Myths on Saving Gas

With today’s high gas prices, everyone wants to save money, but not everything people believe is actually true. According to fuel economy.gov and CNN Money, here are some common myths on how to save fuel.

For many years people have believed that warming up your car before driving will help it run smoother, and use less gas. If your driving a 1950 Chevy, then this applies to you, but most modern cars can be driven within seconds of turning your key- and will run just fine.

The belief that premium fuel will last longer is false! With high prices, premium is expensive- but many people use it because their driving manual recommends it, implying that they’ll get better gas millage. Remember it is recommended, not required, so your car won’t suffer like your wallet will. Modern vehicles automatically adjust spark plug timing when they detect different fuel intake. The only difference is in the horsepower, but no harm to your engine.

Manual transmissions save more fuel; unfortunately, this common myth does not apply today. Now automatic transmissions get the same or better millage as manuals. This is great news for people like me, who want to save but not work too hard driving.
Lastly, driving a small car does not guarantee you great gas millage! Surprising, yes, believable, yes of course! Hybrid technology, diesel injections, turbo-charging engines, low rolling resistant tires, and aerodynamic designs are found in many mid-sized cars and will use less gas then some small coupes. They're many fuel-saving urban legends out there, so be aware of the facts when trying to save gas.

-Yenitza Munoz