am i crazy...

[etlsport]

i was reading the paper earlier today and there was an article on gas prices. big surprise huh... well the editor off to the side threw in some "gas saving tips" which ticked me off.. maybe im crazy... see what you guys think...

this is exactly how it was written in the paper, with nothing else related to it on the page

"firm tires go farther on less power, so keep them inflated at 40 PSI

your engine is most fuel efficient at speeds of 40-60 mph

coast with your car in neutral as much as possible, keeping safety in mind

air conditioning and heating drain your engine's performance, so use them sparingly"

1. they dont specify what kind of car... 40 PSI would be a terrible idea in a VX with stock tires... just way too high and stupid generalization that is going to cause blowouts and tires eaten way too fast

2. probably true.

3. #$*@%(#$@($#$%* DUMB its illegal in most states to ride in neutral.. i can see someone who knows nothing about cars putting their automatic car in neutral while driving through the city, and not realizing it takes longer to stop and rear ending someone... or needing to clear an intersection faster and gunning the gas only to have the engine rev... then realizing they are in neutral, pulling into drive while on the gas and throwing a transmission... or any number of other stupid things that will happen because someone told them to shift to neutral to save .1 gallons of gas every 200 miles

4. using the heater doesnt hurt your gas mileage does it?????????

frustrated.....

[JHarris1385]

2. Mathmatically your best mpg come at 54.941 on any car.

[MZ-N10]

2. Mathmatically your best mpg come at 54.941 on any car.

doesnt tat really depend on ur tranny ratio?

[creeg]

I read somewhere that not using the A/C is going to give you a MINIMAL increase in gas mileage- but on most NEWER cars its such a small amount, its not worth it (especially for the discomfort during the heat of the summer).

How about clustering your stops so that you do all things in an area of town at once, instead of zig-zagging across the town for each errand?

It sounds to me like the person who wrote this is using old information that was applicable 20 years ago, to 20 year-old cars and NOT newer cars that are a LOT more efficient.

whoever wrote that article didnt do any research, just based it on hearsay- and stupidity.

--and blowing up tires to 40 PSI sounds extremely dangerous, along with coasting in neutral. What an idiot.

[etlsport]

i wrote the editor an email.....

... he got the information from.....

any guesses?... anyone...

ford's website

[mdwyer]

I'd have to do the research to be certain, but I seem to remember seeing somewhere that coasting for long distances with the transmission in neutral can be bad, since it doesn't circulate lubricant in the driveline.

That seems slightly suspicious, though -- you can tow a car without too much problem...

Air Conditioning is a load on the engine, yes. I bet it is neglegable, though. Turning on the heater is probably /good/ for your car. That's less heat that has to go through the radiator. There's slightly more load because of the blower, but it certainly isn't because of the 'heat' part of the equation...

I've heard that driving habits -- the smooth stops and starts -- has one of the largest impacts on mileage.

[orion]

OMG... I hear that "not using the heat saves gas" crap way too much. the coolant is already hot from driving, it does not heat up when you hit the switch!!( I've had this argument with my ex wife, twice.) she still don't believe me.

[creeg]

i wrote the editor an email.....

... he got the information from.....

any guesses?... anyone...

ford's website

I call bull*#$%. They are LYING. They made this crap up.