WHEN TO SHIFT GEARS FOR THE BEST FUEL ECONOMY

Here is when to shift gears if you want to drive as efficiently as possible.

Saving fuel and driving more efficiently is becoming increasingly more popular nowadays as fuel prices skyrocket. But we have all been told that keeping your RPM as low as possible and shifting to higher gear ratio's, such as overdrive, will help you to save fuel. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily always the case, and the science behind it runs far deeper than just that.

So, what does efficiency mean exactly? Well, first of all, the engine in the car you're driving has to overcome certain resistant forces, such as air resistance, rolling resistance, gravitational resistance (when going uphill) and mechanical resistance as well. With that said, the engine has to produce enough power to overcome those resistances and, on top of that, be able to propel you forward within specific power bands for safety and legal standards as well.

The amount of fuel required to overcome this resistance will in return give us our efficiency.

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, Engineering Explained, on When To Shift Gears For The Best Fuel Economy.

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