Fuel Economy Driving
241
External Environment
Under unfavorable conditions, the external
environment can have a negative effect on
fuel consumption. This can be broken down
into two main groups: weather and wind,
and the nature of the roads. Rain, snow, icy
conditions and headwinds have a large neg-
ative impact on fuel economy, as do hilly
roads and uneven road surfaces.
Headwinds
Headwinds have a large negative impact on
fuel consumption. With tailwinds, fuel sav-
ing is only marginal.
Air Temperature
Low ambient temperature contributes to in-
creased fuel consumption.
Rain, Snow and Road Surface
A wet road surface increases rolling resis-
tance and, thereby, fuel consumption. Slush
will increase consumption even more. In
certain cases, the surface structure of the
road can also have a negative effect on fuel
consumption.
Gradients
A hilly road with many bends demands a
higher output from the engine. The differ-
ence between flat, straight roads and hilly,
winding roads can amount to as much as a
50 percent increase in fuel consumption.
When choosing your route, avoid hills,
rough roads and frequent stops. See table
with fuel consumption for the D12C 465
US00 with gross combined weight of
80,000 lb (40 t or 36.3 metric ton).
Maximum
Acceleration
Fuel
Consumption
0-45 mph
(70 Km/h)
0.45 quarts
(0.5 liters)
0-65 mph
(105 Km/h)
1.0 quarts
(1.1 liters)
