fuel economy of cars increased by 41 percent

[retrorocket]

From 1977 to 1981, on-road fuel economy of cars increased by 41 percent

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...te/806971.html

Can we do this again?

Sure!

[SVOboy]

Where's our energy crisis?

[Silveredwings]

I don't think it's a question of abiliity.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

We need to see the same increase in gas prices imo... So, what? A dollar a gallon increase in average price over the next few years?

[baddog671]

But it went from all nice (in my opinion atleast) to a bunch of crap. 1973 was the last year of the classic Mustang and replaced by the UGLY mustang 2 in 74. Better on FE perhaps, but even more dangerous than the classics in rear collisions especially. I'd rather drive my 67 Mustang getting 10mpg than the years afterwords that even Mustang owners dont consider Mustangs..

Id hate to see us start pumping out even crappier cars again...

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Accidents are 70-90% driver, and the rest the road/weather/car/other drivers. I'm not a big fan of "safer" cars since that mentality justifies getting in accidents imo. If I'm on a bicycle, the least safe vehicle on the road, I at least know the only one I can endanger is myself and my situation is inherently safe... Any other opinion on my part is a case "me first, everyone else second" imo.

[zpiloto]

I think that the consumer need to think that we need to first. We have more buying power now then we did in that time period. In that period for every 10% increase in fuel prices the consumption dropped 2%-3% now with 10% increase consumption drop about .05%. It seems the higher the mileage the more American drive. So although they are getting better mileage they are burning more gas. So I don't think we'll see much different unless there is a increase of fuel to somewhere around $ 5 a gallon and then we might see the same results as in the 70 with conservation.

[repete86]

We can do even better than that, but until we have problems finding gas, it wont happen. Most Americans are stubborn fools.

[occupant]

Mileage has gone down since then.

All I know is take the 1985 and 2005 models of typical small cars. Used to be manufacturers offered stripped down versions of their cars for mileage. They'd have manual steering, 4-speed wide ratio manual transmissions, have AC optional if available at all, and they wouldn't have comfort options like tilt steering columns or power locks/windows. Some of them even had left side mirrors only, no bodyside moldings, vinyl seats and rubber floorcoverings, and most didn't even come standard with a radio.

If I was in the market for a new car, I would want one of these stripped down models. Think of a small car like a Chevy Cobalt, take away the comfort equipment, give it a wider ratio transmission with deeper overdrive and a taller final drive gear, and 35mpg would no longer be the highway rating, it'd be the city rating.

At the moment, there are only a few vehicles I would consider new for mileage purposes, and those are the Focus (26/37), Fit (33/38), Civic (30/40), and Corolla (32/41). There may be a few others, since a friend of mine has a 2007 Spectra EX, 5-speed, and he regularly gets 34-36mpg in hard mixed driving. So the Spectra and Elantra might do well, too.

[Silveredwings]

Originally Posted by repete86

We can do even better than that, but until we have problems finding gas, it wont happen. Most Americans are stubborn fools.

I resemble that remark. Maybe machiavellian might be more like it.