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Old 03-03-2017, 10:28 AM   #2 (permalink)
Daox
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
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Hey Prr, interesting question. Basically the answer is you want to maintain as much speed as possible. Every 1 mph you slow down is 1 mph you have to spend fuel to speed back up. There is no minimum threshold you want to avoid other than stopping completely. The higher speeds are more 'fuel costly' to regain only due to additional aerodynamic drag. Ignoring aerodynamics, 1 mph is 1 mph. Accelerating from 10-20 mph requires virtually the same amount of energy as accelerating from 40-50 mph. Some frictional losses are increased at higher speeds, but its negligible.
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