今年夏天驾车旅游如何省油？
BBC克里斯·奈格（Chris Neiger）(2016年2月18日)
（图片来源：迪米特里·奥蒂斯[Dimitri Otis]/The Image Bank/Getty）
为此，我们访问了在线问答社区Quora.com，以了解用户如何充分利用每一箱油。每个受访者的方法不尽相同，但大多数人都有简单的技巧，可以让司机加满一箱油后在道路上行驶更长时间。
减轻重量
亚历克斯·埃尔德菲尔德（Alex Elderfield）指出，超重会降低发动机的燃油效率。他表示：“只在车内携带至关重要的东西，清理所有垃圾或其他不必要的物品，否则你就是在付钱买油来将这些东西从一个地方载到另一个地方。”
平稳驾驶，也就是说，不要随意不断地踩油门然后刹车，平稳驾驶是一种以不变应万变的做法。该建议与Quora用户克林特·劳（Clint Law）的观点不谋而合，他写道：“刹车片消散的所有动能，都是通过发动机燃烧燃料[积累的]。”因此过度制动应被视为浪费加速度。他认为：“这真的是在增加你的油耗。”
保持胎压
维持车辆建议的胎压是Quora用户中普遍推荐的另一个方法。
马琳·罗森特（Marlyn Rosent）称自己每次为SUV加满油时都会检查胎压。她写道：“我换上新气门嘴，这样[不必]拧下小部件，便能测量胎压。”
Quora用户道格·丁格思（Doug Dingus）每个周末检查胎压。他说：“轮胎接地面积小意味着摩擦减少，这样需要的燃油便更少。”
空调与车窗
虽然在炎热的夏季里，很多司机会关上车窗、开启空调，但部分受访者认为，空调太费燃油了。在这两者之间有很多灰色地带。
阿奇里斯·沃特赛拉斯（Achilleas Vortselas）表示，这很大程度上将取决于车辆的速度。他写道，作为一般规则，人们在城市附近行驶时应打开车窗，而在高速公路上行驶时应打开空调，因为在高速公路上行驶时，如果打开车窗，车辆的空气动力学特性会受到影响。
不过，更多受访者严肃认真地说，行驶时应尽可能多地打开窗户、关掉空调。埃迪·薛（Eddie Xue）只想呼吸一下外面的空气。他写道：“在行驶速度较低时常常使用风扇和打开车窗。”
但乔纳森·德雷克（Jonathan Drake）引用“流言终结者”（Mythbusters）电视系列节目中的说法，他认为空调和车窗的使用之间要讲求平衡。他指出，当车辆行驶速度更快时，应打开空调。他写道：“这不是什么超级技术，但‘流言终结者’节目曾针对这个问题尝试过两次。在他们第二次尝试时，他们发现，平衡点是每小时50英里。”
燃油效率，直接来自燃料源
该网站上有各种各样的观点，有些人凭直觉而不是硬科学，我们将Quora用户的建议以及埃克森美孚公司（ExxonMobil）的建议相互参照。事实证明，许多Quora用户说的都有道理。
埃克森公司表示，车身重量每减轻100磅，车辆的燃油经济性提升2%。胎压也发挥着关键的重要作用。埃克森美孚公司表示，每月适当调整一次胎压，可将燃油经济性提升3%。
就平稳驾驶减少刹车而言，Quora用户也说对了。埃克森公司指出：“攻击性驾驶（超速、突然加速和刹车）会浪费汽油。在高速公路行驶时，会导致一加仑汽油所行驶的里程降低33%，城镇行驶则降低5%。”
对于行驶时打开车窗还是使用空调，埃克森公司建议，在时速60英里或更高时，应关上车窗并打开空调，这会降低空气动力阻力。
当然，在夏季驾驶的那些勇敢的司机们可以始终奉行“超级惜油”原则，这是一种凭借优秀的驾驶技术节省汽油的行为。即使你选择节能驾驶，也不必在开空调时而感到内疚（至少在高速公路上行驶是需要开空调的）。
（责编：友义）
How to save at the pump this summer
By Chris Neiger,18 February 2024
It prompted us to visit Quora.com, the online question and answer community, to find out how users get the most out of every tank of gas. Not every respondent had the same approach, but most had simple tips that could keep a driver on the road longer between fill-ups.
Alex Elderfield noted that excess weight prevents an engine from burning fuel efficiently. "Only carry what is essential in your car, clean out any junk or necessary items otherwise you are paying for the fuel to cart these from place to place," he wrote.
Driving smoothly – that is, not mashing the gas and then slamming the brakes later down the road – was a fixture of many responses. That advice resonated with Quora user Clint Law, who wrote, "Every little bit of kinetic energy that your brakes dissipate, your engine burned in fuel to [amass]." Excessive braking should consequently be viewed as squandered acceleration. "That's really what kills your fuel economy," he argued.
Keep the pressure up
Maintaining the recommended tire pressure for your car was another mantra among Quora users.
Marlyn Rosent said she checked her tire pressure every time she filled up her SUV. "I put new caps on that let me measure air pressure [without] unscrewing the little buggers," she wrote.
Quora user Doug Dingus checks his tire pressure every weekend. "Less tire contact means reduced friction, requiring less fuel," he said.
Air conditioning v windows
Though the summer heat prompts many drivers to roll up the windows and crank the air conditioning, some respondents argued that running the A/C wastes too much gas. In between were many shades of grey.
Achilleas Vortselas said it would depend largely on a car’s speed. He wrote that as a general rule, people should drive with the windows down around the city and turn the air conditioning on when hitting the highway, where a car’s aerodynamic attributes would be compromised by opened windows.
More ascetically minded respondents, however, said to travel as much as possible with windows up and A/C off. Eddie Xue gets by with just a wisp of outside air. “Use the fan and crack your windows every now and then at lower speeds," he wrote.
But Jonathan Drake says there's balance between air conditioning and windows usage, and referenced the Mythbusters television series as his source. He argues that when a car approaches higher speeds, the A/C should come on. "This isn't super-technical, but Mythbusters visited this question twice. In their second attempt, they found that the break-even point was 50mph," he wrote.
Fuel efficiency, straight from source
Given the variety of opinions out there – some of which can smack of hunches rather than hard science – we cross-referenced Quora users’ suggestions with recommendations from ExxonMobil. As it turns out, many Quora users were spot on.
Exxon contends that reducing the weight in your car by 100lbs can increase the vehicle's fuel economy by up to 2%. Tire pressure also plays a critical important role. Dialling in proper tire pressure once a month can increase fuel economy by up to 3%, according to Exxon.
When it comes to smooth driving and braking, Quora users were right again. "Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline,” Exxon noted. “It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town."
And as for driving with the windows down or using the A/C, Exxon recommends rolling those windows up and turning on the air conditioning at speeds of 60mph or greater, which reduces aerodynamic drag.
Of course, intrepid summer motorists can always practice “hypermiling” – a discipline that champions extraordinary driving techniques in the name of returning gaudy gas mileage. Even if you go that route, there’s no need for guilt when blasting that A/C (at least on the highway).