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Glove interest

PHILIP JACKMAN

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 8:14 AM EST 07/09/08

Getting to grips with automotive history ...Read the full article

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  1. Smart Aleck from Edmonton, Canada writes: Tony Dekeukelaere- Good question. Let's clear a couple assumptions first. Gas weighs roughly 740 grams per litre. Most mid-sized cars have 65-70 litre gas tanks. Reducing weight of a vehicle by 45kg will increase fuel economy by 1-2% (from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml). So, if you only fill half way, you are saving .74*35=25.9kg of weight. So, strictly mathematically speaking, you can save .58 to 1.15% on fuel economy. So if you average 500km per tank (in city estimate) you would get another 2.9-5.8 km per tank of gas. So the next questions I see are is how far out of your normal route is your gas station (obviously, if you have to drive 10km to fill up, it is not worth it)? Is the extra time spent pulling into the gas station & paying for fuel twice as often worth the extra range or the extra environmental benefit (which is reduced when you consider that every time you take off your fuel cap you are releasing unburnt hydrocarbons (gas vapour) into the atmosphere.) I know personally, I fill up full every time because the small difference is not worth it to me. The biggest difference (other than buying a new, more fuel efficient vehicle) is driving style (or, as I like to put it, the nut behind the wheel.) Note- Extra weight only affects fuel economy during acceleration, not cruising, so a city example was used.
  2. Jonny Quest from Canada writes: Extra weight only affects fuel economy during acceleration, not cruising, so a city example was used

    Your caveat at the end. Doesn't that mean that the savings are likely to be even larger than you calculated? All cars accelerate. What about additional wear and tear on the brakes and transmission due to the extra weight? Or the possible driver stress that arises from handling a heavier car?
  3. Seat 4D from Canada writes: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin

    The savings are negligible in the big scheme of things.

    Keep your tires properly inflated, plan your trips in advance, drive in an anticipatory fashion e.g. coast and brake when traffic is bound to slow, accelerate gently, perform scheduled maintenance on your vehicle.... THEN maybe worry about filling your tank halfway.

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