I must admit, several of these were myths I still believed, especially the 
whole concept of warming up the car on a cold morning. 



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http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_driving/62/six-gas-mileage-myths.html 



Six gas mileage myths 



Do Americans care about fuel economy as oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico and 
gasoline hovers around $3 a gallon? You bet they do, though they also have a 
fair number of misconceptions about how to squeeze a few more miles out of 
every drop. 

The Consumer Federation of America's (CFA) most recent survey says that if we 
had a 50-mile-per-gallon car fleet today, we'd save more oil than the entire 
proven reserves in the entire Gulf of Mexico. And people care about that. 

According to Jack Gillis, author of The Car Book and a CFA spokesman, 87 
percent of respondents said it is "important that the country reduce its 
consumption of oil," and 54 percent said it is "very important." 

An amazing 65 percent of Americans surveyed support a mandated transition to a 
50-mpg fuel economy standard by 2025. That's a tough standard, some 15 mpg 
better than the ambitious goal set by the Obama Administration (35 mpg by 
2016). 

"The expectations of American consumers are reasonable and achievable," Gillis 
said in a conference call." CFA says that Asian carmakers, compared to the U.S. 
competition, are offering twice as many vehicles with 30 mpg or better. "It's 
shocking that so few of today's cars get more than 30 mpg ," he said. 

Mark Cooper, CFA's research director, noted that in five years of the group's 
polling, the public's views have stayed remarkably consistent: Americans want 
less dependence on Middle Eastern oil and higher fuel-economy standards. 

People care about fuel economy, but they're misinformed about how to actually 
achieve it. The federal government's fueleconomy.gov site (very useful to check 
cars' mpg) just published the "Top 10 Misconceptions About Fuel Economy." 

Here are a few big myths: 

    • 

It takes more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle. People are 
really confused about this one and will leave a car idling for half an hour 
rather than turn it off and restart. Some kids I know started an anti-idling 
campaign in the suburbs and are shaming parents into shutting down their cars. 
Idling uses a quarter- to a half-gallon of fuel in an hour (costing you one to 
two cents a minute). Unless you're stalled in traffic, turn off the car when 
stopped for more a few minutes. 
    • 

Vehicles need to be warmed up before they're driven. Pshaw. That is a 
long-outdated notion. Today's cars are fine being driven off seconds after 
they're started . 
    • 

As a vehicle ages, its fuel economy decreases significantly. Not true. As long 
as it's maintained, a 10- or 15-year-old car should have like-new mileage. The 
key thing is maintenance -- an out-of-tune car will definitely start to decline 
mileage-wise. 
    • 

Replacing your air filter helps your car run efficiently. Another outdated 
claim, going back to the pre-1976 carburetor days. Modern fuel-injection 
engines don't get economy benefits from a clean air filter. 
    • 

After-market additives and devices can dramatically improve your fuel economy. 
As readers of my story on The Blade recall, there's not much evidence that 
these "miracle products" do much more than drain your wallet. Both the Federal 
Trade Commission and Consumer Reports have weighed in on this. There are no 
top-secret 100-mpg add-ons out there. 
    • 

Using premium fuel improves fuel economy. You might as well write a check to BP 
if you believe this. Only use premium if your car specifies it. 

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