Experiment conducted by--Sir Keith Byam

Sir Dylan Maida

For economic, environmental and educational purposes ;)

We researched what makes the sale of a car a good or bad deal.

This project is connected to chemistry because it relates to organic chemistry and saving fuel, This research project is important because it can help middle class people choose a car that suits their pockets and that will get the jobs done. Also it can get the people invest money into companies that are bankrupt. Sorry GM (General Motors)

Remember. The three E’s Economic, environmental = educational.

The cars used in the study were selected because in order for the results to be accurate, all variables that can lower/rise the mpg of a car had to be accounted for. Mid size Sedans were the chosen cars for this because there were more cars to choose from and different companies to choose from. (For models of cars check the Data Table.)

The type of driveline chosen for this project was 2 wheel drive. 2 wheel drive because in New York 2WD is more common and is more affordable for middle class people. The amount of horsepower can affect the cars mpg greatly because more power is being use and more money people will have to pay. The year select for the make of the cars was 2009. 2009 was selected because it is the current model. The engine of course can make a big impact on the cars MPG. The engine chosen in this project was 4 cylinder engines in automatic settings.

To obtain the data (weight of the cars, MPG) call and research the manufactures of the car for this information. Yahoo! Autos was particularly useful in finding curb weights.

For your organization, create a table with these column headings: Model of Car, Curb Weight (lbs), and MPG (city and highway). In our results we concluded that the weight of a car doesn’t affect its mpg. (A trend found

in our results is that 28 is a common highway mpg estimate) The data could be applied to young consumers/ potential drivers. Our research is

significant because if people are more conscious and aware of these aspects of owning a car, they could make a more informed decision and save money. This relates to environment and economic issues in today’s society.

Model of Car Curb Weight (lbs) City Highway

2009 Ford Fusion V6 SE 3,280 22 31

2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 3,292 19 29

2009 Kia Optima EX V6 3,294 20 28

2009 Mercury Milan V6 3,324 18 27

2009 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE 3,358 19 27

2009 Pontiac G6 GT Sedan 3,457 22 30

2009 Toyota Camry LE V6 6-Spd AT 3,461 22 33

2009 Toyota Avalon XL 3,490 19 28

2009 Buick LaCrosse CX 3,495 17 28

2009 Mazda MAZDA6 s Sports Sedan Sport 3,547 17 25

2009 Nissan Maxima S 3,557 19 26

2009 Honda Accord Sedan EX V-6 5-Spd AT 3,567 19 29

2009 Saturn AURA XR V6 Sedan 3,613 22 33

2009 Mitsubishi Galant Sport V6 3,642 16 25

2009 Ford Taurus SE FWD 3,639 18 28

2009 Chevrolet Impala LTZ 3,649 17 28

2009 Dodge Charger SE 3,739 18 26

2009 Mercury Sable Base 3,741 18 28

2009 Toyota Venza 4X2 V6 3,870 21 29

2009 Pontiac G8 Sedan 3,885 17 25

ORGANIZED TABLE.

BEAUTIFUL AND CLEAR GRAPHKEEP TAKING NOTES

Common trends and patternsThe most common city mpg is 17.

Both the 2009 Pontiac G8 Sedan (3,885 lbs) and the 2009 Buick LaCrosse CX (3,495 lbs) have the same city mpg. (Yet they’re almost 400pounds apart)

The 2009 Saturn AURA XR V6 Sedan (3,613 lbs) has the most efficient mpgbut is much heavier compared to the 2009 Ford Fusion V6 SE (3,280 lbs).

Both the 2009 Saturn AURA XR V6 Sedan(3,613 lbs) and the 2009 Toyota Camry LE V6 6-Spd AT (3,461) have the same mpg. (22 city/33 highway).

Most of the GM cars used in this project were very, very heavy.

After looking through many websites and going over data we could conclude that the weight of a car does affect the miles per gallon. There are some cars which did weight more then some other cars but had a higher mpg.

Example: The 2009 Toyota Venza 4X2 V6 which weighs 3,870 has a mpg of 21/29 whereas the 2009 Mercury Milan V6 which weighs 3,324 only has a mpg of 18/27.

If done again trying different models of cars would be a great project and very informative. We chose all 2009 cars, next year it would be great to use all 2010 to keep it current.