winter gas mileage?
Evolving Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: IL
After going through this thread, there is one huge factor that some people may have overlooked in terms of fuel economy.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
For those of you with wideband, does AFR gets richer in winter?
I get about 250mpg in winter right before the warning light turns on.
7-10 mins of warm up is way too much, 2 min is enough, the proper way to warm up is to drive the car slowly.
I get about 250mpg in winter right before the warning light turns on.
7-10 mins of warm up is way too much, 2 min is enough, the proper way to warm up is to drive the car slowly.
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