Peak Oil News and Message Boards

My first posting - maybe this is the best place for it??

The following site will help you estimate gas mileage for a given vehicle under various conditions. Put in the known values, then fine tune the result by changing "Engine Brake Specific Fuel Consumption" and "Drivetrain Horsepower Loss" values until you get a mpg figure that you know is close to reality. Then, change only the "Vehicle Miles Per Hour" or "Vehicle Weight" or "Tire Inflation Pressure" to see how those changes affect fuel mileage. Its a good way to get an idea of how speed, weight and/or tire pressure affect mileage. Here's the link: http://www.bgsoflex.com/mpg.html

Its best if you can enter the coefficient of drag, and a web site where you MIGHT find the coefficient of drag for your vehicle is: http://www.carbuytip.com/car-specs/09-c ... et/lumina/

I say "might" because it gives the info for most vehicles, but not for all.

kinda fun, but who the hell knows or wants to look up the stats and measurements on their car?

It doesn't take any time at all if you do what I did. You look up "Coefficient of drag" at the site I referenced. Then, you make an educated guess at the "Frontal Area" of your vehicle. Next, put in the known speed, vehicle weight and tire pressure. Finally, you change "Engine Brake Specific Fuel Consumption" and "Drivetrain Horsepower Loss" a little, until you see a result that is near to what you're seeing in the real world.

Then, you vary the speed or vehicle weight or tire pressure to see how those changes should affect fuel mileage.

The whole thing takes only a minute or two! And, these days, when I can't even reach the rear spark plugs on my V-6, and I can't do any tinkering like the old days (can't even adjust my idle speed), its fun to play around with stuff like this. I think that most people who are automotive enthusiasts will enjoy visiting the web site.


From the web site http://www.bgsoflex.com/mpg.html :

Program Inputs:

Coefficient of drag:

Frontal Area (Square Feet):

Vehicle Miles Per Hour (MPH):

Vehicle Weight in Lbs:

Tire Inflation Pressure in psi:

Engine Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (gal/hr-hp):

Drivetrain Horsepower Loss: