Gas-Saving Myths

 

I was reading the new July issue of Money Magazine and ran across an interesting article. The following 5 gas-saving tips are all FALSE. Myths. And I’ve heard them all:

Gas up in the morning.
A gallon of cold gas has more molecules because it is more dense at the lower temperature. Because gas is stored in underground tanks where it is kept cool hiding from the sun, the temperature of the gas that comes out of the pump varies very little regardless of the time of day.

Replace your dirty air filter.
Thanks to modern technology, newer cars have sensors to adjust the fuel-air mixture. This compensates for clogged / dirty air filters. By no means does this mean you should stop changing your air filter (which should be done as standard maintenance), but don’t expect it to boost your gas mileage.

Use premium gasoline.
Some newer cars recommend premium gas but do not require it. Just as newer cars have sensors to adjust the fuel-air mixture, sensors are also triggered to compensate for lower octane gas.

Use additives. 
If there was a gas station that used an additive that claimed to give you better gas mileage and actually worked, everyone I know would be in line waiting to fill up right now. If people sell additives on the internet claiming their MPG miracle really does work, why aren’t gas stations buying these additives truckloads at a time?

Avoid using the air conditioner.
Apparently this myth is true in town. But on highways at higher speeds, driving with windows down creates enough drag on the car to make driving with the air conditioner blowing just as efficient.