Engine winter drop in fuel economy??

winter drop in fuel economy??

Anyone else noticed a drop in fuel economy since colder temps are now here? I've lost about 50 miles to a tank now? That's about a 3-4mpg drop. Concerns me. Anyone else experienced this?

Trav

I didn't notice when I was up in NJ..but I wasn't really keeping track (at least not that I remember)..sorry

that's normal if you live in area where it gets really cold coz u need to warm up car. your car uses more gas when cold, specially automatics. why? coz with automatics, tranny don't shift right away when cold and so your gears are held in place longer and so your engine revs higher = more gas.

happens to me every year - starting around oct. up to around march-april.

depending on where you live, the oil companies also make a different blend of gas that doesn't get the same fuel milage as summer gas.

It certainly is normal... More fuel is used during warmup as engine is operating on a richer fuel mixture and idling at higher rpm. Engine oil/tranny lube are thicker until fully warmed up. Snow also causes drag. Colder temperature makes wheel bearing grease thicker, boots and tires stiffer, air denser...
During colder months, vent position is usually on the 'floor/defrost' blend position which activates A/C, causing an additional rise in fuel consumption. In stock form, the A/C is activated at just past the vent control's 'floor' position. I've modified my control knob cam to have A/C on only past the 'floor/defrost' vent position.
Switching to a true synthetic like Amsoil in engine, tranny and power steering makes a big difference too. Using a block heater and covering the grille with a black plastic bag also help achieve normal operating temperature.
Keep an eye on tire pressure, it goes down as temperature goes down...

HA! You all were right. Temps dropped to 29ºF today. I'm sure a lot of it is due to the warm-up enrichment, but my tire pressure was 35psi on the front - which is a drop from the original 40psi I had them at. So, I was noticing the tires seemed REALLY slick for the past few days and thought it was just that cold rubber wasn't as "sticky". Guess I was wrong - they were just underinflated.

Thanks,
Trav

look at your sidewall, will tell u what is the max. psi you're allowed. usually, it's 35psi max.

i thought they were supposed to be at 30 psi

my auto corolla does that too...sucks...very much...im in jersey also, so it gets pretty cold

isnt it the smaller the tire, the higher the psi? like how bike tires require 50-60psi... i have my 205/40/16's runnin at 38-40psi which is fine- nice and firm feel...

I'm running Kumho 716's 195/60/15 and the max pressure is 44psi. These tires just don't do well at anything under at least 38psi.

Trav

i know i did... my car seems to suck up more fuel... a whole tank use to last me a whole week but now only lasted me 4 and a half days

i know i did... my car seems to suck up more fuel... a whole tank use to last me a whole week but now only lasted me 4 and a half days

i know i did... my car seems to suck up more fuel... a whole tank use to last me a whole week but now only lasted me 4 and a half days

Yes, 30psi is recommended. That is the best COMPROMISE between comfort, fuel economy and performance for STOCK size tires. Even the stock tires do a little better at around 38/34psi (max 44psi on the Goodyear Integras). Better fuel economy and performance, but the ride is harsher. When you get into high performance tires, higher pressures generally give better grip on curves (but a firmer ride overall). When the pressure on my tires goes below 35psi, I can tell because I start to get uncontrollable wheel spin when pulling out in a turn. Raising the pressure helps A LOT with that, although an LSD is the only way to really do any good as far as that goes.

Trav

Yes, 30psi is recommended. That is the best COMPROMISE between comfort, fuel economy and performance for STOCK size tires. Even the stock tires do a little better at around 38/34psi (max 44psi on the Goodyear Integras). Better fuel economy and performance, but the ride is harsher. When you get into high performance tires, higher pressures generally give better grip on curves (but a firmer ride overall). When the pressure on my tires goes below 35psi, I can tell because I start to get uncontrollable wheel spin when pulling out in a turn. Raising the pressure helps A LOT with that, although an LSD is the only way to really do any good as far as that goes.

Trav