{"id":23539,"date":"2010-05-13T10:52:10","date_gmt":"2010-05-13T15:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=23539"},"modified":"2010-05-13T11:13:01","modified_gmt":"2010-05-13T16:13:01","slug":"top-10-misconceptions-about-fuel-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2010\/05\/top-10-misconceptions-about-fuel-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Misconceptions About Fuel Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Upgrade to premium and get better mileage? Nope? You're just throwing your money away, says the EPA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Downsize to a small car, change your air filter every few months, let your cold car warm up before driving off, use premium fuel and aftermarket additives.<\/p>\n

These are just some of ways not<\/em> to improve your fuel economy. Conventional wisdom is often wrong, says the Environmental Protection Agency, which is tasked with tracking and regulating vehicle mileage under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE standards.<\/p>\n

Even some of the most knowledgeable enthusiasts and experts may get it wrong when it comes to taking the right steps to improve mileage.\u00a0 In some cases, that\u2019s because of changing technology, the EPA reports on fueleconomy.gov.<\/p>\n

In the era of the carburetor, a dirty air filter had a direct and immediate impact on mileage, but \u201cModern computer-controlled, fuel-injected engines regulate the air-fuel mixture so well that a dirty air filter does not decrease fuel economy\u2014although it can still affect performance,\u201d the EPA notes.<\/p>\n

You may also get a surprise when you check the mileage numbers for manual transmissions.\u00a0 Traditionally, sticks did better than automatics, but the latest automatics are lighter and more efficient, with lock-up torque converters that reduce losses, especially at highway speeds.\u00a0 The 2011 Ford Mustang V6 is a notable exampe, rated at 31 mpg Highway with the automatic gearbox, 29 mpg with the manual.<\/p>\n

Even downsizing is no guarantee of better.\u00a0 Mustang\u2019s numbers are actually better than a number of smaller cars, and with hybrid or diesel powertrains, some midsize models are outperforming subcompacts.<\/p>\n

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Free Subscription!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are the Top 10 Misconceptions About Fuel Economy, according to the EPA:<\/p>\n

1. You have to drive a small car to get good fuel economy.<\/p>\n

2. Manual transmissions always get better fuel economy than automatics.<\/p>\n

3. It takes more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle.<\/p>\n

4. Vehicles need to warm up before they can be driven.<\/p>\n

5. As a vehicle ages, its fuel economy decreases significantly.<\/p>\n

6. Replacing your air filter will help your car run more efficiently.<\/p>\n

7. Aftermarket additives and devices can dramatically improve your fuel economy.<\/p>\n

8. Using premium fuel improves your fuel economy.<\/p>\n

9. The EPA fuel economy estimates are a government guarantee on what fuel economy each vehicle will deliver.<\/p>\n

10. All vehicles are tested for fuel economy.<\/p>\n

Among the other misconceptions, the government agency notes that idling a cold car only wastes fuel.\u00a0 And while there\u2019s some debate about how long is too long to let your car idle, most studies show that if you\u2019re sitting for more than 15 to 30 seconds you\u2019re better off shutting your car down, then restarting it when it\u2019s time to move.<\/p>\n

Indeed, industry officials expect to see so-called Start\/Stop technology become near-ubiquitous by the end of this decade.\u00a0 Such systems shut a motor down at idle, say when waiting for a stoplight.\u00a0 The car instantly restarts the moment the driver\u2019s foot lifts off the brake.\u00a0 Start\/Stop systems are the norm on hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, but even the new Porsche Panamera has added the technology to its drivetrain.<\/p>\n

For the same reason you no longer need to change your air filter all the time, your car should not see its mileage decrease as it gets older.\u00a0 Electronic control systems compensate for the vagaries of aging, though proper maintenance is necessary, especially if you get a warning light indicating a possible problem with one of the engine control systems.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s cars are designed to runon a specific grade of gasoline.\u00a0 You may think you\u2019re being nice to your \u201cbaby,\u201d or that using higher octane will somehow improve mileage and performance.\u00a0 It won\u2019t.\u00a0 In fact, many vehicles rated to run on premium can operate on mid-grade or even regular, though that can impact performance.\u00a0 Check your owner\u2019s manual to see what the manufacturer recommends.\u00a0 If it says, \u201cregular no-lead,\u201d you\u2019re only throwing money into the oil company\u2019s bank account by pumping premium.<\/p>\n

And as for those additives and high-mileage devices, the simple tip is: forget \u2018em.\u00a0 Sure, we\u2019ve all heard about the 100 mpg carburetor and the additive that let\u2019s your car run on water.\u00a0 Lump those stories in with the Loch Ness Monster and the Jersey Devil.\u00a0 In this highly-competitive industry you can be absolutely assured that manufacturers aren\u2019t hiding high-mileage technology.\u00a0 A carmaker that had the 100 mpg carb or fuel injector would bring it out in a heartbeat and dominate the market.<\/p>\n

As for those fuel additives, they simply don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

Finally, when it comes to EPA fuel economy estimates, the numbers posted on the Monroney sticker \u2013 which you\u2019ll find on the side window of every new car \u2013 are just an estimate based on putting the vehicle through a rigorous certification process.\u00a0 Change the test standard even slightly and you\u2019d get a different number.\u00a0 That\u2019s all the more true in the real world, meaning all sorts of things will impact your fuel economy, including your driving habits, traffic, even the altitude you live at.<\/p>\n

\u201cMileage,\u201d goes the old ad tagline, \u201cmay vary.\u201d\u00a0 And it usually will.<\/p>\n

(You’ll find more from the EPA about mileage myths.\u00a0 Just <\/strong><\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Downsize to a small car, change your air filter every few months, let your cold car warm up before driving off, use premium fuel and aftermarket additives. These may seem like common-sense guidelines for improving fuel economy. But they aren’t. TheDetroitBureau.com reveals the 10 biggest misconceptions about getting better mileage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23539"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23539"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=23539"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=23539"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=23539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}