CNET On Cars - Top 5 fuel-saving myths

There are plenty of myths about car tech and modern driving, maybe none more than in the area of fuel economy. Here are five myths about what saves gas in your car.

[wholeNwon]

Accelerate gradually, inflate your tires properly, etc. and you'll affect fuel economy favorably.

[theminicooper]

"And typically when you intervene with all your fuzzy logic, things just get worst" 2:40, did he just insult us? LOL!!

[sirnubenegra]

My dad will get so pissed after watching this.

[ubangiestomp]

The biggest impact on fuel economy is the person behind the wheel.

[TheArfdog]

As a mechanical engineer, I'll say Cooley is 1000% right on all these points. lol. Man what a fresh breath of air this dude is to the internet. Clogged air filters are just like permanently half-closed throttles. You'll get whatever fuel economy you usually get with part-throttle (ie 99% of all your driving).

[rusenelson]

The proper fuel additives definitely keep your engine clean- running like engine automotive engineers intend it to run. If proper detergent gasoline is not important- why do 8 auto manufacturers recommend TOP TIER detergent gasoline in their vehicles?

[stacyarmour]

Well, he is right somewhat, about saving fuel by not letting you car warm up but if you live in extreme cold temperatures that can be a mistake. If it's 5 degrees outside and you drive car 55 mph without letting the engine coolant warm up, if the coolant is old or improperly mixed, the car is more likely to overheat by the water freezing in the radiator. Ever seen someone sitting on the side of the road in the winter with the car overheating?

[JA]

I drive a car with a manual transmission. The transmission probably hasn't saved me any gas in the long run, but I remember getting 40 mpg in gridlock traffic when managing it prudently. My car is a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and the only part of it that never disappointed me was the transmission. The clutch is supposedly Italian.
Regarding Chevrolet: the back windows don't roll up or down anymore, even after they were repaired by the Chevrolet dealer. They also had to replace the radio, fix my turn signals, and replace other window motors within the first 12, 000 miles.

[Moshealthtips]

automatics have caught up and in some cases surpassed manuals in fuel economy wether you like it or not

[pitchnpower]

To ad something to two of them; Warming up the car won't improve your economy but it will keep it healthy and a manual driven badly is less economical than an auto but driven well it can be a bit, but the difference is small so it's more of a preference.

[triniwarrior]

warming up the car at least in the winter time so you dont freeze in there

[NikeNando]

I did my research and manuals do make better fuel economy. Going to the auto companies sites or consumer reports show studies that a 2010 Focus makes 2mpg more in a manual than the automatic. Bc if anyone who has ever driven a manual knows that you can throw it in neutral and coast to a stop letting the car idle till the vehicle comes to a complete stop.

[rubburn]

A 1.0l carbed engine idles for about 5 secs with the float bowl empty and only charge from the fuel pump for restarting.
so unless you are going to be idling for more then 10 secs( taking into account the time it takes for the engine to give you usable power), you`re pretty much wasting it.. I tested this! found out that my subaru justy can do 20km to the litre :D

[PrimiusLovin]

Most car spec sheets I have checked show that automatic transmissions still consume more gas than manual transmissions

[manfromnantucket]

Many modern manual cars have deceleration fuel cut off (DFCO). This completely cuts fuel while in gear and off the throttle above a certain RPM (usually around 1500). This way you use no fuel while engine braking. Can't do that in an auto.

[hickindustries]

there are still car enthusiasts out there to where mpg DOESN'T MATTER. ITS ABOUT THE SMILES PER GALLON.

[moderatepopulist]

Solar panels can add mpg to fossil fuel and hybrid engines. Number 2, he didn't challenge validity of tune-ups in a bottle like from Lucas or STP. Number 1, automatic transmissions are performing better than manuals nowadays. A good example is EPA rates of Ford Focus auto vs stick: nearly 10% better mpg with automatic.

[NorthernChev]

Self-start-stopping cars are great on gas but really mess up the catalytic converter. Making emissions harder to stay in bound while you drive. The converter must stay hot, hot, hot all the time to efficiently convert oxides of nitrogen. Constantly starting and stopping screws this up.

[super_slav]

I don't give a crap, im driving manual until the day I die, I hate automatic.

[NeXMaX]

An automatic may be more convenient, give better MPG and better 0-60mph times.

However, nothing beats the experience of driving a car with a PROPER manual transmission.