I already take it easy during acceleration and deceleration. I travel on roads that are 25-40 mph, and I strictly stick to the speed limit since it’s mostly residential. Am I wasting gas by warming the car up for a few minutes before leaving or does this help it since it’s warmer when it’s at speed? Any other tips for improving gas mileage for these short trips?
My car is an automatic (and 2005). Unfortunately, alternative methods such as bike are not possible because frequently, I am called away to customers that are 30-40 or more miles away and I need to be ready, wherever, whenever. I figured it was the right thing to do to look into making sure I was doing everything to make all of my driving efficient. I probably carry approx. 100 pounds of tools (safety kit and for my job), so that could be why I never see the factory mileage ratings.
My car is an automatic (and 2005). Unfortunately, alternative methods such as bike are not possible because frequently, I am called away to customers that are 30-40 or more miles away and I need to be ready, wherever, whenever. I figured it was the right thing to do to look into making sure I was doing everything to make all of my driving efficient. I probably carry approx. 100 pounds of tools (safety kit and for my job), so that could be why I never see the factory mileage ratings.
don’t keep a lot of stuff in your car (low weight). i would still warm the car up if in cold weather. if it is warm weather, it shouldn’t take a few minutes unless it’s an older car. if manual, drive in a higher gear.
The weight is not a big issue. Unless you are carrying alot of extra stuff in there. 100 pounds of stuff equals 1 less mpg so as you can see it isnt that big of a difference. It would depend what you are driving to letting it warm up would help or not. Fuel injected vehicles dont waste much gas in open loop mode when they are cold so letting it warm up wouldnt help them any at all. I say the same for a older carbed vehicle too because when you let them warm up the choke is on and they tend to dump quite a bit of fuel in real fast. An older vehicle will heat up quicker because of the advances in cooling system designs but will also waste more fuel warming up than a newer one even though it wouldnt take as long. If you are worried about gas mileage on a 8 or 9 mile communte, maybe you should look for alternative methods to get there.
Ride a bike
Don’t drive short trips. It sucks, but the first few minutes are the worst for fuel economy and wear on the engine. That is NOT an endorsement of warming up the car — 15, maybe 30 seconds is all you need (I live in Fairbanks, where we plug our cars in when it is under +20F). Driving for 2-3 minutes warms up a car about the same as 10-15 minutes parked idling (and warms up the transmission, too, which idling does not). Besides, “warming up” your car = zero MPG. Your best bet is to minimize your short trips — nearly impossible if it is your commute…
Some misc things that *might* help:
Make sure your tires are at proper inflation. You might eke out an extra mile per gallon from tire inflated to max, but you have to balance that against tire wear and ride comfort. Your choice.
Use the lightest oil recommended by car manufacturer. If they say 5w30 year round, then use 5w30 year round. Some have even moved to 5w20 — some mechanics balk at 5w20, but they are mechanics, not the engineers who designed the vehicle. No offense to mechanics, but the engineers started with the assumption of 5w20 and designed components based on that, they didn’t just willy-nilly say, “gee, use lighter oil.” Also, synthetic oils have better flow characteristics than refined oils.
Trade your auto tranny car for a stick shift. In newer cars it makes less of a difference, almost negligible, but in older cars it makes a world of difference.
If you live in a cold climate, you may want to look into winterizing your car. See link below.