Add a Comment
Email This
Statistics
Thread parent sort order:
Thread verbosity:
Welcome! OmniNerd's content is generated by you, the reader. Through voting and moderation we strive to highlight the nerdiest of what's around and provide content that's a little more thought provoking than other sites.
|
Copyright © OmniNerd 2004-2008 OmniNerd uses valid, standards-based markup.
Maximize enjoyment with a standards-compliant browser. |
RSS
RE: 55mph increases fuel efficiency
Believe me, they take advantage of this in Myrtle Beach; you should see some of the carts they sell. I intend to buy one when I move down there.
Yeah - my parents live in Murrells Inlet (just five or ten miles south of Myrtle Beach on 17). There's a lot of weird stuff down there - to include a taxi cab service using imported British cabs for "the look". Plus you get the annual Bike Week crowd.
The sweet spot is definitely different for different cars - owing to gearing and aerodynamics. I think there is a nexus between an efficient fuel burn and actual engine efficiency. For example, most engines operate best at high RPM (the Jeep achieves maximum horsepower/torque around 5000). This is also why 0-60 runs are done in low gear at high revolutions. While the engine operates best there, it also eats up fuel. But you also get 0mpg by idling at your lowest RPM and not moving. So what we get is this "window of efficiency" where most vehicles work best. In your case, it may be that going slightly faster bears an extra burden of wind resistance, but the higher RPM equates to more horsepower to force through it at an optimal engine setting.
Regardless, though, the sweet spot is not 75mph for SUVs and most other vehicles!!
View Full Discussion