Posted on 05/23/2008 11:18:17 AM PDT by newgeezer
Most of those tips are much effort for little results;I once believed those type of articles.
Obviously these people have never been to Alaska 7 months out of the year.
Which brings up an issue - How much gas is wasted waiting in line at drive-thru fast food joints? (Not to mention the exercise lost by not walking in.)
The libs should be moving to ban these windows for everyone soon, regardless of the evidence. But, on an individual initiative level, I wonder if, on average, you save gas if you park and walk in to get your order? I would think the re-starting and backing would use up any gains.
I can see that from a small efficient 4 cylinder like the yaris has. The engine has to make higher rpm’s to compensate for the added drag from the accessories. Where as my 5.3L v8 pickup engine barely gets dinged 1mpg with the AC on and full load on the alternator. typically, a v8 engine creates more torque at idle and under standard load the more vacuum produced with less work on the engine.
Considering the hot summer months, I wouldn’t be too depressed about getting 29/30mpg like your getting. :D
I'd guess the reason the aftermarket mesh tailgate faired better than the factory tailgate was that it saves weight without sacrificing aerodynamics.
Leftists hate premium fuel. "It's no fair you having more horsepower or going faster than me!"
Is higher octane nothing? Doesn't higher octane mean more energy density? Leftists haven't figured out a socially acceptable excuse to hide their envy behind on this one so we're left with a proclamation without explanation.
As I posted in response to the original outdated list (cars have changed a lot in 30 years), if you're looking at idling for more than 30 seconds (or 10 seconds, depending on the car and/or who you believe), you'll be ahead if you shut it off and restart it. Especially if there's any sort of a line at the drive-up window, I have no doubt I'm better off parking it and going inside.
Backing out? Ya got me there. Maybe I'll just tell my wife to push the car out and hop in before I start it. ;)
Without running my A/C and running super unleaded with an ounce and a half of Acetone my gas mileage has increased 25%.
Don’t beleive me? keyword in your search engine “Acetone in gasoline” and see for yourself.
evilsportutegrl (just kidding, I have an Expedition) is correct.
Basically you have three-box aerodynamics (engine/cab/bed) versus two-box aerodynamics (engine/cab) with the tailgate down. Three-box is better. The bed acts as a “box-o-air”, which circulates, but does not significantly trap the slipstream.
Better Peak Car ...
EVEN MORE BETTER PEAK CAR!..............
No. Octane is not a measure of energy. Octane is a measure of resistance to detonation. Lower octane fuel detonates (explodes) easier than higher octane fuel. Higher octane indicates more resistance to (early) detonation.
If a modern, computer-controlled engine requires high-octane fuelgenerally due to high compression ratioit will perform optimally when high-octane fuel is used. When lower-octane fuel is used with such an engine, the engine control computer will retard (delay) the spark to prevent damaging pre-detonation (aka "knock"). Then, peak horsepower will be reduced because the engine is prevented from running at optimum.
There is no benefit to running higher-octane gasoline than recommended by the manufacturer in a properly-tuned engine.
Not only that, it keeps the stuff in the truck. Twice now I have seen stuff fall out of a truck onto the highway. One episode involved yellow paint splattering on my car. Both trucks had down tailgates.
I'm with you. Until gas prices come down I'm only driving down hill.
No, higher octane means it burns slower. Higher octane fuel is more resistant to combustion than low octane fuel. That's why high-octane fuel resists 'knocking' in your engine. You will actually get lower gas mileage from high octane if your engine runs fine on regular. All this is true for light-throttle driving.
If you are towing or driving for performance and your engine has the compression ratio and computerized-tuning capability, high-octane will give you more power and better performance because once your engine starts 'knocking' on low-octane fuel, it loses power and starts to damage parts. That's why higher-octane produces more power. But only if your engine is designed for it (high compression and computer-capable). Like a Corvette.
High-octane in a Taurus that runs fine on regular is a waste of money.
Oh yeah? I could care less. /s
May dad told me to put an imaginary egg under your foot and drive so that you won’t break it.
But that’s the stretch limo version, got any pix of the compact model?
Still even more better peak car! ...
This steam powered monster gets more than 1,000 miles per load!
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