John said:
"...Personally, I LIKE driving slow in my Vanagon. I seldom break 65..."

Me, too.  Maybe that's one reason why I get along with the Westy. :)  But
conservation is also important, for all the reasons folks have to offer.  I
try to keep it between 50 and 55.  I try.  But today I delivered an antique
Mando-Bass and Mando-Cello to the Union County Museum, and a couple of times
I had to consciously let up a little, as the speed had crept up to the 60mph
range.

As to your calculations, I have a different take on the speed vs. trip time.
One of the first trips I took in my '84 Westy was home to my folk's place -
a distance of approximately 463.4 miles - a trip which I've done so many
times in so many vehicles that I have it memorized, zigzagging across the
state of Oregon by back roads.  Most of the trips have been made in more
standard vehicles, capable of speeds in excess of the legal limit most of
the way, so that I would have to slow down for corners, watch for speed
traps, all like that.  And yes, I have gotten tickets along the way. On the
straight stretches where conditions allowed, I'd put the cruise at 72-75 and
let 'er rip.  Depending upon weather (like snow, etc.) the trip usually took
from 8.5 to 10 hours, _NOT_ the 6.4 hours you'd get by doing your math on
that distance and target speed.  Why?  Because even if you're trying for 72,
that's _not_ your average speed.  This exaggerates the calculated difference
in trip time at different speeds.  Roads are not straight, there is _always_
weather, cows in the road, deer in the road, etc.  Life is not a calculator.

So how did the Westy do, as I strove for 55 mph along the same stretch?
Nine hours - a half hour slower than my best summertime trip over the 450+
miles.  The thing is, contingencies bring the average speeds much closer
together than one would think, and you lose much less in the real world than
the calculator would predict, because it's not taking the cows into account.

That's my side of the story. :)

Matt

'84 Djazz