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.

190 questions
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Does putting a reflective screen inside your car against the windshield have a meaningful impact on internal temperature?

In southern climes one can see many such reflective screens on cars in parking lots. Not all drivers use them, but many do. Is there a meaningful impact on the internal temperature of your car? Does the length of time the car is parked in sunlight…
Drew
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Does the Lexus LFA need digital gauges because analogue ones are too slow?

I first heard this claim a few years ago on the Top Gear program from the BBC. Since then I keep hearing it whenever I hear the Lexus LFA discussed. From this February 2012 article: This necessitated the need for a digital rev counter, since an …
Mark Henderson
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Does the time of day affect fuel economy?

One tip that I heard as a young driver was something along the following: Try to refuel in the early morning or in the evening as the denser gas will get you better fuel economy. Since then I have seen the same advice or question appear online…
rjzii
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Does a car tire require 26 Liters / 7 US Gallons of crude oil to manufacture?

I've recently seen the movie Collapse. They make many claims about oil and an hypothetical global collapse when it runs low. In this movie, Michael Ruppert says that a simple car tire needs 7 US gallons (~ 26 liters) of oil. He then quickly…
Coren
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Are BMW Owners the worst drivers?

BMW drivers are widely thought to be poor drivers. For example, in a poll for Auto Trader: Around 21,000 motorists were quizzed, and 45 per cent said BMW drivers were the worst on the road. Is this perception accurate? Are BMW owners more likely…
Tom77
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Eggs + Water = Total windscreen blindness!

I was just sent this hoax email, but wanted to check one of the claims in it: IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSCREEN, DO NOT STOP TO CHECK THE CAR, DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPER AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY WATER BECAUSE EGGS…
going
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Does the type of oil you use in your car make a difference?

I have a car that has over 140k on it. Are there any valid reasons to use high milage oil instead of conventional oil? Or is it just a marketing gimmick? Similarly what's the difference between standard oil and synthetic oil?
Joshua Olson
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Can using heated car seats reduce fertility?

A family member warned me not to use heated car seats, since they cause infertility and cancer in both men and women. I searched the internet for a source for his claims and I found this Telegraph article from 2008 claiming might reduce fertility…
Belle
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Does E15 fuel damage cars newer than 2001?

Blogger David Woodsmall warns that E15 fuel (that is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline) might be bad for some cars that are not certified to accept it: One of the chief complaints by E15 opponents is that ethanol (an alcohol) is corrosive to…
Zombo
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Are Silvester (New Year's Eve) fireworks as pollutive as cars in one year?

In my local newspaper, the Salzburger Nachrichten, there was the following article to be found on 31st of December, 2016: Guten Rutsch - krach, bumm! Hell wird es wieder sein am Nachthimmel und schön krachen wird es natürlich auch. Der Katzenjammer…
rexkogitans
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Do strobes on top of school buses improve safety?

Background In many states of the USA, school buses are fitted with a "roof-mounted strobe". In some states, they are required by law: Mike Simmons, state director in Arkansas, says that the state's School Bus Safety Act of 1995 mandated that all…
user29285
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Was a self-driving car pulled over by police for the first time last month (November 2015)?

I read in this Bloomberg article Google cars have been in 17 minor crashes in 2 million miles (3.2 million kilometers) of testing. [...] Ten days later, a Mountain View motorcycle cop noticed traffic stacking up behind a Google car going 24 miles…
Franck Dernoncourt
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"We have the right tires for your driving style."

I saw an ad for a tire company today stating that they have the right tires for your driving style. When I buy tires I look for silent tires with long lifespan, good grip and most importantly a decent price. I've never even considered my driving…
Erik B
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Is using a phone while driving more dangerous than driving while drunk?

There have been numerous studies that show how using a phone while driving is more distracting than other non-driving tasks and even worse than driving while intoxicated. Here was a study done in the US: When controlling for driving difficulty and…
Gabe
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Does cryogenic treatment of automobile rotors increase performance?

In the performance brakes world, there is a small amount of debate about the benefits of cryogenically treating rotors, with most people believing that cryo treating rotors greatly improves their durability. An example from Frozen Rotors (one of…
Chuu
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