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Author	Topic: should we measure fuel consumption by gallons per mile or miles per gallon?	Topic is locked Back to Topics

yours16 Veteran Author Texas Posts:368 Points:79,145 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 10:24:32 AM Ignore yours16 Report Abuse Why We Should Measure by Gallons per Mile, Not Miles per Gallon (http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4324986.html?series=19)...This is the title of an article saying that the more intuitive way to measure a car's fuel usage is to measure the consumption—not the mileage. That's right, we need to start measuring fuel economy in gallons per mile...In the debate over how to measure fuel economy, it comes down to this simple tenet: It's easier to make comparisons between the fuel consumption of two vehicles when expressed as fuel consumed per unit of distance, not distance per unit of fuel consumed. Specifically, we should measure gallons of fuel consumed divided by 100 miles traveled, or g/100m. In much of the rest of the world, this is already how it's done, although liters/100 kilometers are the units used _________________ You can read more about the article in the cited address Thing is, would you agree with the consumption measurement gallons per mile instead of the usual miles per gallon?

yours16

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Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 10:24:32 AM

Ignore yours16 Report Abuse

Why We Should Measure by Gallons per Mile, Not Miles per Gallon (http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4324986.html?series=19)...This is the title of an article saying that the more intuitive way to measure a car's fuel usage is to measure the consumption—not the mileage. That's right, we need to start measuring fuel economy in gallons per mile...In the debate over how to measure fuel economy, it comes down to this simple tenet: It's easier to make comparisons between the fuel consumption of two vehicles when expressed as fuel consumed per unit of distance, not distance per unit of fuel consumed. Specifically, we should measure gallons of fuel consumed divided by 100 miles traveled, or g/100m. In much of the rest of the world, this is already how it's done, although liters/100 kilometers are the units used

_________________

You can read more about the article in the cited address

Thing is, would you agree with the consumption measurement gallons per mile instead of the usual miles per gallon?

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

tafrost Rookie Author Fort Worth Posts:15 Points:56,825 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Feb 23, 2010 4:00:57 PM Ignore tafrost Report Abuse It all comes down to what it is costing us. Gallons per mile or miles per gallon does not mak a difference.
OilerFan Champion Author Tulsa Posts:14,027 Points:2,445,115 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Feb 23, 2010 3:24:26 PM Ignore OilerFan Report Abuse still miles per gallon.
smile100 All-Star Author Illinois Posts:617 Points:1,670,875 Joined:Jul 2003	Message Posted: Feb 23, 2010 11:06:59 AM Ignore smile100 Report Abuse Just plain number games.
senalishia Sophomore Author Salt Lake City Posts:100 Points:21,560 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2009 10:41:44 AM Ignore senalishia Report Abuse To accomodate those who don't own a calculator? GPM is a useful number for calculating trip costs and things, but MPG is just as easy to use when comparing two cars.
OceanArcher Champion Author Mississippi Posts:5,688 Points:1,324,375 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2009 10:22:17 AM Ignore OceanArcher Report Abuse Sounds like the old discussion about roses being sweet regardless of what you call them. Thank goodness they don't rate mileage in furlongs-per-fortnight ....
Yonkers111 Champion Author Scranton Posts:8,321 Points:855,035 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2009 8:32:21 AM Ignore Yonkers111 Report Abuse Now who's the contrarian? MPG is fine, $.$$/mile ok too. Gallons (or litres) per 100 miles (or kilometers), puleese. Might work in Europe where it takes weeks to drive 100 miles, but not here, in the US. Keep the metric out too.
rimpyCA Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,550 Points:789,275 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2009 12:07:18 AM Ignore rimpyCA Report Abuse what difference will that make?
pseibold All-Star Author Atlanta Posts:960 Points:318,765 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2009 6:54:30 AM Ignore pseibold Report Abuse In the long run it comes out the same.
hawaiiansupaman Champion Author Hawaii Posts:1,719 Points:1,811,815 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 10:41:48 PM Ignore hawaiiansupaman Report Abuse Aloha, It doesn't matter. Perhaps a better way to measure consumption is to use dollars per mile.
Yonkers111 Champion Author Scranton Posts:8,321 Points:855,035 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 8:46:23 PM Ignore Yonkers111 Report Abuse Someone must give a hoot about the boot.
homerj281 Champion Author Toledo Posts:3,092 Points:370,345 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 7:28:34 PM Ignore homerj281 Report Abuse This will likely happen when we completly switch over to the metric system.
PithyOpiner Champion Author Stockton Posts:16,175 Points:1,592,570 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 12:47:37 PM Ignore PithyOpiner Report Abuse I don't want to be working in tenths of a gallon. MPG is the American way. Let the Europeans do it their way. They do everything ass-backwards, anyway. Just where do the English get off calling parts of a car the "boot" and the "bonnet." That is just crazy!!
tommie1954 Champion Author Phoenix Posts:12,981 Points:2,704,595 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 10:28:34 AM Ignore tommie1954 Report Abuse We will let you figure that one out!
yours16 Veteran Author Texas Posts:368 Points:79,145 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 7:40:13 AM Ignore yours16 Report Abuse funny, the question has been thrown by the people of popular mechanics...dumb they may be but they keep abreast of what is the latest in technological stuffs what you may have been enjoying today are also results of relative dumb and asinine questions that used to linger in the heads of these relatiev people - past and new einstein was once viewed as having silly, lack of good sense questions...but heck, he was viewed as the greatest scientist of all time...just a thougt though...probably, that also is as cretinous as he could be
abeazar Champion Author Tampa Posts:18,568 Points:3,618,125 Joined:Apr 2003	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 5:54:50 AM Ignore abeazar Report Abuse Snooze - wake me up in an hour! - Sleep/Hour or Hour/Sleep?
whyus Champion Author Atlanta Posts:4,305 Points:1,002,625 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 5:38:30 AM Ignore whyus Report Abuse tomato... tomato same thing...
reichera Champion Author Virginia Posts:11,217 Points:1,945,190 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 3:55:33 AM Ignore reichera Report Abuse This is just two different views of the same thing. What's the point? Most folks already understand MPG.
a351c Champion Author Mississippi Posts:9,006 Points:1,693,635 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2009 3:29:13 AM Ignore a351c Report Abuse Why ???
homerj281 Champion Author Toledo Posts:3,092 Points:370,345 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 10:07:19 PM Ignore homerj281 Report Abuse So we should be aiming for about .04 gallons per mile (30 MPG)? Six eggs, half a dozen, if you ask me.
furball64801 Champion Author Missouri Posts:4,313 Points:113,245 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 9:53:53 PM Ignore furball64801 Report Abuse Just happy the way I have been doing it for 50 yrs thanks.
Yonkers111 Champion Author Scranton Posts:8,321 Points:855,035 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 2:42:58 PM Ignore Yonkers111 Report Abuse You are thinking in Canadian. I see not reason to change how we deal with the comparisons in the US. Actually $.$$ per mile makes more cents.
chemist74 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:13,510 Points:2,395,980 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 12:19:27 PM Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse Gallons per mile is simply the inverse of miles per gallon. Anyone with any intelligence should be able to handle either one.
MARIOWERX Champion Author Vancouver Posts:15,909 Points:1,635,760 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 30, 2009 11:28:16 AM Ignore MARIOWERX Report Abuse In Canada they do the liters per 100 k but most people still talk in miles per gallon.