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Cold Temperatures Lower Your Fuel Economy |
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Written by Scott Siegel
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Thursday, 22 November 2007 14:45 |
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Winter can put a big strain on your car, on your driving, and on your fuel economy. To maintain good gas mileage you need to address specific issues that winter brings.
One of the two main characteristics of winter, cold temperatures, create conditions that lower your fuel economy. A car that is cold uses more fuel to start up than a warm car. The colder the car the more fuel it uses when it starts.
A car's engine is harder to start at low temperatures. The cold causes the oil in engine to thicken. The thicker oil necessitates more energy to get it flowing. Any time more energy is required more fuel is also required. Even after you have started the engine, it will use more fuel until it reaches operating temperature.
Other parts of the car are affected by the cold. The joints, transmission, bearings, brakes, and steering mechanisms all need more energy to move them in cold temperatures. This is partly because they too use fluids in their operation that thickens in the cold. Subsequently more energy is needed to operate them which also burns more gas.
Moisture from the air, from precipitation or from the road can freeze areas of the car. These frozen parts require more energy and more fuel to move them until they warm up.
Because the engine needs to overcome the effects of cold oil to lubricate itself properly it does need a short amount of time before driving to do that. It only needs up to 30 seconds of idling, not any more. That extra idle time does burn extra fuel.
Some things you can do to mitigate the affects of cold on gas mileage are: Park your car in a heated garage if available. Even a non heated garage may be warmer than leaving your car outside. It may be time to get rid of all the boxes in your garage and make room for your car.
Always make sure you have the proper oil for operating your car in the cold. The right oil will be thinner and will flow easier in cold temperatures. The proper oil will require less energy to start and flow and therefore will require less fuel.
In very cold climates the engine and oil can be kept warm using an engine block heater. The warm oil eliminates the problems of cold temperatures causing oil thickening. All you need to operate an engine block heater is an electrical outlet.
One of the biggest gas wasters in winter is spending too much time warming your car before you drive it. You only need 30 seconds of idling to lubricate the engine at a cold start. Excessive idling longer than 30 seconds will rob you of fuel economy faster than anything else. Your car can complete the warm up as you are driving.
Even though winter temperatures can reduce gas mileage, you can minimize or eliminate that reduction. Following a few simple rules can help you maintain good gas mileage even with the worst winter can throw at you.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
Scott Siegel has written a 143 page manual of industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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