Fuel Economy Rumors

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by roxy1

its not much. I usually lose around 1-2 mpg's on a tank if its a hot week and ac was on full time.

however, if I am on a longer trip of mostly interstate (65+mph) and the windows are down I will lose 2-3 mpg's.

a bigger issue to me is that at highway speed and drivers window down, the noise level is just way to high for my liking. this has nothing to do with the car itself. drivers window down is just very noisy no matter what car I am in.

check this out:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv...dition-eng.php

It's been found that a variety of everyday activities can cause exposure to sound levels above 85 dBA. A few examples are:
•listening to music through headphones or earbuds
•attending a rock music concert
•mowing the lawn
•using a table saw
•driving a car on the highway with the windows open

at the decibel levels of an open window at highway speeds, hearing loss is a real possibility over time. its just so gradual and cumulative that people wont readily notice it. it will just be one of many factors leading to poorer hearing later in life.

I almost never drive with my windows down...but some of the other things included in your link.... Not in either of my 'Vitzes', but in quite a few other cars I have had high quality (but also capable of a very high SPL readings) stereo systems in them. I wonder if I will be nearly deaf when I am old . My uncle (my mother's sister's husband) is a retired dentist. He has a great sense of humor about it, but he has huge ears and (despite very expensive hearing aids) has trouble hearing. I wonder if many years of hearing that drill damaged his hearing ?