cold weather = lower mpg's??
 

how many other people are getting a lower FE lately?

i was consistantly 41-44mpg in august/september...
now im down to 38-39mpg.. i put synthetic in last tank... and i just fueled up the morning & got 40mpg. is this (or worse) what i should expect all winter?

not that im complaining... my gas bill is sooooo much lower than last year this time :) so far this month i have spent $107 on gas. and that includes travelling to races in Vt. Maine, Ct. Mass, etc... typically once or twice per weekend... last year this time it was more like $300!!!!

I'm struggling also to maintain my summer mileage. Cold weather and coming winter blend fuel will only make it worse. Also I have to let me car warm up so I'm losing that first few miles of coasting.

Cold weather = lower fuel economy for a bunch of reasons.

9 reasons why your winter fuel economy bites (not all neccessarily apply to you, since some are maintenance or driving issues you can correct):

1. More idling
2. Lower tire pressure
3. Increased rolling resistance
4. Crappy road conditions
5. Lower average engine temperature
6. Higher average lubricant viscosity
7. Weaker gasoline
8. Higher electrical loads
9. More aerodynamic drag

https://www.metrompg.com/posts/winter-mpg.htm

wow. awesome article mpgmetro!

glad im not alone.. maybe i should stop measuring my mpg's until it gets warmer! seeing 'only' 38mpg was depressing ;(

It's still fun to know you're paying enough attention to notice, yay for being in the game, :p

Anyway, I wonder which you consume more or, soy milk or gasoline?

Filled up for the first time yesterday. 38mpg. not too bad for mixed driving, winter blend (I think), and the first tank.

With any luck by the time the warm weather hits I'll be in the mid 40s.

That's such a good point. Agreed, agreed.

I miss my car, :(

Though, it's now easier to contemplate an EV conversion.

Do you miss your bicycle too? ;)

Which bicycle?

じてんしゃをいりませんでしたよ。

The [ji] [te] it is the plain gauze it did not need?

jitensha o irimasen de****a

Bike [object marker] didn't have.

I didn't have a bike.

don't stop. just have to do what you can under the conditions.

Block or pan heater and an enclosed garage is looking like it is in the cards more and more.

I seem to be doing okay so far, but it hasn't really gotten cold here yet.

Luckily I park in my garage over night, so I don't have to let the car warm up that much in the mornings. But my car does idle a little higher when it's cold out side, I think it's set at like 850RPMs or so when it's cold out and 750RPMs when it's warm.

It is starting to stay dark longer though, which means I am using my head lights in the morning and often on the way home from work as well.

So far I haven't seen a real drop in MPG, my tanks seem to vary a few MPGs anyways.

argylesocks -

After I have a good run I go to weather.com to find out the overall temperature and humidity I was driving in. That way, I will have different "bests" for different weather.

CarloSW2

good idea, everyone's milegae is gonna take ahit in teh cold weathew3r so you have to keep track of the good tank and the not so good ones. just think now: those other drivers around you are probly not getting as good a mileage as we can casue we know and can work to keep it up there no matter what the conditions.

The only problem with thinking about that is realizing that 90% of the other drivers dont care about their FE. I swear drivers as a whole are getting more and more impatient. If Im accelerating just a little bit slower than the car behind me, I WILL get passed. Even though sometimes when I reach terminal speed I overtake them anyway :confused:

MAN it was a few years ago that I was spending $120 for the entire YEAR for gas in my Geo. You have a Yaris - you better start working on your mileage, I am beating you with my xB for gosh sakes! You are gonna make me look bad for recommending a Yaris to my friends if you can't get better than I am.

ouch! (hanging my head in shame) im trying... im trying. seriously, i NEVER drive over 60mph on the highway... and i coast in neutral down every hill. i accelerate like an old woman. everyone at work makes fun of me, because they pass me on the highway & im practically in the breakdown lane, im going so slow.

well, i cant see how spending $120/yr is possible. At bare minimum, i would spend $10/wk on gas just to get to work. you gotta remember that last week, i drove to N. Gloucester, Maine & back on BOTH sat & sunday for races (2.5hrs each way)... the week before that, i was in Burlington, Vt. This weekend i was in the bottom of Ct. so from from September to December, i race alot, and therefore drive ALOT. Trust me, im stoked if my bill is 'only' $120/mnth.

unfortunately, i think its gasoline.. but now that i started making Strawberry SoyMilk, its gonna be close :) seriously, its soo good. i feel like im 7yrs old again when i drink that!

Strawberry eh? Hmm. I'm most in love with organic valley chocolate, but I haven't done anything cool lately, not like you, *cries*

My mileage has been terrible lately. I've been having trouble keeping it above 35mpg, and all of a sudden I'm working on a 33mpg tank. I think part of it is the cold weather and the other part of it is the winterized gas formulation. The best I could do this morning was 33.9mpg on the way to work. Afternoon segments are barely reaching 35mpg. And I don't even want to talk about my last highway trip.

Hey Argyle,
I have been getting better mileage with my Yaris using 1/3 to 1/2 throttle (shifting at 2500 rpm) than I did using 1/10 throttle. It could be that my skills are improving and my engine is breaking in, but my last tank was over 49 mpg for city driving. If yours is auto it may not be possible to use 1/2 throttle at low RPM.
I got a tank of ethanol blend and it's getting pretty cold here so my MPG is about to take a dip I suspect.

Nice! That's great FE, Alex.