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On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:32:38 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

"carneyke" wrote in message
roups.com...
Grahm,
Hot is hot, no matter how you "analyze" it. Today's cars generate much
more heat and there is many more cars than 30 years ago. No science
involved Sherlock, just plain old common sense, I was blessed with and
you.........

Too much "common sense." Too little understanding of physics.

That's the kind of "common sense" that had people telling us their vehicles
got their best fuel mileage at 65 mph.

I had occasion to drive a 1977 280Z from Phoenix to Houston, solo...
the wife and children flew, so I conducted an experiment, driving one
hour intervals at fixed speed.

(I was working on fuel metering at the time, so I had a breadboard in
the car that gave me accurate consumption readings.)

The mileage did indeed peak pretty close to 65MPH... around 28MPG
IIRC, but had only fallen to 23MPG at 100MPH.

But the 280Z was fairly light (2355#), pretty aerodynamic, and was
rated at around 21MPG _average_. (1977 was when the 5-speed manual
tranny was added.)

...Jim Thompson
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