I'm new to cars, so did older cars in the 50-70's get better gas mileage than newer ones do today?

Question

My mother said that her old car when she was a kid could go further on a tank of gas than newer ones do now. And auto manufacturers make cars use more gas on purpose...is this true?

Answer 1

I'm pretty sure the gas mileage was worse back then, not better. Maybe her car had a very large tank. Of course, a lot depends on what kind of car you have: a Hummer doesn't get good gas mileage, a Toyota Corolla does.

Answer 2

No. There were cars that got some pretty rockin mileage back in the 50s 60s and 70s, but they were rare. People weren't thinking that way. The range of a car is dependent on the miles per gallon and the size of the tank. 100 gallons of gas could take a car that gets ten miles per gallon a thousand miles. A car that gets 20 miles per gallon could go the same distance on 50 gallons. The only reliable figure to look at is miles per gallon alone. You won't find many cars between the 50s and the 70s that boasted high miles per gallon. Some foreign cars did pretty well, like early Hondas, Toyotas, oddball European cars, and the always-famous VW Beetle, but most people didn't want them because they were small, and frankly kinda dangerous. People wanted, and still do want, big, roomy, powerful and comfortable vehicles. Those kinds of cars are notorious for low miles per gallon. But if you had a big enough gas tank, sure you could go a long way. Maybe way farther than a Beetle. But it's gonna cost you a lot more, too. It all comes down to simple math. The fact is, huge gains in automotive computer technology since the 80s when computers were first used extensively in cars to control the engine have been one of the biggest single gains in getting higher efficiency out of modern cars. The government has also mandated that automakers improve efficiency. Not only did cars years ago get generally worse mileage compared to the same kind of cars today, they dumped a buttload of smog-producing emissions into the air.

Answer 3

It probably went farther because the tank was larger, not because it got better gas mileage. Also, people have to drive longer distances today and have more traffic to contend with - both of these things make people use more gas for everyday activities. Cars today are manufactured to stricter fuel standards and therefore get better gas mileage.

Gas was not necessarily cheaper back then - during the gas crises, gas cost about the same as today when you factor in the value of money today verses back then.

Answer 4

No, older cars used more gas per mile than current ones. This is due to the advent of modern fuel injection, which offers very little waste. The older cars also have much larger tanks in order to get them further down the road. My 76 Buick would have a 25 gallon tank and go about as far as my 91 Honda on a tank, which is about 12 gallons.

Answer 5

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No(wipes eyes), it is not true

Gas was 26 cents a gallon then, so it was thought of as cheap.

Cars manufactured in the '40's '50's and '60's were much, much, demonstrably much, worse on gas than today's models.

Your mother, fine woman that she is, is indulging in Nostalgia


Sorry, that was rude.

Fact is: carbeuretted cars wasted a lot of gas due to the fact that the gas had to be misted in a open chamber. Fuel-injected engines were (and are) more efficient at converting the potential motive power of petroleum than carbeuretted engines because of one salient fact: Reduced Waste of Fuel.

1: Gasoline cannot burn on it's own
2: Air must be added in order to have combustion
3: a carbuerator squirts fuel in to an air chamber, as a mist
4:the air/fuel mixture is then drawn in to the engine
5: with the help of a spark, combustuion occurs

with this scenario, a great deal of gasoline is vented in to the surrounding air

Fuel injection systems bypass the carbueretting method

With the use of an air intake, fuel is squirted directly in to the engine cylinders, thereby bypassing the "mist"

the result is, more volatile fuel is used to power the engine

therefore

cars today are more fuel-efficient

and that is the simple answer....dont get me started on computer controls, or we will be here all night

Answer 6

Nope, not true at all. My first car was a 1969 Ford Galaxy and it got 12 mpg. Gas cost a lot less then through, so you didn't think about it so much. A few bucks could fill up the tank.

Fuel economy was never really thought about till around 1973 when the first Arab oil embargo occurred. Before that, all people really cared about was how much power it had, not how much gas it used.

Answer 7

No because cars back in those days was bigger and gas was cheaper.

Answer 8

you didn't get better mileage the gas was a lot cheaper

Answer 9

absolutely not. the older cars were bigger and much heavier

Answer 10

Hell, no.

Absolutely not.