cars with best gas mileage 2009
Winter doesn’t just bring snow and cold weather, it also brings its own challenges and obstacles that make it harder to improve gas mileage. Outlined here are two things you need to do in winter to promote good fuel economy.
The most basic and possibly the most important step you can take is to ensure the oil in your car is the proper grade for cold weather. As temperatures fall it thickens your oil. If oil gets too thick it will not lubricate your engine the way it was designed to. A car engine that isn’t properly lubricated will loose fuel efficiency as it has to burn more gas to move its parts. If that isn’t enough, oil that is too thick to properly lubricate your car’s engine, can damage your engine so much you may have to have the engine replaced.
To find the correct grade for your car, check your owners manual or ask your car dealer. Winter temperatures require an oil that is considerably thinner than the oil used during warmer times. Your car, like many cars, could use multi grade oil. Multi grade oil is an oil that changes its thickness or viscosity at different temperatures. The multi grade oil might already be the proper oil for winter. Again it is recommended you check with an expert to determine the proper grade.
Winter weather brings a second common obstacle to improving gas mileage, a change in tire pressure. In the winter the air pressure in your tires drops. It is one of those things you studied in chemistry class but may have forgotten. One of laws of gasses is gas compresses as temperature drops. When the air in your tires compresses, the air pressure in your tires is reduced. If your tires were inflated to the proper pressure at 75 degrees, those tires will be 5 to 10 pounds too low at 25 degrees and will be 7 to 14 pounds too low at five degrees.
Tire pressure that is too low is one of the most common gas robbing conditions. It is estimated that more than 25 per cent of all drivers are riding on at least one tire with low pressure. Your fuel economy will be decreased by 4 percent if your tires are 5 to 10 pounds under inflated.
For every 10-degree drop in air temperature, your tires will experience a one to two pound reduction in tire pressure. If you inflated your tires to the proper pressure in November temperatures, they’ll be too low in February temperatures.
To maintain proper tire pressure and avoid losing fuel economy, you need to check your tire pressure at least once every month at a minimum. You should also make sure they are properly inflated when there is an extreme change in temperature. Winter conditions bring unique fuel robbing conditions. You can stop the detrimental affect of winter on your fuel economy cold! Knowing about these conditions and knowing how to avoid them will keep your fuel economy at its peak.
Find out how you can get $500 cash back for buying gas. Go to http://www.beatthegaspump.com. A better alternative to cash back rewards credit cards: http://www.beatthegaspump.com.
2008 Fuel Economy Comparison: Prius v Jetta v Focus v Smart
Tags: 
Loading ...