hi guys i know that jeep are known for not the greatest gas mileage and all and that's fine i'm just curious is all. Last week i got almost 20 mpg going up north but i only had a east wind at about 12mph. but then going home i had a south wind i only got 14.5 mpg coming home. my question is can a head wind really cut your mpgs down 5mpg. i'm just wondering is all. thanks
Driving 65 with a 15mph headwind is the same as driving 80. At highway speed, wind resistance is the primary component of mpg equation. Aerodynamic drag increase with the square of speed.
In short, yes it is likely your dramatic change in mpg is headwind induced.
okay thanks and i knew that the headwind would reduce mpg but i just didn't know it would reduce it that much. But i may have messed up on my math too i know how to do it but i had to drive to work and back a day before i left and did some driving before hand so i will do another check the next time i go up.
Drove out to Death Valley a couple years ago and got 16MPG going with the tail wind and being pretty much downhill the whole way. Came home going up hill and into a 25MPH headwind with OD off for 200 miles. Got 8 MPG that drive home. Yes wind and grades play a big factor in your MPG. Remember your driving a brick.
I have noticed a difference but not to that degree. If conditions are fairly calm I am at around 18.5 mpg. With a stiff wind of say 25mph or so either coming at the front or side it will go down to 17mpg or even slightly less, depending on wind speed and direction.
my math was wrong anyways i figured i put about between 6 to 8 gallons and i just figured it out i actually did pretty good with a head wind i got between 15-17 mpg give or take i just remember back in july and i know the weather was probably different then but i got a combined city/highway of 19 which isn't bad. anyways at least i know now with even some head wind it will knock off at least 2 to 3 mpgs. i'm going to the cabin probably in 2-3 weeks so i will calculate it again. oh yeah one more thing i got better gas mileage cause on my previous tires and i didn't know it they were set at 45 psi from the dealer where i bought it from. Now my new tires are set at 35psi which i will probably lower them down to about 30 to 31
To go twice as fast your fuel burn rate to overcome air resistance is roughly cubed so 8 times as much per unit time but it takes only half as long to get there,so total increase in fuel burned to overcome air resistance for the entire trip is only squared so 4 times as much
Fold your windshield down and it eliminates a massive surface area for wind to drag on... :happyyes:
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