Patric_Bernard

I made a youtube video to tell people 5 simple and easy ways to get better gas mileage. Check it out, and pass it on to friends and family.

YouTube - How to raise your MPG

rowuk

There are a couple of points that I disagree with. There is an RPM for every motor where it operates most efficiently and that is SELDOM at low RPMs. Of course at extremely high speed you are fighting the air resistance, but I have found that my car is most fuel efficient at about 120 KM/H (German edition Mazda 6 station wagon with turbo diesel motor - just under 70MPH) on the highway.

The last premise that saving gas will help ease the pain is plain BS. The more you save, the faster the oil companies raise the price. They are in this for the money and as long as our politicians don't wake up, we will continue to get soaked.

Driving sensibly is a mature way to limit the resources that you waste. Forget about saving money.

brem

Get a hybrid! :) Or better, a plug-in car! (I know... those are not yet readily available...)

Patric_Bernard

1st Rowuk, no. I'm not talking about very slow speeds. I'm talking about high way speeds where people seem its best to drive 85-90 all the time. because they think that since you are getting to where your going faster, your saving gas. This is wrong. When you are driving that fast, your RPM's will be around the 2500-3000. Now say you slow down to 70-75, now your RPMs will be from 1800-2200 (these are rough estimates of course). You will save less gas when you are running lower RPM's.

I think you are thinking of carborated cars and all that. All vehicles made after the 90's or so have computer chips that control how much gas you use by knowing How fast you are driving, the speed of your crank/camshaft, and how warm your car is. WHen you first start your car, you will have horrible gas mileage until you warm up. after that, you will get alot better mileage. Since everythings computer controlled, you get a lot better mileage than carborated cars.


Now how will saving gas not ease everything? gas is a consumers product, which is controlled by supply and demand. The more people use gas, the more needs to be manufactured. Theu demand more, they need to supply more, but then they cant, so they raise the prices. If we use less, there won't be as much of a demand, so they won't have to supply as much, and hopefully prices will go down. And even if that doesn't work, you are saving yourself some money. I dont know why its so hard to do, its 5 really simple things.


I dont know where you got so much about wind resistance. I know that there will be resistance from the wind, but most mileage in upper RPM's of cars is due to floating valves, not burning gas all the way, needing more to compensate for more air that you'll be using, and also to create a more powerful compression. Theres a ton more things that go into mileage than meets the naked eye.

and Brem, these are tips for people who can't afford a new car lol.

nplotts1

If they can't supply and therefore raise prices, why would companies like Exxon be making record and near record profits for several years in a row? They raise the prices because they can, not because there isn't enough gas to be had. Personally, if a chain of gas stations were to lower the price of their gas 10 cents lower than competition, they would likely make more profit, which could be used to help research alternative energy sources, which they could then capitalize on further, bringing even more profit.

Oh and for those who don't know, Exxon is based in whatever S. American country is run by Hugo Chavez, who is planning on bying subs and attack planes/choppers from Russia. He wants the subs to be capable of breaking a US Naval Blockade. Now where do you think he is getting this money to buy this military equipment (likely to be used on his "greatest enemy" the USA?) Oh I would bet from the oil company that Americans buy from, so we are in essence buying Hugo Chavez's attack force which will inevitably be used for an attack on Americans, to the likes of which we have never seen.

Patric_Bernard

See... if that is true plotts... if you buy less gas. your helping save america from being attacked

nplotts1

NO, if you buy less gas from Exxon you maybe helping to prevent the attack. Granted, I am not sure the Hugo Chaves would directly attack the US, I have a feeling he would invade Columbia and hope that the U.S., being the "Protector Nation" that we always seem to be, will get involved so that he can find some way to justify attacking one of, if not the, strongest nation in the world. I bet you it'll happen not too long after the new pres takes office. (aka within the first year, maybe even few months)

tpetplyr

Nick: You're wrong.

Exxon is an American company that has joint-ventures with the Venezuelan (that's the country Chavez is president of). These ventures were nationalized in the 70s (effectively stolen) and returned to Exxon in the 90s. Venezuela is, however, the single largest exporter of oil to the United States in this hemisphere.

Stuart

nplotts1

Ok, well sorry about the mis-information on Exxon, I could have sworn they were still in business with Venezuela. And thanks for reminding me thats where Chavez was, I thought so but didn't want to look like a huge dumb ass for getting it wrong (needless to say I did that without the mistake of nation)

rowuk

Patric,
you have some things confused. The efficiency curve of every engine tells the story. Less is not necessarily more. Where the most efficient burning to mechanical losses takes place governs the engine part of it. Many times you can read this on the torque curve. That climbs quickly at a particular RPM and drops after that. Aerodynamics come into play starting at 30 MPH.

The myth of oil shortages is only spread to prevent a revolution. The oil companies ARE raising the prices because they can - for no other reason. Government does not stop them for lobby as well as for the tax dollars generated (based on cost, not volume of oil sold). There is no way that you or I can find out what capacities are even possible. If there was a true shortage, we would have to ration it. I am always amazed by people that believe what they are told by politicians and the press. When we realize that EVERY person or company has an agenda and look carefully as to what that could be, we see strings that are pretty ugly! Even if George Bush was able to tap the oil reserves in Alaska, the price would not go down, they would claim that the costs of building and maintaining the rigs would prohibit that. The oil companies are still earning record amounts - even with their creative bookkeeping.

I am not sure that hybrids are the answer. Why? Check the energy balance. You need to manufacture the batteries, recycle them when they are weak and add the cost of replacement when they are worn out. When you recharge with the wall outlet, the efficiency of the power generation also comes into play. Hybrids just move the costs from oil to other methods of producing energy, some of which are as detrimental to mankind as burning fossil fuels.

The most important savings are accomplished by organizing yourself and not driving any more than absolutely necessary. You will not be allowed to realize a net savings unless you start to SACRIFICE.