As fuel prices continue to climb, we're all looking for ways to reduce our spending on transportation. Use of public transportation, carpooling or telecommuting is becoming more and more attractive. Though for many, these options may not be feasible due to various circumstances. For those of you needing other alternatives to reduce your gas expenditure, the U.S. Department of Energy website, www.fueleconomy.gov, offers a bunch of credible information pertaining to your fuel efficiency.
This powerful resource advises on fuel economy, hybrid and electric vehicles, side by side comparisons of traditional combustion cars, and much more. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should stop by. Of particular interest is the gas mileage tips section.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011 12:03
posted by Stephen
I tested four of my cars with cruise control. The difference between 70 MPH and 60 MPH is 17%. Going 60 is better. I know of no other single thing you can do to get that much. Trucks in my state are limited to 60 MPH. It's not generally dangerous. In my old 1 hour (42 mile) commute, the 6 minutes difference is lost to traffic.
Thursday, 31 March 2011 15:24
posted by Eco Friendly Ed
Stephen, you are absolutely correct. Driving slower actually will seriously increase your fuel economy. This is mostly due to the fact that it reduces the parasitic drag on your vehicle. Some people refer to it as skin friction and/or interference drag. The formula for it works like this, if you double your speed the parasitic drag quadruples. So the power needed for your car to push through the air increases as the cube of the velocity.
Here's an example: A car cruising on a highway at 50 mph may require only 10 or 11 horsepower to overcome this drag and maintain its speed, but that same car at 100 mph requires more than 80 hp to overcome the force of drag. Therefore your daily commuting experiment is not only inline with the laws of physics, it's also a fun game to play on the otherwise uneventful commute.
A few other things that can really help your fuel economy is having the proper tire pressure, an engine tune up and finally getting some junk out of the trunk. The lighter your vehicle the less fuel you need to get where your going.
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