My husband is obsessed with gas mileage. Whenever we fill up the tank, he resets the trip odometer to zero so he can check how many miles he got for his full tank of gas the next time he refills. He coasts down hills, he rolls to a stop rather than inching forward, and he practically salivated during Mythbuster's dirty vs. clean car gas mileage episode.
But amongst all the long-proven facts are the little myths he likes to research and test out in his quest to reduce his gasoline usage and save the environment. Yahoo debunked six of these myths today basing their research on the Fueleconomy.gov list, which was convenient for those not in the know, but these ideas have already been debunked by BlogHers across the network.
By now, everyone should know that it doesn't take "more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle" because Almost Frugal told us last year that
If the wait is going to be longer than 30 seconds, not having your car idle will save more gas than turning it off and back on again.
In other words, any time you pull up in line to wait for someone, turn off your car.
We know that vehicles don't need "to be warmed up before they're driven" because BeGreenMinded.com spoke about this in a post about whether or not to warm up your engine.
"Today’s cars generally do not need time to idle before driving when the weather is cold because they have computers and fuel injected systems which carefully monitor the amount of fuel needed. Small tweaks are made by the system to accommodate for the temperature."
It wastes a lot of gas to leave it idling while you sit in your warm house, waiting for the car to get to a comfortable temperature. Instead, throw on your coat and go.
BlogHers also have debunked other myths not on Yahoo's list. The Non-Consumer Advocate points out that people should drive slower--not faster--to use gasoline more efficiently and stretch out a gallon. This means,
Accelerating slowly from green lights and decelerating slowly when approaching red lights. The smoother a car’s overall motion, the more gas money we save. The more herky-jerky the motion, with faster starts and stops, the more gas money we are throwing away.
Sense to Save recommends doing what my husband does--resetting the trip odometer whenever you fill the car in order to see if your car is getting the right gas mileage. She admits, "If my gas mileage is a bit lower than normal, it’s a cue for me to check my tire pressure, watch my driving habits (how fast I accelerate and brake), and clean out my trunk and back seat to remove extra weight."
What ways are you reducing your gas usage and which debunked myths did you already know?
Melissa writes Stirrup Queens and Lost and Found. Her book is Navigating the Land of If.