Driving Over 60MPH Wastes Gas
"In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon," reports CNN Money. The faster you drive, the more air builds up in front of the car and the low pressure drag behind the car increases as well. Of course, you're also getting to your destination faster. So the question is, what's more important, time or money?
[via Consumer World Blog] (Photo: Getty)
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Comments:
oh...my...god
This article might just as well have started with:
Dear Mythbusters, ...
Follow up article - carrying heavier loads decreases fuel efficiency. Another reason to lose weight.
I would strongly disagree with this, as I have kept track of this with several vehicles I have owned. Efficiency of most cars is a curve, and there is a peak of the curve. In most of the vehicles I have owned, the peak seems to be somewhere between 64 and 67 miles per hour. It mostly has to do with the gearing, and especially on cars with overdrive, it can make a big difference from doing 55 at 2400 RPM to doing 70 MPH at 2100 RPM.
Driving under 60 wastes my time.
The best way to slow down besides saving gas? Getting pulled over. I used to be a strict 85 mph-er, until I got my first speeding ticket.
Maybe we need "You're wasting gas" tickets.
Now? I do 75 mph. If I get yanked for the 5-over, I'll gladly pay it.
The question should be "what's more important, time or the environment/money?"
Off topic...but is it worth filling up the tank every-time you get gas? Isn't that just extra weight? I know it costs time and gas to go and get gas...but couldn't it save you money to just half-fill the tank?
Anyone?
"Any orger a pair of exploding pants?"
Classic, sheer classic watching poor Buster getting nuked when those pants blew up.
i go to work at 5am and average 85mph. It's worth the 3 cents in wasted gas
@badgeman46: Agreed- this is an oversimplification. RPM's, engine size/type and aerodynamics are probably the main factors here. If you have a 180 HP, aerodynamic car doing 80 at 2300 RPMs, it's probably using less gas than a 250 HP SUV doing 60 at 2200 RPM's.
okay...did some googling...
Average gas tank size is approx 17 gallons.
1 gallon of gas = 6.15 lbs.
Half tank of gas = 52.275 lbs.
According to AAA and other sites...every 100 lbs reduces fuel economy by 2%. So half filling the tank can improve fuel economy by about 1%. Couple this with some hyper-miling techniques and it 'might' be worth it.
Thank you for this blanket statement, consumerist.
Tomorrow can we publish an article such as "All black people steal" or something to that effect?
When I bought a new car I stopped speeding. It took a while to get used to driving slow, aka the speed limit, but man my gas millage is so much better than other people driving the same car.
@ConsumerAdvocacy1010: You would indeed get better mileage by shedding half a tank of gas worth of weight, but your marginal savings would be wiped out by the extra gas you spend driving around looking for a gas station. It's even a worse idea when gas prices are expected to rise; it's better to lock in an extra half tank's worth of a cheaper gas "future" at a lower price than have to fill up later with more expensive gas.
With that said, I'm willing to pay extra to get where I'm going faster. Opportunity cost FTW.
LOL
I just went to look at the auction. Some pieces that stood out and made me laugh:
In scrolling text "Buy with confidence. Call Michael at 402-802-2272"
So much for confidence, Mikey.
In a Title field in the auction, "Lowest price on eBay."
Seems the low price was meant to be a draw to the auction.
In the About Us "Our Dealership has built a reputation on providing courteous, honest service. Our customers appreciate the way we do business, and we know you will too."
Ha! That's classic.
Driving 60 does save a significant amount of gas. This goes for pretty much any car. But the key is CONSISTENCY. If you're accelerating/decelerating between 50-70 MPH you're going to get lousy mileage.
Driving 60, I can get 48 MPG in my regular '07 Civic. So it's worth a try if you're not in a hurry. Just don't whine about gas prices when you're blowing by 80MPH+ in your Tahoe. :P
@mattatwork: Can we amend "time" to include "not driving the people behind you insane because the speed limit is 60-freaking-5?"
@Peeved Guy:
Didn't Mythbusters already do this?
And why don't people just drive with thier front bumber 2 feet behind a semi when driving. Since that greatly increased the milage? (That was definately on a mythbuster.)
My dad and I have the exact same car. I had to leave mine at home for some body work one day, so I borrowed his for my 4 hour trip home. When I got done with my trip, I realized I had saved an amazing amount of gas over what my car usually used on the same exact trip. I couldn't figure it out and thought that something was wrong with my car.
Turns out, because I had gotten a speeding ticket soon before my trip, I was much more cautious and therefore slower on that particular trip home. By traveling at about 69mph instead of the (admittedly hight) 78mph I usually traveled, I saved about 25%-ish worth of gas. Since then I never go faster than that.
I don't take anything CNN says seriously. Even if its not political, which, is impossible on CNN. When they say something I agree with, I'm going to take a closer look at my life and the decisions I make.
my electric overhead thingy says i am getting the best mpg when i am going 85mpg.
@jeblis: exactly. I think my car gets it's best gas mileage at around 65 or the lowest speed at which it kicks into 5th gear (so it varies if driving in a hilly area).
@godai:
I thought mythbusters showed diminishing returns...
that 10-20 feet behind a semi-truck was optimal...and that at 5 or 2 feet you actually burned MORE gas. Right?
Did more googling...apparently...less fuel in the tank means more wear and tear on your fuel pump. So you might save money on less gas...but then more than pay for it when you have to replace the fuel pump on your vehicle. I'll just stick to cruise control and hyper-miling (only the legal tips and tricks...because some hyper-miling suggestions are NUTS....and illegal).
@qwickone: ah you bring up a good point. Gears. People with manuals have better control of the gears they are in. Regular cars can have 6 gears. IE, if you're still in 5th gear going 65, and you have another gear, you're wasting. I hope I don't get slammed on my theory. I'm not a car expert.
Driving under 60MPH Wastes Fun
I'm sorry, but I believe this is now closer and closer to bullshit. Back when cars were giant iron bricks, maybe, but cars have become more and more aerodynamic over the decades, to where there are very few things to impede airflow. I've done the math on my own car -- it actually gets better mileage when I drive 65 than when I do 55, because the engine runs hotter and combustion is more efficient.
A car is a system, and changes to one part of the system cause changes to other parts of the system. You can't take one thing and say that's they key. For example, if everyone went 65 and drafted the car in front of them, they'd save gas... and probably wind up dead when the lead car hits a deer.
@godai: I remember one wherein they tested the MPG while using the A/C vs. having the window down. But I may have missed this one.
So the question is, what's more important, time or money?
My answer: time. By a long shot. Wanna change it? Tell every employer in America to stop demanding more time from their employees. Evenings, weekends, nothing's sacred anymore, and I need all the time I can get.
@Bladefist-안녕: You're right generally, but picking a gear that's too high for your current speed (called lugging) damages your engine.
@ConsumerAdvocacy1010: yeah, but it was attributed to the driver having a tougher time trying to maintain the close distance so the speed wasn't as constant.
@ConsumerAdvocacy1010: They did find that if you get *too close* to the semi in front of you (like under 5 feet), you waste gas because you're constantly adjusting the accelerator to maintain distance (i.e. not plowing into the back of the semi).
@ConsumerAdvocacy1010:
Yeah diminishing returns kicked in at some point. But most of the improvements were still in the danger area.
I think you may be right in that it was 5 foot was the best, then 2 foot showed decrease. (Originally thought 2 was best, and 1 showed the decrease)
Its been a while since I saw that episode.
Add me to the list of those calling "BS" on this one.
On my brick-of-a-frontend Subaru, yes, this is true. (Roof racks and a turbo don't help either), and I consume more fuel at higher speeds.
On my Z3 Coupe', however, I get best instantaneous and cruise mileage at about 73mph. Of course the car is much more slippery, and is geared for Autobahn cruising. It will pull past 100mph in 4th gear, so cruising in a heavy-overdrive 5th, the engine is basically yawning at freeway speeds.
Time or money.. Which ever you prefer, always remember this..
SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT
This lets the speeders save time in the left lane. And this lets the gas misers save gas in the right lane. And we all drive happy.
Unless you are commuting a significant distance you really don't save much time speeding. Commuting under 20 miles will often not even save you 5 minutes.
Of course, what people are failing to factor in when promoting speeding is that gear ratios of most cares are not designed to travel much above 60mph (or 70 mph for some) efficiently. Once you hit the upper limit of the speed for a given gear ratio you MPG start to drop.
Ok, then explain to me why I get the best mileage at 75mph?
If you want to go 60mph, fine. Just be sure to stay in teh slow lane.
So I call BS on this (at least sort of). My car has a dynamic MPG gauge that shows fuel economy and changes instantaneously. My gauge does NOT vary based on speed but based on momentum (as one may expect) -- I can get just as good gas mileage at 75 or 80 as I do at 55 or 60 as long as I drive at a near-constant speed and keep up my momentum.
Gee that's terrible. All of you economy minded folks who are now going to keep it under 60 to save gas PLEASE STAY OFF THE DAMNED INTERSTATE!
People are nuts about the price of gas. If gas going up a dollar is bankrupting you, you either have too big a vehicle or live to far from work.
I used to work with an idiot who would proudly tell anyone who would listen that he "shuts his engine off when going downhill to save gas". I know another idiot who waits in line at Costco to buy gas every weekend so he can save (maybe) three cents a gallon. On this guys car that amounts to a whopping 30-40 cents saved total.
Everyone needs to take a breath on the gas price issue. There a are a couple hundred million people in Europe paying $7.00 a gallon for gas and their economy is doing a hell of a lot better than ours.
Breathing wastes air!
Driving over 60 wastes gas?
Well, tough crap, the speed limit here is 75.
@bdgbill:
I know another idiot who waits in line at Costco to buy gas every weekend so he can save (maybe) three cents a gallon. On this guys car that amounts to a whopping 30-40 cents saved total.
That's funny. A Costco just opened near my house (first in the city, actually) and I went there for gas today. Paid $3.09. As I was pulling out, I noticed that the 7-11 across the street was selling gas for...wait for it...$3.09. I don't think I'm going to be going out of my way to go there for gas anymore.
I actually would love to learn more about this report, as my personal experience is different. As I understand it,cars are all geared differently and as such no two models operate under the same efficiency rules.
I've been tracking my gas milage religiously since my first car (1979 VW Rabbit) and with the advent of the in car computer here is what I have found.
My former car was a 2003 BMWE 325ci manual transmission. This car was designed with both American and European highways in mind. As such (according to the onboard computer) it was most efficient at 70mph and there was little difference between 60mph and 80mph. While it does take more fuel to reach those speeds, as long as you are using cruise control, that efficiency can be recouped by maintain a consitent speed and arriving at your destination sooner.
My current car is a 2007 VW Eos with a 2L 4cyl turbo charged engine. This car's gas milage is not nearly as good as the BMW, espcially during acceleration. However, my most efficent speed is 65mph with a big drop off past 70mph.
For those of us that are concerned with the price of gas and drive with conservation on the brain, it is important to understand the ins and outs of your own vehicle. If you are looking for a new car, the on-board computer really helps, and if you have an older, ask the dealer or service shop. They may know what speeds are the most efficient for your model.
isnt this a little too vehicle specific to be generalized over ALL cars?