[AT] OT: Gas story

[Steve W.]

I feel sorry for you. The 2002 Blazer we have has 4X4, 4.3 V-6 engine 
and will get over 25 on the highway with no problem.

I love the article I read that someone wrote about how bad mileage 
progress has been through the years. In it he compares the mileage his 
current vehicle gets with the mileage that a Model T gets. Then asks why 
it hasn't improved a LOT with all the technology.
Anyone with a brain can read through it and see that the mans "logic" is 
VERY flawed. BUT that doesn't stop the tree huggers from proclaiming it 
a holy writ.



Alan Nadeau wrote:
> Kind of an interesting observation about miles per hour and miles per 
> gallon.  Our current family vehicle is a Honda Element, high tech 2.4 liter 
> 4 cylinder and a four speed automatic.  Slow cruising will get 25-26 mpg. 
> Last year we took it to Erie, PA, traveled I-90, pulling one of those 
> lightweight 4x8 utility trailers.  Running empty and trying to make time I 
> was driving 65-70, mostly with the cruise control set.  Coming back there 
> were two snowplows on the trailer dismantled and partly crated, a package 
> that caught a lot of air, so it was fairly "draggy".  Due to the load on the 
> trailer I ran just over 60 coming home, again, on cruise for the most part.
> 
> The Honda has the aerodynamics of a brick, no way around that.   Air 
> resistance increases with the square of velocity, drag at 60 is four times 
> what it would be at 30, in an ideal world.  Coming home at roughly 10 mph 
> slower but pulling an additional 1200 lbs and some increase in air drag we 
> got slightly better mileage.  Not a lot, maybe 1/2 mpg.
> 
> Years ago I hauled a TEO Ferguson out to Indiana for Spencer.  Had it on a 
> 12' trailer behind my sons 97 K2500.  Again, I don't remember the exact 
> numbers but coming back I got only .1 mpg better than going out.  Ran about 
> the same speeds too.  The trailer has a 3' high mesh tailgate and at speed 
> it acts like a solid sheet being dragged through the air.  Apparently the 
> tractor smoothed the airflow enough to almost offset the effort needed to 
> pull and extra 2500-3000 lbs.
> 
> Lots of funky factors involved with the fuel consumption business.
> 
> 

-- 
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York