Don’t believe myths about how to improve your gas mileage.
1. Never use regular gas if your manual says “premium gas recommended‘. False. Regular gas is OK and you can save $$. If your manual says “premium gas required“, you better buy it. Else engine knocking & faster engine wear.
2. Buy gas at night or early morning in the summer because cold gas is more dense. False. Even is you do succeed in buying “cold gas” (and this is complicated), the difference in density is slight (maybe 1%). Savings are marginal.
3. Shopping around for cheaper gas isn’t worth the mileage. False. Let your fingers do the walking online. If you’re traveling, crossing state lines may save you $$.
4. You need to drive 55 to stay alive (and get the best gas mileage). False. Fuel efficiency doesn’t drop until you get over 60 mph. Consistency on the gas pedal(smooth driving) makes a much bigger difference than how fast you drive.
5. A car with manual transmission will always get better mileage than an automatic. False. Not any more. Newer automatics can get same or slightly better than manual. Maybe not for city driving, but on the highway–definitely.
6. Open windows & kill A/C to save gas. False. At high speeds especially, leaving windows open increases wind resistance and cancels out the savings. Oh and btw, you don’t have to keep the A/C going full blast at all times. Once the car is cool, turn it down and adjust your vent settings.