Fuel prices are literally soaring! Consumers are foregoing vacations, entertainment, eating out and even cutting back on groceries just to keep gas in the car. Auto makers have pretty much run into a impasse as they try to pit miles per gallon against clean air standards. Until totally new and much more efficient modes of propulsion become commonplace, such as greatly improved hybrids, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, we're pretty much at the peak of the mpg curve.
However, there is an easy way we can greatly decrease the amount of fuel our cars use over a given number of miles; just slow down!
Laws of physics dictate that the friction a vehicle encounters with the air increases with the square of its velocity. So, if your 35mph speed is doubled to 70mph, friction is increased by 4 times. (2 squared) Obviously, the fuel required to maintain 70 will be far greater than holding 35. This doesn't even include the extra fuel required to accelerate from 35 to 70! With the average national highway speed approaching 75mph, just imagine all the fuel we could save by just slowing down!
Another main factor governing fuel efficiency is your car's drive train: its engine, transmission and final drive which turns the wheels. Most transmissions, manual or automatic, will move your vehicle most efficiently at a speed just enough to cause it to shift into its highest gear: usually, overdrive. On average, that's about 45mph. So, if you make a habit of smoothly accelerating to 45 (where the speed limit allows) or whatever that final shift point is for your car, you're likely to slash your fuel bill drastically!
Without getting into all the math, the moral of the story is simple; slow down and save! Furthermore, if everyone did this, the nation's demand for gasoline would also go way down and, according to the laws of supply and demand, the price per gallon will also drop: an added benefit of slowing down.
Are we ready for a national speed limit of 45mph or will we continue to be victims of our own lead foot ways and allow the oil companies to tell us how much food we can afford to put on our tables?
Dave Allen, Radio Daddio
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About Me
- Dave Allen The Radio Daddio
- Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States
- I've been a radio broadcaster since 1966 which means I'm getting up there. Most say I've already arrived. Right now, I'm spinning the best of the 80s, 90s and today in Central Wisconsin on WDUX 92.7 FM. I also produce and host an old time radio show on the Internet appropriately called "The Old Time Radio Show." Everyone asks, "When are you going to retire?" I think they're after my job! Maybe in another 50 or 60 years; right now I'm having way too much fun to call it quits!
