In article , "Doug Kanter" wrote:

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

To get the best gas mileage, the rule of thumb is to get OUT of the lower
gears as quickly as possible. To use an extreme example, this is why
"jackrabbit starts" burn more gas - you're in first or second for a longer
period of time than if you started more gradually.

Wrong. The main reason jackrabbit starts burn more gas is that engines use
more fuel at full throttle than at partial throttle.

Ummm.....correct. It's at full throttle (or just a lot more throttle)
because you (stick shift) or the car (automatic) is keeping the thing in a
lower gear. We're both describing aspects of the same function, at the same
moment in time.

No, we are *not* describing aspects of the same function. You completely
misunderstand how an automobile works. The engine is at full throttle during a
jackrabbit start because the driver has pressed the accelerator pedal to the
floor. The transmission being in lower gear does not in any way cause the
engine to be at full throttle -- it's exactly the other way around. Because
the engine is at full throttle, the transmission remains in a lower gear - but
the principal waste of gas is due to full-throttle operation, not the gear
selection.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.