Myths about fuel economy

There are quite a few myths about fuel economy, most of which tend to simply not be true. There are obviously many ways you can improve fuel economy, but there are also many myths that ultimately will have no impact on your fuel consumption.

“Many owners try different things to reduce fuel consumption, sometimes throwing their money away with little or no benefit on efficiency”, says a service technician at Subaru Ogilvie.

Here are some of these myths and an explanation about whether or not they are true.

Myth 1 – A dirty air filter will increase fuel consumption

This is true if the car functions with a carburetor, but the increased use of injectors means that the air filter has little of no impact on fuel economy. On the other hand, clean air is important so you do not want to be driving around for too long with a dirty air filter.

Myth 2 – Heating up your car before heading out on a cold day will lower fuel consumption

Modern engines are designed to function adequately after only a few seconds. Leaving your engine running on idle for five or ten minutes before hitting the road will actually reduce fuel economy more than simply starting the engine and leaving your driveway.

Myth 3 – Fuel efficiency decreases over time

False. Many tests have shown that the reduction in fuel economy numbers is insignificant. In fact, most studies have shown that there may be a drop of about 0.1 liters per 100 kilometers in fuel efficiency, but only in about 40 % of cases.

Myth 4 – A manual transmission is more efficient than an automatic gearbox

No longer the case. It used to be the case, but automatic transmissions are now more efficient most of the time than a manual gearbox.