Skeptics Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [road-vehicles]

Use this tag for question about cars, trucks and other road transport.

Road vehicle with four wheels and an engine intended to be a means of transport.

191 questions
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Is it necessary to change motor oil every 5,000km/3,000 miles?

I've always heard that you should change your oil every 3,000 miles (5,000 km). That little sticker you get on your windshield after an oil change agrees. Growing up, my parents told me the same thing. I doubt that you need to change your oil that…
dpatchery
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Is using the A/C in a car less fuel efficient than having the windows down?

This is an age old debate that i have with a coterie of friends; without backing up with much scientific fact. It's all recently been based on arguments of experience. Is it possible that utilizing the air conditioning in the car has a greater…
chrisjlee
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Will putting a car remote under your chin increase its range?

Image source: Miniseed blog I've heard this before and anecdotally have thought I've experienced it working, but I thought I'd ask here. Many years ago, someone told me that putting a car remote (unlock/lock/alarm/auto-start) under my chin would…
Hendy
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Is gearing down more energy efficient than braking?

When spotting a red light or similar, I often release the gas pedal, gear down and let the engine decelerate instead of pressing the brake pedal. I was taught that this was more energy efficient for some reason, but I never really understood why. Is…
Benjamin Lindqvist
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25
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Is using cruise-control dangerous in the rain?

A meme from Facebook with 62,000+ shares: Excellent Driving Tip: A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago. It was raining, though not excessively when her car suddenly began to hydro-planeand literally flew through the air. She was…
Oddthinking
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24
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Is premium fuel "better"?

Is there any evidence that premium and/or high-octane fuel (petrol/gas for cars): improves performance; and/or improves engine longevity; and/or improves mileage so that money is saved on fuel, even when taking into account the extra cost of…
Thomas O
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Does waxing your car have a long-term beneficial effect on the paint-work?

Everyone, especially people who love washing and waxing their cars, has been telling me about the long-term benefits of regular waxing. They tell me that the layer of wax acts as a protective shell and will prevent contamination (such as UV…
BaGi
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Did a man complain that his Pontiac wouldn't start whenever the ice cream he picked up was vanilla?

This story about a car that wouldn't start after its owner purchased vanilla ice cream has been used as an example of how customer service matters. (TL;DR The vanilla ice cream was faster to buy, so a vapour lock didn't clear). Is this anecdote…
Paul Johnson
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Does flooring the gas pedal reduce mileage?

Many websites that give tips on increasing mileage mention (typically in passing) that you should not accelerate hard. Examples include (from the first two google hits on "increase gas mileage") Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration…
Bahbar
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1 answer

Does a start-stop system for a combustion engine pay off?

A start-stop system stops the engine when the car comes to a halt, for example, in front of a traffic light or during a traffic jam. The engine automatically restarts when pressing the clutch or the accelerator. Obviously, this saves fuel and…
Heinzi
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17
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Does a windshield provide most of a car's integrity?

I've heard radio car commercials and other sources state that a vehicle's windshield provides most of a car's structural integrity. I believe that the company that owns the commercial is Mark's Mobile Glass, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm also not…
DForck42
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4 answers

Are there benefits to filling car tyres with Nitrogen?

A friend was informed by his mechanic that his tyres were filled with Nitrogren rather than compressed air. He was skeptical of the claims he heard: There are major benefits with nitrogen inflation over the traditional compressed air that can…
Oddthinking
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14
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Is it possible to detect a laptop inside of a car boot?

Recently someone at a party told me thieves could detect a laptop in the car boot, even when turned off. At first I thought this was ridiculous, but I found some google queries provided a theory, the thieves used an inductive amplifier to detect the…
Davy Landman
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Platinum fuel saver

I've heard on the radio advertisements for a product called the Platinum Fuel Saver, that they claim that if you use it, you will increase fuel efficiency by 25%. What kind of data is there to support this claim. Bonus points if you figure out the…
PearsonArtPhoto
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Do trains/boats/planes involved in accidents have a lower occupancy?

This Article from the daily mail makes some interesting (and rather ludicrous) claims, but one stuck out to me specifically. The article argues that higher cancellation rates/lower occupancy on transportation involved in accidents could be evidence…
Kwuz
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