I read an interesting article in Light & Medium Truck magazine that I thought I'd pass along:
Light & Medium Truck | Stiffer Roads Save Fuel, Study Says
It's a study out of MIT about the effect of road stiffness on fuel economy. Here' one except:
Quote:
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The authors estimate that the combined effects of road roughness and deflection are responsible for an annual average extra fuel consumption of 7,000 to 9,000 gallons per lane-mile on high-volume roads (not including the most heavily traveled roads) in the 8.5 million lane-miles making up the U.S. roadway network. Up to 80% of that extra fuel consumption, in excess of the vehicles’ normal fuel use, could be reduced through improvements in the basic properties of the asphalt, concrete and other materials used to build the roads, the study said.
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