[scifinoir2] Re: Long Believed Myths about Gas Mileage Debunked

[B Smith]

Most newer cars warm up quickly but my old girl needs to run a little while 
before the heater really warms up.

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@...> wrote:
>
> I hear the brothers say that just a few weeks ago on their NPR show, and was 
> surprised to know that. For decades, people always equated warming up a car 
> with warming out the human body: the same way you have to warm up the body in 
> the morning before going for a run, you supposedly needed to do the same for 
> a car. 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Kelwyn" <ravena...@...> 
> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com 
> Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 8:54:46 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
> Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Long Believed Myths about Gas Mileage Debunked 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I live in Wisconsin and I learned the "no need to warm up car" dictum from 
> Click and Clack the Car Talk guys. Once it starts, the car will warm up the 
> same whether it is sitting still or moving. Of course, a warm vs. a cold car 
> makes a BIG difference to the driver! 
> 
> ~rave! 
> 
> --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@> wrote: 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I must admit, several of these were myths I still believed, especially the 
> > whole concept of warming up the car on a cold morning. 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ********************************************** 
> > 
> > http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_driving/62/six-gas-mileage-myths.html
> >  
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Six gas mileage myths 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Do Americans care about fuel economy as oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico 
> > and gasoline hovers around $3 a gallon? You bet they do, though they also 
> > have a fair number of misconceptions about how to squeeze a few more miles 
> > out of every drop. 
> > 
> > The Consumer Federation of America's (CFA) most recent survey says that if 
> > we had a 50-mile-per-gallon car fleet today, we'd save more oil than the 
> > entire proven reserves in the entire Gulf of Mexico. And people care about 
> > that. 
> > 
> > According to Jack Gillis, author of The Car Book and a CFA spokesman, 87 
> > percent of respondents said it is "important that the country reduce its 
> > consumption of oil," and 54 percent said it is "very important." 
> > 
> > An amazing 65 percent of Americans surveyed support a mandated transition 
> > to a 50-mpg fuel economy standard by 2025. That's a tough standard, some 15 
> > mpg better than the ambitious goal set by the Obama Administration (35 mpg 
> > by 2016). 
> > 
> > "The expectations of American consumers are reasonable and achievable," 
> > Gillis said in a conference call." CFA says that Asian carmakers, compared 
> > to the U.S. competition, are offering twice as many vehicles with 30 mpg or 
> > better. "It's shocking that so few of today's cars get more than 30 mpg 
> > ," he said. 
> > 
> > Mark Cooper, CFA's research director, noted that in five years of the 
> > group's polling, the public's views have stayed remarkably consistent: 
> > Americans want less dependence on Middle Eastern oil and higher 
> > fuel-economy standards. 
> > 
> > People care about fuel economy, but they're misinformed about how to 
> > actually achieve it. The federal government's fueleconomy.gov site (very 
> > useful to check cars' mpg) just published the "Top 10 Misconceptions About 
> > Fuel Economy." 
> > 
> > Here are a few big myths: 
> > 
> > • 
> > 
> > It takes more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle. People 
> > are really confused about this one and will leave a car idling for half an 
> > hour rather than turn it off and restart. Some kids I know started an 
> > anti-idling campaign in the suburbs and are shaming parents into shutting 
> > down their cars. Idling uses a quarter- to a half-gallon of fuel in an hour 
> > (costing you one to two cents a minute). Unless you're stalled in traffic, 
> > turn off the car when stopped for more a few minutes. 
> > • 
> > 
> > Vehicles need to be warmed up before they're driven. Pshaw. That is a 
> > long-outdated notion. Today's cars are fine being driven off seconds after 
> > they're started . 
> > • 
> > 
> > As a vehicle ages, its fuel economy decreases significantly. Not true. As 
> > long as it's maintained, a 10- or 15-year-old car should have like-new 
> > mileage. The key thing is maintenance -- an out-of-tune car will definitely 
> > start to decline mileage-wise. 
> > • 
> > 
> > Replacing your air filter helps your car run efficiently. Another outdated 
> > claim, going back to the pre-1976 carburetor days. Modern fuel-injection 
> > engines don't get economy benefits from a clean air filter. 
> > • 
> > 
> > After-market additives and devices can dramatically improve your fuel 
> > economy. As readers of my story on The Blade recall, there's not much 
> > evidence that these "miracle products" do much more than drain your wallet. 
> > Both the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Reports have weighed in on 
> > this. There are no top-secret 100-mpg add-ons out there. 
> > • 
> > 
> > Using premium fuel improves fuel economy. You might as well write a check 
> > to BP if you believe this. Only use premium if your car specifies it. 
> >
>