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Fuel mileage and Japanese algebra

Question: 
1K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  97chevor 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have pondered this for some time:

(Assume I get 10 mpg average while towing on level ground) If I climb a mountain range that is ten miles up, then ten miles down to the same altitude as when I started, will I still get an average 10 mpg?

Mike
 
#2 ·
Thread moved to "Other Performance Discussion"..
 
#3 ·
Nope is the short answer. It takes more fuel to climb a hill verses coasting down it.
 
#4 ·
in terms of work done, in theory it ends up being zero. In practice the delta in work is not zero, it is positive. So, no, you won't still get 10mpg. even if you were in neutral going down, you would still be consuming fuel, and thermal efficiency of the engine will be lower going up than going down. And going down, wind resistance will "consume" some of the "work" subtracting from your mpg So, in the end you will see less than 10mpg average.
 
#5 ·
What time of day? Headwind? What speed?
 
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