Keith, thanks for posting this, and a further secret to add, if I may. Not all of those cars that claim to need premium actually do. I had a friend who had a Benz, driving long distance, and she needed gas near D.C. The station didn't have premium, only the grade below it. She put it in anyway, basically damning the bans. She was surprised when she made it to her destination (Manhattan) with her car running fine.
Of course, she never tried it again. On Sat, May 29, 2010 at 1:12 AM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > I must admit, several of these were myths I still believed, especially the > whole concept of warming up the car on a cold morning. > > > > ********************************************** > > * > 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<http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gulf-oil-spill-photos-video-50051410?link=emb&dom=yah_green&src=syn&con=blog&mag=tdg>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<http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-gas-47031702?link=emb&dom=yah_green&src=syn&con=blog&mag=tdg>out > of every drop. > > The Consumer Federation of America's (CFA) most recent > survey<http://admin.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/File/Gas_Oil_Survey_Oil_Spill_PR_5_18_10.pdf>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<http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=emb&dom=yah_green&src=syn&con=blog&mag=tdg>," > 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<http://www.littlepeoplebigchanges.com/>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<http://www.motherearthnews.com/Ask-Our-Experts/Green-Transportation/Car-Engine-Warm-Up.aspx> > . > - > > *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<http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/blade-emissions-gas-mileage-461008?link=emb&dom=yah_green&src=syn&con=blog&mag=tdg>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. > > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
