i do that too, ecpecailly if the red light is on a upgrade, just idle along in 1st and before i would have to stop the light is green again. i keep the tires fully inflated and try not to carry anything i dont need, although in the winter i carry about 200 pds for ballast. i try to keep in the highest gear possible without lugging the motor and use cruise whenever possible. my 4.0 4x4 with 3.73s in a ranger chassis gets me 17 back and forth to work, much better than the 13 i was getting with my 3/4 chevy 2wd with a 350.