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Originally Posted by Texas5
OK, I thought when you said "highway" you meant relatively flat Intertate w/o significant traffic, and no toll booths etc. that required you to stop.
As to your second point, since the other factors you mention (drag coefficient, weight) are basically fixed, then speed IS the one variable that makes a difference in mileage. (you also mention RPMs, but it should be a given that you're not cruising highway speeds in less than top gear) In fact, aerodynamic drag increases at a rate equal to the square of velocity (i.e. a 20% increase in speed means a 44% increase in drag). So speed is a mileage killer......unless you're on the moon.  |
Ok, so I guess we will be "geeking out" here. With drag coeff being constant, if you're travelling at 70 mph and driving the engine at 2000 rpms (roughly) at 5th gear OR you're travelling at 70 mph at 1500 rpms (or so) at 6th gear, at which gear would you be burning more gas? Answer is 5th gear since the rpm is higher. It has nothing to do with the speed.