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.

The cold temperatures of winter is the most significant factor in reducing your fuel economy. A cold vehicle uses more fuel during start up than a warm vehicle. The lower the temperature the greater the amount of gas burned.

In cold weather, the engine of your car is harder to start. The oil in your car is thicker when it is cold and thus requires more energy to get it flowing. All the parts that are lubricated by this thicker oil require more energy to move them. More energy means that it will take more fuel to move the parts. Your engine will use more fuel to run until it warms up.

The engine is not the only part of your car affected by cold temperatures. The joints, transmission, bearings, brakes, and steering mechanisms all need more energy to move them in cold temperatures. They all depend upon some fluids to operate. Similar to engine oil, the fluids will be thicker in cold temperatures and will need more energy to move them. That also translates into burning more gas.

Many parts of your car will be stiff and may be frozen. Moisture from the air, from precipitation or from the road can freeze areas of the car. It will require extra energy to move them also. Suspension systems and wheel bearings, are some of the areas affected. As you might suspect more energy is required to move frozen parts and of course that means more fuel burned and a decrease in gas mileage.

The engine needs to overcome the cold oil in order to lubricate itself sufficiently. To facilitate that, it does require a little more idle time after starting. Be warned, it only needs about 30 seconds of idling, no more. Even that small amount of extra idling does contribute to reducing your gas mileage.

There are a number of actions you can take to lessen or eliminate the affects of cold on fuel economy. If at all possible, park your car in a heated garage. If a heated garage is not an option even a non heated garage is better than leaving your car outside. It may be time to clean out your garage to 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 extreme cold climates an engine block heater will help keep the engine and oil warm thus avoiding a complete cold start. You will need a way to plug it in and keep it plugged in until you are ready to drive.

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. This could be the most important cold weather fuel saver of all.

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.

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider secrets on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to improve gas mileage.

Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com

Please Rate The Above Article From The Vans Category

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Vans Articles Via RSS!