, etc. Skiing saves me much more $$$ than it costs.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

putting a cost to my ski season would be like trying to apply a cost to breathing. The cost of NOT skiing would far outweigh any $$ I'll spend on skiing...it would require hours of therapy not to mention the cost of being institutionalized or incarcirated...legal fees, etc. Skiing saves me much more $$$ than it costs.

Tru-dat...plus if I wasn't a skier..I'd most likely spending all that money on hookers and blow..

 

[bvibert]

I can see AdironRider achieving the mileage that he does. It takes a helluva lot of patience to do so driving that way, but it sounds like he's adopted some of the techniques of a hyper miler.

With slowed accelerations and lots of coasting some people can achieve upwards of 30% better gas mileage than their cars are rated at.

I agree, your driving habits can really affect your mileage. When I drive my car conservatively to save gas I can get 30+MPG, when I drive it like a maniac (normal driving for me) I get low to mid 20s. It's a pretty significant difference. Inverse of Adiron's apparent acceleration style; my tach never goes below 2 grand when I'm accelerating (or most other times I'm driving).

 

[mondeo]

Maybe you got a special one. I've got over 240,000 miles between the two Jeeps and I've been pretty good about maintenance, but I have to admit, I haven't gone as far as putting nitrogen in the tires. :blink: What the hell is the benefit of that? Air is almost 80% nitrogen anyway. I do inflate to the side-wall pressure though.

The benefit of nitrogen is no water vapor and tires are less permeable to it. Because it doesn't leak as much as air, tire pressure is more consistent. Lower water vapor content is beneficial so that ice crystals don't form at -65°F. Also, it doesn't support combustion. These are all important considerations for aircraft.

Wait, we were talking about cars?

And I hope the sidewall pressure is the same as the manufacturer's suggested pressure. It's not like Jeep just pulled a number out of thin air and said "here's the air pressure!" If you increase tire pressure beyond what is suggested, you significantly reduce available traction.

Dont know what to tell you but Ive been getting it consistently in the year and half Ive owned the Jeep. Dropped to 20 highway when I was in Jackson driving at 6-8000 feet. Complete nitro in the tires creates less rolling resistance than air, resulting in better milage. Its not much, but I did notice about .5 extra mpg or ten miles per tank once I made the switch.

I dont think you realize how slow I drive and accelerate in the Jeep. When I accelerate it never goes above 2 grand. My buddies make fun of me its that bad. If I drive it normally I get the milage your talking about. Plus Im talking just highway here. My commute to work is 95% highway driving, so it really helps the milage. Around town it drops to about 16-17 and hurts the overall totals.

Lower rolling resistance is only of benefit if you don't check tire pressure regularly. Don't discount the fact that you were aware that you made the change and were expecting benefits. What else changed at that time? Maybe you were a couple PSI low going into the switch? Maybe you drove a little slower (subconciously) afterwards?

My car never gets below 2K unless I'm in traffic in first gear. The engine doesn't like it. My usual, low-acceleration shift point is 2750-3000 RPM, depending on my mood goes up to 7K (prompted by the shift light/beep at 6500.) At 75 MPH I'm at ~3000RPM, in sixth gear.

I can see AdironRider achieving the mileage that he does. It takes a helluva lot of patience to do so driving that way, but it sounds like he's adopted some of the techniques of a hyper miler.

With slowed accelerations and lots of coasting some people can achieve upwards of 30% better gas mileage than their cars are rated at.

I hate the very concept of hypermiling. It's a tunnel vision approach to driving that ignores safety and being considerate to other people. Rubber has a nonlinear characteristic of traction vs. pressure, resulting in some fairly significant reductions in braking and cornering ability. There's a reason drag cars only use 6.5 PSI and F1 cars only use ~15 PSI. Proper tire pressure is a tradeoff of efficiency and performance. Travelling at 55 mph on a 65 mph highway is just dangerous, as is accelerating so slowly that you're trying to merge onto said highway at 45 mph. Plus it's just inconsiderate. Why should I be forced to take 30 seconds to get to 40mph just so someone can save $10/ year on gas?

Also, I remember an ariticle a few years back discussing fuel economy and acceleration styles. The conclusion that it came to is that it's the shift point that matters, not so much the throttle position (harder to manage in an automatic, obviously.) This actually does make sense if you look at it from an energy balance/power consumption perspective. The only thing more throttle really does is reduce the time it takes to burn the fuel needed to increase the kinetic energy of the vehicle.

 

[kingslug]

$1700 hardly makes a dent into my ski budget...Last season was $5,000+ for me and this season will most likely be $6-7,000

Thats about what ours is as well. But all that is going to change this winter..............I'll be flying solo.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Thats about what ours is as well. But all that is going to change this winter..............I'll be flying solo.

Flying solo???? Divorce???

 

[deadheadskier]

Its when I get stuck behind folks doing 40 in a 50 when I could teach a sailor some new words.

You ain't kiddin'

There is NOTHING that pisses me off more than people who can't drive the speed limit provided the roads are clear. I'm convinced that next Pennsylvania, NH has the slowest drivers in the country. It seemed like every damn time I went to Wildcat or Black last season, I'd get stuck behind some slow poke NH resident going not 40, but 38ish in a 50

If you can't drive the speed limit, than pull the hell over and let people pass is my feeling.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

You ain't kiddin'

There is NOTHING that pisses me off more than people who can't drive the speed limit provided the roads are clear. I'm convinced that next Pennsylvania, NH has the slowest drivers in the country. It seemed like every damn time I went to Wildcat or Black last season, I'd get stuck behind some slow poke NH resident going not 40, but 38ish in a 50

If you can't drive the speed limit, than pull the hell over and let people pass is my feeling.

I tailgate slowpoles like that..constantly flashing my high beams until they get scared and pull over...is that road rage???:-D

 

[snoseek]

You ain't kiddin'

There is NOTHING that pisses me off more than people who can't drive the speed limit provided the roads are clear. I'm convinced that next Pennsylvania, NH has the slowest drivers in the country. It seemed like every damn time I went to Wildcat or Black last season, I'd get stuck behind some slow poke NH resident going not 40, but 38ish in a 50

If you can't drive the speed limit, than pull the hell over and let people pass is my feeling.

I used to drive route 5 a lot going to Sunday River and can honestly say rural Maine drivers are slow. Slow drivers on 16 can really mess up your day too. 16 is a very dangerous road-be careful from Dover right to Conway. Stange mix of locals and tourist going very uneven speeds and lot's of illegal passing @ 80mph. I used to drive that stretch almost daily and have seen some awful awful things. It's right up there with 125 and route 4.

Oh and slow drivers should pull over if doing 5-10 under, christ even the cops would pass me doing 65 on 16.

 

[snoseek]

I tailgate slowpoles like that..constantly flashing my high beams until they get scared and pull over...is that road rage???:-D

If it isn't then it definately creates it.:smash: WTF are you thinking?

 

[bvibert]

I tailgate slowpoles like that..constantly flashing my high beams until they get scared and pull over...is that road rage???:-D

Yes, that's road rage and you're an idiot. On the rare occasions that someone wants to go faster than me and starts tailgating me I go even slower. If they ever started flashing their high beams at me I'd probably wait until they got close and slam on the brakes. Then when they rear ended me I'd pull them out of their car and beat them senseless. Yes, I have road rage issues too...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Yes, that's road rage and you're an idiot. On the rare occasions that someone wants to go faster than me and starts tailgating me I go even slower. If they ever started flashing their high beams at me I'd probably wait until they got close and slam on the brakes. Then when they rear ended me I'd pull them out of their car and beat them senseless. Yes, I have road rage issues too...

Slow drivers need to pull over when they get a line of cars behind them..