Eamon Ryan says ‘a practical example’ to cut fuel consumption is to drive slower

18 comments
  1. He’s dead right. But as the comments in this post demonstrate, there are plenty of people on /r/ireland who’ll criticise absolutely anything this man says no matter how justified it is.

  2. People here assume slower = more efficient as a universal truth when it is not. Driving very slowly is also very inefficient and every car has a point of maximum efficiency usually in the range of 20km/h to 50km/h.

    Have a look at [this graph of the speed vs. consumption of a fairly standard Golf](https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-9c3e172c9d97bf123415346a12534108.webp). Maximum efficiency is 40km/h in 6th gear, speeding up OR slowing down from this would cause the driver to consume more fuel per km.

  3. How this man is even able to cycle a bike is beyond me. He is genuinely up there with Donnelly as the worst politician this country has seen in years. His “thoughts” are dangerous.

  4. It’s all about the RPM, you should keep it between 2.5k and 3k for best fuel economy. Cars with 5 gears will reach the 3k RPM at 100Kph, so driving at 120Kph without a 6th gear will burn through fuel.

    Servicing also adds to fuel economy, make sure your air filter is clean (They cost very little and can be changed with little to no mechanical experience).

    **Most importantly:** Keep your tyres inflated to manufacturers recommendations, if a tyre is deflated is will drag causing poor fuel economy. Invest in a portable air pump to keep in the car, and check your tyres regularly.

  5. I find the difference in mpg between 100 to 120kph is very obvious. Wind and rolling resistance affect on engine power is not linear. But at lower speeds the benefits are small or nil.

  6. This man needs to be taken out of his current position, placed in a lighthouse and Weld the door shut. He can then scream his incoherent ideas at the sea. He probably won’t even notice.

  7. I was under the impression that modern petrol engines were all tuned to a certain speed/efficiency. Doesn’t every engine have a unique sweet spot for this? I don’t know enough about engines to know better.

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