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Your Fuel Economy Suffers in Cold Temperatures

Winter conditions put a tremendous strain on your car and on your driving. Winter also puts a strain on your fuel economy. In order to prevent a decrease in your fuel economy you need to be aware of some specific issues with regard to your car and your driving in the winter.

One of the two main characteristics of winter, cold temperatures, create conditions that lower your fuel economy. A car that is cold uses more fuel to start up than a warm car. The colder the car the more fuel it uses when it starts.

A car's engine is harder to start at low temperatures. The cold causes the oil in engine to thicken. The thicker oil necessitates more energy to get it flowing. Any time more energy is required more fuel is also required. Even after you have started the engine, it will use more fuel until it reaches operating temperature.

Other parts of the car are affected by the cold. The joints, transmission, bearings, brakes, and steering mechanisms all need more energy to move them in cold temperatures. This is partly because they too use fluids in their operation that thickens in the cold. Subsequently more energy is needed to operate them which also burns more gas.

Moisture from the air, from precipitation or from the road can freeze areas of the car. These frozen parts require more energy and more fuel to move them until they warm up.

Because the engine needs to overcome the effects of cold oil to lubricate itself properly it does need a short amount of time before driving to do that. It only needs up to 30 seconds of idling, not any more. That extra idle time does burn extra fuel.

You can lessen or eliminate the effects of cold on fuel economy if you take certain actions. If you have access to a heated area to park your car, do it. If a heated area is not an option even a non heated garage is an improvement to leaving your car outside in the cold. If you can clean out your garage to make room for your car now would be the time.

Make sure you are using an oil that is recommended for your car in cold temperatures. The proper oil will flow better in cold weather thus reducing the amount of energy needed to start and run a cold engine.

In extreme cold areas an engine block heater can be used. These heaters keep the engine and the oil warm eliminating the problem of cold oil. You have to plug engine heater into an electrical outlet and it needs to be plugged in any time the car will be sitting for a long time, like overnight.

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.

Although winter and the cold temperatures that it brings can greatly reduce fuel economy you can minimize it's affect. If you follow the simple steps outlined you can keep your gas mileage up at the level it should be.

Article Source: http://www.inpop.net

Scott Siegel has written a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider information on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.

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