Busted: 7 Things That Won’t Improve Your Gas Mileage Page 2

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Contributing Writer BIO

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on... More

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Warming up the engine before driving is good

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember the days when you had to go outside and start your car before driving it to get the engine up to temperature before you asked too much of it. 

That was in the days before advanced synthetic oils, fuel injection and electronically-controlled engines, where cold-engine wear was a major issue of premature engine failure. 

Nowadays, it isn’t needed, thanks to clever systems designed to get cars up to operating temperature as quickly as possible after you start it, and oils that cling to the cylinder to protect it even when the engine is cold. 

Dirty air filters kills gas mileage

Much like warming up your car, dirty air filters did used to impact gas mileage, especially in older, dirtier carbureted engines. 

Nowadays however, air flow sensors and computer software carefully manages the air/fuel mix in your car’s engine, ensuring maximum fuel economy is possible regardless of the quality of air. 

Where it will make a difference however, is performance. If the air filter is dirty, less air can get into the engine under hard acceleration, meaning your car speeds up more slowly. 

Filling up in cold temperatures gets you more gas

Gas Pump With Boot

The theory here is sound: the colder gasoline is, the denser it is, meaning you should be able to get more gas into your gas tank when the gas and the outside temperature are cold. 

Not so, says Consumer Reports. Because gas station tanks are stored underground, the difference you’ll see in the amount of gas you can pump on a hot versus cold day is negligible. 

Myths busted, but you’re the number one factor

As Consumer Reports successfully proves, gas mileage isn’t affected that much by many of the tips and tricks you’ll find floating around the Internet today. 

Sadly, as with many things, the gas mileage you get out of your car depends on you more than anything else. 

Our advice? Try to keep calm when driving, look ahead, and make sure you’re in top form before you step behind the wheel. 

A calm, alert driver is always better than a late, agitated one when it comes to gas mileage. 

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