May 14 2008
America’s other weight problem, We don’t want strippers.
Today, Driving a large SUV is likely to award you mean looks and verbal lashings from your friends and neighbors, as you are not doing your part to help the environment. Being green and worrying about the environment is all the rage now and you better conform. Couple that with the fact that it now cost over 100 dollars to fill up the gas tank on one of these beasts and you will soon be searching for a new ride.
Cars of today and yesterday
Just a few years ago in the late 80’s and early 90’s it was easy to find a cheap car with about 90 hp, that hot good gas mileage. While this car can get you around town, it is no tire scorcher. Believe it or not these cars could get you near 50MPG.
Fast Forward to today and most hybrid cars can’t match that MPG and cost 3 times as much. Amazingly cars today have more Horsepower, more technology, better engines, and more emission controls, but can’t out perform cars that are 20 year old when it comes to MPG or performance.
Why no better MPG?
In the 90’s a Honda Civic weighed in just over 2000 lbs while a 2008 Civic pegs the scale at 2800 lbs. That is a 50% increase in weight. To carry this extra weight they also bumped up the HP to 140. Another 50% increase. The end result is an almost flat improvement in gas mileage at 29 MPG for today’s Civic.
Why are cars so fat?
Well one is that we are fat. A lot of Americans are not comfortable in smaller cars so the car companies have to make them bigger. Government requirements, Cars how more stuff in them, because the Government tells them they have to do it. Front and side airbags, tire pressure monitoring, super strong impact areas. All this adds weight.
We don’t want Strippers.
Strippers, cars that have little to no options. We want all the shiny things, GPS, 15 way power seats, 47 cup holders, 88 Speaker sound system, and 352 Televisions. And a lot of this stuff is not optional any more.
What can you do to save weight on your car?
Get rid of stuff, anything that you do not need in your car, take it out. In an extreme example, I took out everything from my 1988 BMW 325is that I didn’t need. When I mean everything I mean it. I took out all the seats except the driver seat. I took out the carpet, and the center console. Leaving the spare tire, a jack and my ipod. My gas mileage went from 23 MPG to 26.5 MPG. Considering I drive 60 miles a day, it is worth it for me.
One Response to “America’s other weight problem, We don’t want strippers.”
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Thank you for the insights. I’d always wondered why gas mileage was not improving.