Can You Save More Fuel by Having Large Wheels?

Can you save more fuel by having large wheels?

No. Generally, oversize wheels reduce fuel economy because of increased rolling resistance

— — — — — —

Does more passengers in a car or the heavier the weight of a car requires more fuel to drive the car?

more weight means more fuel consumption because of the increased load to the engine

— — — — — —

When is Cuddling Cheating?

I've always had a fairly open-minded view of being friends with exes.So when my boyfriend of four years invited his ex-girlfriend over for wine after her recent break-up, I did not see an issue with it.It was a work night. After a couple of glasses, I looked at the time and realized it was past 11 p. m. and I should probably get to bed. To give her a hint that it was time to leave, I put on my pajamas and went into the living room to say goodnight.My subtleties did not work, because from the master bedroom, I could still hear the murmur of chatter in the living room. I lay in bed agitated, tossing and turning for what felt like hours, but I must have finally dozed off to sleep. In my sleep, I felt around in the dark for another body, but the bed was empty. I woke up in a panic. At 3 a.m. I decided to get up and see where my boyfriend was. Sometimes, he would fall asleep in the guest bedroom. And sure enough, the door was wide open, and lying on the bed, there he was.And there she was.He was spooning her; she had tissues in her hand, they were both fully clothed above the covers. I burst into tears and told her she was not allowed in our home ever again. She got up and left. I was shattered; I could not believe how he could do this to me. I lay in bed crying until morning. I went to work puffy-eyed, sad, angry, confused — unsure of what to feel.I yelled at her, but really I felt betrayed by him. But what was I really angry about?That he was comforting someone? He did not even react when I saw them, and later used that as a reason why he did not think he was doing anything inappropriate.That he was touching another woman? We hug all the time in everyday life, how was this different? Was it different because they were lying down?That he was choosing to be in bed with another woman when his girlfriend was in the other room? In an attempt to comfort a friend, he put her above me in the relationship.It was not entirely black and white, but the pain was real. Fast forward to 3 years later —I am out drinking with coworkers. I start making jokes about cuddle puddles. I had never partaken in one, but I found the concept amusing. The phrase apparently had not caught on in New York because the group consensus was I was making it up.After one too many drinks, I decided it was time to go home. It was nearly 2 a.m. and I had work the next day. Standing on the corner in the rain was one of my coworkers I would never spoken to one-on-one. He looked over at me and said three seemingly innocuous words: Want to cuddle?I laughed. He did not . He was dead serious.Are not you married, I asked? It's just cuddling, he responded.At that moment, my Uber pulls up. I jump in. He asks if he can join. I was fresh out of a 6.5 year relationship and the thought of just cuddling sounded nice. And for some reason, I believed him. I nodded and scooted over. Once in my bed, he spoons me, with his arm wrapped tightly around me. He kisses my neck. I say no. He apologizes and moves his hand into mine. It continues like this for hours. He turns over, and I spoon him. I flip back over, and eventually, we fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms. The next morning, as he's leaving he holds me close and we lock eyes. The sexual tension is boiling. Then we hear a beep on his phone; his Uber has arrived.Afterward, I feel guilty and try to rationalize it — that he is in an open relationship and that somehow their relationship would improve…It was not entirely black and white. When you are the involved one, you reach for the best-case scenario, the one that presumes your innocence. When you are the observer, you assume the worst, the one that presumes their guilt. But what is the truth?Was it cheating?As a reader, you probably have a visceral reaction to whether or not it was. And I guarantee you, someone reading this thinks the opposite.Cheating, by definition, is about as hard to define as love — it differs widely between who you ask. It requires two individuals to have the conversation for themselves, who up until now, have likely only relied on some vague definition. To date, every relationship I've had, we've only explicitly agreed that kissing and sexual acts are cheating. It never really was. We've just done a really nice job burying the conversation until we can not ignore it. Why? Because it's complicated. The cause of cheating and the feelings of betrayal are usually a symptom of something connected to a relationship dynamic, entangled like the root system underneath the forest floor. But we need to work to untangle it. To understand why someone would look outside the relationship to have a need or desire filled.While there is not perfect data on current infidelity rates, the American Associate for Marriage and Family therapy reports that 15% of women and 25% of men have had intercourse outside of their long-term relationship. When we broaden the definition to include the grey area — acts outside of explicit sex — I assume it's significantly higher.A phrase like "once a cheater always a cheater" is a cliche and does not hold weight in the world we live in today. It's too simplistic, a too obvious escape from reality. By cheating remaining taboo, it gives it more fuel. A self-perpetuating cycle, where the silence lends itself to irreversible damage. Researcher Brene Brown captures the impact so well. "Shame needs three things to grow exponentially in our lives: secrecy, silence, and judgment." — Dr. Brene BrownThe alternative to shame is talking about our feelings around it, confronting our past and future desires, and reaching some mutual understanding.As the party "being cheated on" — I wish I had more conversations like this before the cuddle incident and the later incidents of betrayal that eventually tore us apart. It's not about self-blame, it's about facing the reality of the relationship.As the "involved party" — I do not believe you need to carry the weight of whether or not it was cheating. You can decide whether or not it aligns with your moral judgment, but your involvement in the act of cheating is not for you to decide. Eliminating the stigma does not have to make cheating acceptable. It just means we need to start having the dialogue.So call it cheating, call it boundaries, call it expectations — regardless of what you want to call it, have the conversation on how you feel about these things. You may discover you have differing views on it but by experimenting with these concepts in a safe environment, we can avoid the painful consequences of spur of the moment experiments out in the wild. Because without that level of vulnerability, timing may just decide for you