As technologies evolve, it can be hard to keep up with fact versus fiction when it comes to getting the best possible fuel economy. Octane ratings. Warming up the engine. A/C usage. Manual versus automatic. Hybrid mileage. There is plenty of misleading information and outdated advice that can lead to using more gas instead of less.
Myth #1: Premium Gas Automatically Improves Fuel Economy
While some drivers might assume that premium gasoline will boost their car’s performance, most vehicles are designed to run on regular unleaded gasoline (that with an octane rating of 87). Some vehicles like those with turbo engines or that tow heavy loads, are designed for midgrade or premium gasoline (88-94 octane).
How do you know which you need? Check out your car’s user manual! If your car is designed for midgrade or premium gasoline you should definitely use it. But for cars designed for regular unleaded, according to the US Department of Energy “the cost [of using premium gasoline] is typically higher than the fuel savings” from doing so.
Myth #2: Leave Your Car Running to Save Fuel
Many of us were taught that once your car is running you might as well leave it on - the belief being that re-starting the car required more fuel. While this might have been true with pre 1990s vehicles which used carburetors, modern engines with fuel injection simply don’t require a lot of fuel to start up. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, idling more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting.
Myth #3: Air Conditioning is Always Inefficient
Another myth - turn off your A/C to save fuel. Air conditioning does guzzle more gas, and when you’re on the back roads or in the city where you’re traveling at lower speeds, you will certainly save on gas. But on the highway when you roll down your windows you’ll create more drag on your vehicle, reducing its aerodynamism. This can have a more negative impact on fuel economy than just running the A/C.
Myth #4: Manual Transmissions Always Get Better Gas Mileage
Manual transmissions once easily outperformed automatic transmissions for gas mileage, in part because automatics had fewer gears. But as automatic transmissions evolved, the difference in performance has become less and less marked. Continuously variable transmissions, for example, are a form of automatic that enable engines to run at the most efficient gear possible. Overall, comparing manual versus automatic is less important than looking at the specific model of car and how it performs in terms of fuel efficiency.
Myth #5: Hybrids Only Save Fuel in the City
Hybrids are at their best in city driving, as they employ their regenerative braking to generate energy without using fuel during stop-and-go-driving. Hybrids don’t save as much during highway driving, but still show better fuel economy performance in “steady-state, high-speed driving” according to Car and Driver. Overall, EPA fuel economy data shows many hybrids outperform or are comparable to gasoline vehicles on the highway.
Other myths for us to bust?
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