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Old 03-25-2013, 03:11 PM   #40 (permalink)
surfstar
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Join Date: Aug 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
Your video doesn't show anything that looks abnormal about the effort required to spin a single wheel.

You are already saving a ton of money by having only a 6 km commute. How much money do you really believe can be saved? I'll do a little math below in units I am most familiar with.

Your commute is 4 miles one way, or 8 miles round trip. Assuming a 5 day work week, you might commute 235 days per year.

8 miles * 235 days = 1880 miles
1880 miles / 18.6 mpg (your mpg) = 101 gal
1880 miles / 21 mpg (EPA mpg) = 90 gal

Assuming $5/gal for petrol, the annual difference is $55 USD, or $0.23 cents per day. You are spending way more money than this just by choosing to lease instead of purchasing a used vehicle from a private seller.

Have you driven this route in other cars before while comparing your mpg with the EPA for that car? You will find that all of them perform below EPA because the distance traveled isn't enough to warm up and run efficiently.

If you want to save money, then ride a bicycle instead. Or purchase a good used vehicle from a private seller. Or install a grill block on your existing vehicle.

Why not jack the other side of your car off the ground and try spinning that wheel? I bet it takes just as much effort to turn. This would mean the brakes and wheel bearings are likely just fine.

THIS post has the answer. A short, cold, commute. Don't waste your time and money looking for a solution to a non-existent problem. $55 per year. One trip to a mechanic to have them "look at your dragging wheels" and you've lost two years of mythical MPG savings.
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