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From: bradley@godot.UUCP (Bradley C. Kuszmaul)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: "The biggest farce ever" faster speed =? better mpg
Message-ID: <141@godot.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 12:01:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: godot.141
Posted: Wed Jun 20 12:01:15 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 06:38:37 EDT
References: <2104@ihnss.UUCP> <714@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Organization: Thinking Machines, Waltham, MA
Lines: 20

It may actually be the case that you got better milage at 62 than 55
because of a number of factors (possibly including that your toyota
is better tuned for 62 than 55) but you just can't get around the
fundamentals of air resistance.  At highway speed air resistance
(and other friction: inside the engine, tires etc.) is what eats
fuel, and air resistance goes up like the square of your speed (or
is it the cube... something goes up like the cube. sigh) so 75 mph
is going to be roughly twice as expensive as 55 mph.  I have empirically
verified this in the following vehicles
  72 volvo station wagon (presumably built for high speeds since
    it is pre 55 mph)
  72 vw window van.  (same comment, except being german where the
    autobahns rule more so)
  78 honda civic cvcc
  66 jeep (not fair since it is badly shaped, but fuel economy
    dropped from 14 at 45mph to 10 at 55mph to 5 at 65 mph.
--Brad
-- 
  {decvax!cca,ihnp4!mit-eddie,allegra!ias}!godot!bradley,
  "godot!bradley@mit-eddie"@MIT-XX.ARPA