Does Anybody Think Its Weird That Back In The 1920s Cars Got Better Mileage Than They Do Now?

Question

Does Anybody Think Its Weird That Back In The 1920s Cars Got Better Mileage Than They Do Now

Answer 1

I'm not sure why but i had an old flat head it got great gas mileage and the car was built like a tank

Answer 2

No, I don't think its wierd at all.

In the 1920s cars didn't have the horsepower or the extras that cars have today...like a/c for one. I think that is one of the reasons for better gas mileage back then. Also, people didn't travel as much nor did they pay as much per gallon, so it appears they didn't use/spend as much gasoline/money.

Answer 3

Actually if you compare cars of the same weight, the 1920s cars got worse gas mileage.

For example one of my colleagues has a fully restored Model A Ford.  It gets approximately 19 miles per gallon of gas around town. He avoids driving it on the freeway because it does not have the power to keep up with the traffic and freeway driving is very hard on it, so he does not have any data on the gas mileage on the freeway for this car.

If you compare a modern car of the same weight, the modern car gets much better than 19 miles per gallon of gas in city driving.

Another one of my colleagues has a fully restored 1926 Cadillac. That car only gets 12 miles per gallon of gas.

Modern cars of comparable weight get much better gas mileage.

Answer 4

Yeah but were a lot smaller back then not as much weight to carry around.

Answer 5

The Sierra Club runs a newspaper ad sometimes that compares the Model T to a modern Ford Explorer.  While these are not comparable vehicles based on size, weight, or performance, they point they are trying to make is that after nearly 100 years of improvements, cars should get far better gas mileage than they do.  My Dodge Durango only gets 13 mpg.  I'll bet the huge Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Packards from back then didn't get much worse.  The point is that technology could be used to improve the mileage and reduce weight on modern cars instead of using outdated powertrains and equipping them with more electronic gadgets.

Answer 6

I get 25 mpg in a car with 185 hp and it has a max speed of over 120mph. The T model does not come close.

The Model T had a front-mounted, 177 in³ (2.9 L) four-cylinder en bloc motor (that is, all four in one block, as common now, rather than in individual castings, as common then) producing 20 hp (15 kW) for a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h). The engine had side valves and three main bearings. According to Ford, the Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13 to 21 mpg. The engine was capable of running on gasoline or ethanol, though the decreasing cost of gasoline and the later introduction of prohibition made ethanol an impractical fuel.

Answer 7

Yes I do think that's weird. You would think that with the technolgoy that is available to us now days, that we would be having cars that get better gas mileage then they once did. Yeah, they're coming out with Hybrids and stuff..but why are they not that popular on the market?

Answer 8

I think the reason is that the cars went slower then we go now.  The faster you go the more gas you use.  

The reason 55mph was chosen in the 70's was because some math geeks got together and crunched numbers.  They found that 55 was the optimal speed for gas efficiency.    Above 55 you lose mpg and below that you lose mpg.

Answer 9

I really don't think that in reality they got better mileage. I know the cars traveled less so therefore used less fuel. They didn't really test such things as gas mileage back then either because there was no need as gasoline was still in abundance.

Answer 10

I don't think they did.They also used a totally different formula of gas.it was higher octane and was loaded with  lead.The cars were also lighter,being free of power steering,a/c,radios,airbags etc.

Answer 11

can we really call it a conspiracy?

well, car companies don't really care what kind of cars they produce, whether those cars will produce tons of pullutions or not, they only care how to use least amount of money to make the largest amount of profit

so they don't care to produce cars that have better mileage or not. oil companies are also happy if cars consume lots of gasoline, so they can make more money

that is the downside of capitalism, because companies only care about money, rather than humanity

Answer 12

Nothing weird about that because the cars were lighter & typically traveled less than 45 MPH.  They were also very ineffecient in those days.  You could drastiically increase fuel economy by restricting the speed of today's automobile.

Answer 13

This is a great peice of information that many americans fail to mention as car companies cry that they must meet 28 or so miles per gallon for their cars when back in the 18 and 1900s there were electric and steam cars and a variety of new and developing technology emerging, its odd to think that was over 100 year ago. i absolutely believe cars can get extremely better mileage but car makers do not want to incur costs to retool their plants and change the way they do business, inevitably they must do so. we will see a rise in electric and alternative fuel vehicles and see large increases in cafe standards and pollution controls in america. that will really cause us to catch up.

Answer 14

No i think its a mass conspiracy to have us spend more money on gas

Answer 15

Wow, that is weird.  I thought that technology nowdays was better.  I guess I was wrong.  We must be moving backwards instead of forwards.

Answer 16

Back in 1920 they didn't go as fast as cars do now. The faster you go the more gas you will burn. You also have to take weight into concideration.

Answer 17

not weird at all..

The Model T had the power and weight of a modern golf cart.

Answer 18

not really.

times were different then. they did things differently.

if they made cars the same way, it wouldnt pass smog and the EPA would probably throw a fit.

you cant compromise your health and the environment just to save a buck on your MPG