Questions tagged [efficiency]

Generally speaking, the ratio of how much work a component or apparatus does to the amount of energy or power it uses.

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Why don't we see many diesel hybrid cars?

Car manufacturers are constantly trying to improve the efficiency of their cars to reduce fuel consumption and meet ever stricter emission standards, diesels are by design more efficient than ...
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Does engine braking still save fuel at right above idle?

I'm trying to drive economically and my understanding is that as long as there is enough momentum in the car to keep the engine spinning while in gear at above idle the engine won't inject more fuel, ...
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Fuel efficiency over past 10 years

I realize fuel efficiency is not just about the engine, but the engine is surely a key factor so I hope this question is accepted here: 10~11 years ago if someone wanted a fuel efficient car in a ...
Dennis Jaheruddin's user avatar
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When using a car to generate electricity, what factors affect its efficiency?

A group of friends and I are all going camping, and have some minor back-up power needs (and no generator). We're trying to figure out which of our cars is best to plug an inverter into: most ...
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Atkinson Cycle: Does the efficiency of a high-compression engine come from compression ratio, expansion ratio, or both?

I understand that, in an internal combustion engine, efficiency can often (up to a point) be improved by increasing the compression ratio, this being a major reason why diesel engines (which do not ...
DodoDude700's user avatar
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What is the logic behind retractable spoilers?

In Formula 1 they have the Drag Reduction System (DRS). This reduces the drag on the straights to optimise speed and increases the downforce in the corners to increase handling. This makes sense to ...
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Effect of weight on cruise gas mileage

Given that acceleration is inversely proportional to mass, assuming constant wind resistance for a given speed, would a heavier truck be more efficient at cruise than a lighter truck, all else equal?
user2647513's user avatar
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Fuel Pump efficiency and life span

Does the weight of petrol in your tank help Pump to work better by pushing against/through pump so the Pump not having to pump so hard the Petrol?
Joe's user avatar
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How come that with a worn MAF and lambda fuel economy suffers but there is no performance gained?

I'm trying to understand the advantages of lambda and MAF while I drive an old car, those parts are worn. How come I have loss in fuel efficiency while there is no gain in performance?
Richard Cedric's user avatar
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3 answers
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Why do Electric Vehicles have higher fuel efficiency at sub-highway speeds?

For consumer vehicles, it seems that most people understand that while conventional gasoline motors operate most efficiently at highway speeds, electric motors provide better mileage for "city" ...
palswim's user avatar
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How are new cars (with HO2Ss) affected by cold starts?

New cars have H2OSs to warm the O2Ss. Is this, and any other new tech in new cars, enough to remove all the negative effects of a cold start? How does a cold engine behave differently now (2019) ...
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Where and how is engine torque measured when producing an engine map?

An engine map - a set of curves of engine efficiency vs. both engine speed and engine torque - requires a measurement of both of those quantities. Where and how is engine torque measured to produce ...
Michael Stachowsky's user avatar
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Compression ignition in petrol engines

First and foremost, this is not a question about reparing or maintenance. I'm familiar with how both petrol and diesel engines work, and I have a question about (possibly) making petrol engines more ...
SimonC's user avatar
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Could the OBD2 connector be used to switch gears?

What the title says, could I use an OBD2 code to control gear shifts in an automatic car? For example send an OBD2 code via a microcomputer like the Raspberry Pi. The car in question is a 2008 BMW e60 ...
Tomas's user avatar
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Does a more powerful engine use less fuel for a specific load than a less powerful engine?

A colleague told me about a truck driving in the mountains. He said if the engine is too small, it would use more fuel to pull the truck up than if the engine were larger, noting the reason is the ...
Fiskelord's user avatar
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Could a wind turbine work for a car?

Could I attach a little fan to power a motorcycle alternator to be more efficient then running off the engine? Attach any where facing the wind on the vehicle to increase mileage from eliminating ...
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Ethanol or non-Ethanol?

Where I live gas is at $2.50 at 10% Ethanol at 87 octane and $2.90 for non-ethanol at 89 octane per gallon. I understand that smaller engines do not do well on ethanol. Is the loss of efficiency from ...
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Why don't automatic transmissions include Neutral in their range?

I have read the claim that modern automatic transmissions cut fuel to the engine on downhill stretches, thereby making it more fuel efficient to go down a large hill in drive than in neutral. However,...
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How effective is Italian tune-up? [duplicate]

I have a 2014 Suzuki Alto K10 Petrol (1000cc engine). The mileage so far has been fairly low <10k kms. The fuel efficiency is abysmally low ~8-9 kmpl. This average is running in strictly local ...
varunsangal's user avatar
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2 answers
4k views

Will I be better off turning the start stop function off?

I drive a 2017 VW Polo 1.0L. I use the car for primarily short journeys with the occasional motorway run. The car has a start stop function but I am skeptical of the benefits. Will it be a useful ...
Joe's user avatar
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Is it possible to produce Fuel Efficiency graph using OBD2 app

Can the Torque app be used to produce a Fuel Efficiency graph for my car, or do I need a specialist for this kind of information ? Generally I want to measure the most fuel efficient extra-urban ...
Иво Недев's user avatar
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1 answer
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Trip computer gives inconsistent remaining mileage estimates

I own a 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5 that doesn't use ethanol gas. Its total mileage is 733. I've been on a trip for 2 hr 20 min. I've driven 135 miles for an average of 58 mph. My mpg is 36.4 according ...
Jossie Calderon's user avatar
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2 answers
197 views

Is it more efficient to drive with the windows down or the AC on?

When driving, is it more efficient (in terms of gas consumed) to use the air conditioner, or to drive with all of the windows down? While the air conditioner reduces efficiency through drag on the ...
cawwot's user avatar
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Which is better when driving at 60 kph? [closed]

For a flat road with a maximum speed limit of 60 kph, which would be better for a 2.4L 4CYL i-VTEC gasoline engine (K24A4 rated at 160HP @ 5500 rpm, 218Nm @ 4500 rpm): 3rd gear at 2500 rpm 4th gear ...
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Is a gas car as sensitive to terrain as an electric?

Since I started driving a plug-in hybrid with a 50 mile electric range I've become sensitive to things that affect my 50 miles. For instance, when it's below about 40 degrees out I lose up to 25% of ...
Bill K's user avatar
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Results surprising said lab reporter of emission testing on Toyota Qualis Diesel 4 wheeler on AVL DiTest MDS 205

I got emissions of Toyota Qualis Diesel car tested with the AVL DiTest MDS 205, the result sheet had following columns rpm, temp, secs, CO(%vol.), CO corrected, CO2(% vol.), HC(ppm),HC corrected(ppm),...
D_batmaniac's user avatar
1 vote
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Wheel covers for MPG, recommendations

This is more of a pick your collective brain kind of question: I want to create wheel covers for my vehicle, a Civic VX, for increased MPG. I have done some research and what I have found are mostly ...
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How much can sub-optimal octane affect fuel economy? [duplicate]

Pick any production car that is factory-tuned for high octane fuel. We know that on lower-octane fuel it has to retard timing to avoid knocking. In effect, it has to run at a lower compression ratio....
feetwet's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
494 views

How much can sub-optimal octane affect efficiency or power?

Suppose a production fuel-injected engine is tuned for 93 octane fuel. As I understand it, the engine can still run on lower-octane (i.e., less knock-resistant) fuel, but it will pull timing to avoid ...
feetwet's user avatar
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14 votes
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What causes a 20% difference in fuel economy between winter and summer?

I've been keeping track of the fuel my car, a Ford Fiesta Ecoboost 100 hp, uses since the day I got it. In the last three years I've owned it, I've noticed a large (>20%) difference in fuel ...
Ives's user avatar
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At what time of day/temperature should I refuel my vehicle?

I mean, should I refuel my vehicle in the morning? The reasoning is simple, in the morning the temperature is low and the density of the fuel would be higher and I get more energy per litre(or ...
RogUE's user avatar
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3 votes
10 answers
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Is Tom Ogle's 100+mpg engine actually feasible? [closed]

I've just read about Tom Ogle, an inventor who claims to have built an fuel injection system that can achieve 100+ mpg and has apparently proven it, before dying in suspicious circumstances. From a ...
André Borie's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
899 views

Is there correlation between fuel efficiency and preferred gear at certain speed?

It may very well be just my imagination, but 3 months ago i decided i can do 30 miles per hour on 3rd gear and not shift to 4th. It didn't seam like the engine was under any extra stress or anything, ...
Иво Недев's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
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Alternative fuel consumption metric to MPG to measure actual engine efficiency?

MPG is all very well and good, considering that most people that are concerned about their fuel consumption tend to want to get as many miles as they can out of it before they need to fill up again. ...
Max Goodridge's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
246 views

Fuel Consumption Paradox

I've been trying different driving styles for a while now, in an effort to reduce my fuel economy and tank range. I've found that I get the best results when racing around, as opposed to driving ...
voices's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
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What would be better for an engine driving at 60mph or 70mph? I wish to get the most miles out of my engine?

At 60mph my engine revs at 2800RPM and at 70 it's 3200RPM. My qustion is which condition would give the most miles from my engine.
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What non-driver, non-terrain factors can affect vehicle miles per gallon?

I've been tracking the mileage on my 2015 VW Golf (a non-intercooled turbo, but not diesel, thank goodness). Of course, my driving habits and highway/city balance influence things greatly, but beyond ...
Daniel Griscom's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can one calculate volumetric efficiency without a MAF sensor?

I am completely new in the field of OBD2 sensor; I am looking for a method (or a formula) to calculate Volumetric Efficiency of: Diesel Car Petrol Car which do not have a MAF sensor. Can anyone help ...
Soumya Sen's user avatar
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2 answers
1k views

Does using heat in the car SAVE gas?

Its well known that using heat in a car is almost free (see for example here). It is also known that using the heat can reduce the engine temperature which otherwise needs to rely on water cooling. ...
JeffDror's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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How can I determine if it is more cost effective to run premium fuel in my car?

Every Time I fuel up my car, I collect my odometer reading, fuel price, and gallons pumped. A while ago I drove my car to almost empty and put 93 octane fuel in my tank, ran it to almost empty and ...
Pizzaazzip's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
180 views

Fuel Efficiency vs Engine capacity [duplicate]

How come there are cars with 1500cc engine producing with better fuel efficiency than a 800cc motorcycle with roughly the same amount of bhp? For example a Suzuki Splash with 1200cc and 87bhp returns ...
Shobin P's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
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Does the size of engine cylinder affect the efficiency?

I mean that, if cylinder have a design in which piston can change its working area alternate. Is there any chance to affect the burning ratio in loss or profit to efficiency?
Himanshu solanki's user avatar
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4 answers
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Will engine braking damage my transmission? How can I tell?

I drive a manual transmission '08 Honda Fit. On my daily 17 mile commute to work, there are three long hills that I can coast down, each about a half mile long. Going down these hills, I've done two ...
yhw42's user avatar
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