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297 Comments
- Indyanna, on 05/24/2008, -0/+59Re: #5 - Air conditioning is more efficient than windows down -
Mythbusters has dealt with this issue, and here are the results from their website:
Question: Is running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down?
Results: *partly confirmed*
It is more fuel efficient to use air conditioning when the car is traveling approximately 50mph or more. Otherwise, windows are more fuel efficient.
- presidentjapan, on 05/24/2008, -6/+53#11 - Ride a bike.
- inactive, on 05/24/2008, -2/+45driving defensively and not aggressively saves a lot of gas too
- mintywhite, on 05/24/2008, -2/+39Does anyone really change their driving habits when prices go up?
We need more pedestrian friendly streets so we can actually walk places like they do in Europe; thus, lowering pollution and obesity. - inactive, on 05/24/2008, -4/+38People should be as concerned when it's $1/gal. or $4/gal. Conserve no matter what the price or how much money you make. If it's smart to do when prices are high then it's smart to do when they are low.
- OntheRightSide, on 05/24/2008, -6/+38Good article. However, the one suggestion they forgot was: quit driving....
- Mutton, on 05/24/2008, -0/+32#13 Install a Mr. Fusion
- cptshamrock, on 05/24/2008, -1/+31"4. Pump up those tires. Higher tire pressures result in lower rolling resistance, so your mileage will improve. Not too high, mind you, but a tad over the “recommended” from your car and tire manufacturer. Remember, they don’t want you to get good mileage."
Why would they care what mileage you get? - MightyBob, on 05/24/2008, -9/+33#12, live out grand theft auto. Steal yourself a new car daily. Or every 3 minute. Whichever works for you.
- DealCracker, on 05/24/2008, -3/+25#0 Accelerate slowly, coast more and drive slower. This is the single biggest improvement that you can make. I can change the average gas mileage 5 to 7 MPG by adjusting how I drive. Most cars achieve their highest mileage between 45 and 60 MPH. Above 60 and the mileage starts to drop. Above 65 the drop off curve becomes much steeper. By 75 MPH the fuel economy has dropped by 20-25% compared to 55 MPH.
The other recommendations in the article are good too. The real time fuel consumption meter is really helpful. - inactive, on 05/24/2008, -3/+22
10. Use cruise control whenever possible. The car’s ability to maintain a constant speed is better than your ability to do so. Small, more precise, and constant adjustments made by the car’s cruise control system will save you fuel.
I'd disagree with this one.
You are still much smarter than your car. You can speed up before a hill, but speed control won't and will have to downshift, using more fuel. - roosterjm2k2, on 05/24/2008, -1/+18Sorry, not a good article...good intentions...but bad.
Things like "...because they don't want you to save gas" .
First, overinflating tires is DANGEROUS... 1, they are more likely to blow out from stress (pothole...etc). 2, you lower the contact patch to the road...meaning control and braking suffer.
Automakers arent in it to cost you more fuel, the higher number they can put on that sticker for mpg, the better the cars sell.
For tire makers, that logic is even further off. Petroleum is used in making tires, the higher demand for fuel = higher petroleum prices and higger production costs... - carpespasm, on 05/24/2008, -0/+16Actually with gas prices where they are doing anything to minimize fuel and energy consumption is likely to be beneficial, regardless of whether you think climate change is human-caused or not.
- Indyanna, on 05/24/2008, -0/+15Hear, hear. After living in Hungary for so long, walking to and from the store, post office, etc. is just second nature. But as you pointed out, it can be almost impossible in a lot (most?) towns in the U.S. Except for "downtown" areas, you take your own life in your hands if you try to cross intersections on foot.
- Vipersfate, on 05/24/2008, -0/+15I keep reading these "save gas" articles. And each one says something contrary to the other.
This one says use cruise control, another one on Digg a while ago said to not use cruise control. Make up your mind. - mGARANDEUR1, on 05/24/2008, -1/+15We need maglev trains to bring people places fast. I would totally give up my car for high performance trains.
- Mudcrutch, on 05/24/2008, -0/+14Not to mention using any PSI other than the manufacturers stated level is very dangerous.
- ridgelawrence, on 05/24/2008, -1/+154. Pump up those tires. Higher tire pressures result in lower rolling resistance, so your mileage will improve. Not too high, mind you, but a tad over the “recommended” from your car and tire manufacturer. Remember, they don’t want you to get good mileage.
Wtf why wouldn't car and tire manufacturers want you to get good mileage. This guy must be retarded. - gooberguy, on 05/24/2008, -0/+13doesn't this contradict a lot of the points disproved by that other guy in that article that was popular yesterday?
- bxblox, on 05/24/2008, -0/+13And then they'd die because the taxes wouldn't cover their healthcare.
- mGARANDEUR1, on 05/24/2008, -1/+14Car manufacturers are not also selling people gasoline. They really wouldn't care how much gas you buy.
- Pixelpaws, on 05/24/2008, -0/+12With the rate that fuel prices are increasing (3.6 cents overnight according to the AAA), you'd probably spend more money by getting a half tank at a time instead of just filling up before the next price hikes hit.
- anarcurt, on 05/24/2008, -1/+12Petition your government for better public transportation
- P373Y, on 05/24/2008, -1/+12if you make a turn at 20, as opposed to 5, who needs to accelerate more, and use more gas to get back up to 25mph?
- KLowD9x, on 05/24/2008, -2/+13"8. Wax your car and keep it clean and waxed. Drag (friction with the air) greatly reduces fuel economy. A clean and waxed vehicle will have reduced aerodynamic drag, thus providing better mileage. If you have a luggage rack, take it off. If you have a moon roof, keep it closed. Smooth is what you want."
HAHAHAHA
...
HAHAHA
Buried as hilariously wrong. - fatfreddyscat, on 05/24/2008, -0/+11Do like me and ride a Motorcycle.
If I take it easy I can get 55mpg +,
If I get twist happy I still get 40mpg and have fun too! - inactive, on 05/24/2008, -0/+10thats pretty common these days having crap timing on red lights. this is because those fing red light cameras need to catch people and they aren't going to make the city any money if people can drive around like they should be able to in a major city. they have to be stopped at every light for that to work.
- Mothrog, on 05/24/2008, -1/+11Mythbusters is an amusing show, but it's not something I would base any decision on. They only used one car model, and they NEVER attempt to make any error analysis. If you don't know the error in your measurement, the measurement doesn't mean a damn thing.
- josh84p, on 05/24/2008, -0/+9Consumer reports did a study that showed ac or windows down will affect you milage by less that 1 mpg at 60 mph. They also found no decrease in mpg when using a dirty filter compared to a clean one. There was, however, a decrease in performance.
- mywhitenoise, on 05/24/2008, -2/+11A lot of these tips are *****.
Number 1: "Turn off your engine if you are going to be idling for more than 30 seconds."
...correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you use up more gas when you start up an engine?
Number 2: "Change your air filter"
that's already been proven that it wont help, neither will adding more air into your tires (#4).
Number 5: "Turn off your air conditioner"
...this is true for most cars, but if you have a hybrid, it's better to use your air conditioner than to kill the aerodynamics by rolling down your window.
Number 8: "Wax your car"
Ridiculous.
Over half of these tips are false, burried as inaccurate. - ihazstatus, on 05/24/2008, -0/+9# 1 - 10: Invest in ways to make us less reliant on Gas.
In truth, I'm pretty confident that good ol' Capitalism has caught wind (pun intended) of the opportunity for alternative power. There's gotta be a Harry Einstein in a basement somewhere with a nuclear fusion machine. I mean, there's GOTTA BE... right? - dj25817, on 05/24/2008, -1/+10too much pressure will also increase your chances of having a blowout
- Minarchian, on 05/24/2008, -0/+8The actual story is here: http://www.oregoncatalyst.com/index.php?/archives/ ...
Tip #3 talks about a real-time fuel consumption meter.
Anyone know where to get these and what they cost? I wasn't aware you could buy these as a stand-alone product. - roosterjm2k2, on 05/24/2008, -0/+8...friggen...
- inactive, on 05/24/2008, -1/+9As long as it's not ethanol. Ethanol and the global warming scam have done more to hurt renewable fuels than every other problem combined.
- stealthspc, on 05/24/2008, -0/+8"7. Don’t keep your gas tank full all the time. Remember, fuel equals weight and you must do everything you can to make your vehicle lighter. Keeping about a half tank or less all the time should allow for emergencies but also keep your weight down."
Doesn't that just mean you have to make more trips to the gas station? Anyone want to bet that uses more fuel than you'd save by having a half of tank? - insomniac8400, on 05/24/2008, -2/+9They forgot: Don't stop for stop signs. This is the biggest waste of gas and the earth gets healthier every time you blow one.
- 19592, on 05/24/2008, -12/+19With gas prices as high as they are, any tips to save are welcome. Thanks!
Also, we can help the enviroment with less gas. I hope a lot of people read this!.. - thomashauk, on 05/24/2008, -0/+7The accelerate slowly tip isn't universal. Only go slow if you may need to stop again otherwise its better to get into the efficiency band asap.
- idc5, on 05/24/2008, -3/+10#11 install a flux capacitor
- RawSense2004, on 05/24/2008, -3/+10People don't do these things anyway? Maybe they ought to change the driver's manual!
- elmuerte17, on 05/24/2008, -0/+6yes.
- captainwtf, on 05/24/2008, -2/+8Here's a tip: take a bus. I own a car and I've saved a lot of money just by taking the bus back and forth from work.
- Thud, on 05/24/2008, -1/+7Driving less? That's silly.
It makes much more sense to spend thousands of $$$ on carbon fiber body panels, and remove my back seat, in order to gain an additional MPG or two. It might only take 40 years for the fuel savings to offset that cost!
I appreciate the sound advice from the article's highly informed author! - johnny2k, on 05/24/2008, -0/+6mintywhite, haven't you ever been to Iowa City, Iowa, or Madison, Wisconsin? Or Decorah Iowa? Everything is in walking distance in the downtown and college areas.
Unfortunately, not all of us live in areas that are set up like that, either for walking or riding a bike.
Actually, you are right, and they should start setting up neighborhoods in urban areas where all you need is within a few blocks... and in the mean time, work from home! - inactive, on 05/24/2008, -2/+8People in the UK would kill for gas at $4/gallon
- tdogg241, on 05/24/2008, -6/+11You hate liberals yet you live in Seattle? Maybe a change of scenery would do you some good, since you seem like a very angry person.
Timing the lights better isn't going to fix anything except your stress level. We need transit more than anything. - odoyle6, on 05/24/2008, -0/+5Attempting to pass everyone in your lane isn't really the same as taking corners at potentially dangerous speeds.
- inactive, on 05/24/2008, -4/+9How could he have missed the obvious choice, drive slower and accelerate more slowly.
Here's a simple model for how much energy needs to be delivered to wheels:
Required energy = rolling resistance + air resistance
Rolling resistance increases linearly as speed increases, thus rolling resistance = m(k1)v
where m =mass; k1 = frictional coefficient of the tires on asphalt, and v= velocity
However, air resistance varies in proportion to the square of the speed:
thus air resistance = (frontal area)(Cd)* V^2
where the first two terms are also constant.
Increasing your cruising speed from 70 mph to 80 mph requires 30% more fuel to be spent to overcome air resistance and 15% more overcome rolling resistance at the tires.
Also, switching to a lighter viscosity of oil, say 5w-20 in lieu of 5w-30 will cut internal driveline losses and save fuel as well. -
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