Quote:
Originally Posted by brucey
Car weighs 4000 lbs with a full tank of gas and me in it. I added roughly 150 lbs of weights, my toolbox (75 lbs), and a hydraulic jack (100 lbs) and went about my trip. This is an extra 8% of dead weight.
This weight could be felt on the downhill glides, but not the uphill pulses. I averaged 37 mpg for an entire tank of 600 miles. Which is roughly what I normally get.
I don't doubt it is making a difference. But in this car, in this terrain, with this driving style, it really seems to average itself out and make no noticeable difference.
|
This is quite interesting. I seem to remember you having a 2.5L, and frankly, I find the 2.2's to be over powered for a Legacy. So your engine should have no problem with the load difference when climbing.
One thing no ones brought up is the aerodynamics of a loaded car. If we're talking high way speeds and flat ground, and not considering acceleration at all, then the variables are: the amount of tire touching the road, and how high the car is sitting.
The aerodynamic change would be quite minimal, but it would likely favor the loaded car. But how it's loaded could make a difference.
The tire resistance is quite obviously greater when loaded, normal people could compensate by uping the pressure, but eco modders like to kill the middle tread first
I used to commute 27miles with more than a 1000 foot elevation change (which was really only in the first 10 miles). I was planing on getting some water tanks. Fill them at home, and then dump them at work, or better yet, wile driving once i got into the valley. But that was not a winter project, and I've moved into the valley since.