Everyone wants to drive for as little as possible. Especially on longer journeys, consumption can have a big impact on how much a car costs to run. It is clear that the first steps related to saving are clearly related to what kind of car you buy – with regard to its tabular consumption, as well as related to what kind of fuel it runs on. If you already have a car and you cannot influence this in any way, this means that you are often looking for ways to reduce consumption. Some advice really works – for example, weight reduction in the car, or the right speed and associated aerodynamics – i.e. air resistance. But then there are also myths in reducing consumption, which show that not all advice should be trusted. And what are the biggest lies? It might surprise you.
Gear is better than neutral
This myth is quite common and that means it is also very popular. Why do people leave the gear in gear and not shift out anyway? It is simple. Modern cars, which have electronically controlled injection, really have zero instantaneous consumption when driving at the selected speed. Conversely, when in neutral, the on-board computer shows some drop of consumption. And this is what leads many people to discard. If you are comfortable in the car and have a good estimate of the distance, this procedure may pay off.
However, for most people, this means that they only increase their consumption. Why? Consider starting the car and then letting it run without gas. Nothing slows it down in neutral, so it can travel a much longer distance without gear than when it is in gear. Realistically, it will take some fuel, but considering the distance traveled, it is more advantageous than having the engine in gear, so-called braking with the engine, constantly downshifting as quickly as possible and eventually you will reach a state where you have to put it in neutral, or the car will have to use the gas after all a little help forward.
A slow start means savings
You have certainly already encountered this. Here, too, it is a clear fact that there will be some truth in it after all. Those who drive aggressively with the brake-gas style, and that for a short distance, do not really help their low fuel consumption. However, it is also definitely a mistake if you try to start as slowly as possible. And it doesn't matter whether from your house, or from an intersection with a stop sign, or perhaps at a traffic light. It is true that when you monitor your current consumption on the on-board computer, it warms your heart to see how pleasantly low it is and you smoothly reach the desired speed. Have you ever put a stopwatch on it? Try it.
With this, we want to dispel another myth that a slow start necessarily means savings. It certainly isn't. Of course, think when driving, so don't step on the gas headlessly. However, a smoother, faster start does not mean that your car will have a higher total fuel consumption. Why? Consider that with a very slow start you will reach hundreds for maybe one minute, after which the vehicle will take a certain amount of fuel. And how is it with the fast start? The on-board computer may even show you twice the consumption. However, if you take time into account, you will reach your speed in half the time. Result? Both driving styles are equivalent.
Manual car only
When it comes to comparing automatic transmissions and manual ones, there are a lot of huge arguments among owners. It must be said that those who have a manual are the most vocal. Their arguments are largely the same. First of all, it talks about the automatic transmission car not being able to respond well to the downshift request. This argument makes it clear that they probably never sat in any automatic car, especially a newer one.
Their second argument is that the machines have a much higher consumption. If you have taken this statement as your own, we recommend that you stop saying it, as it is also one of the very common myths. Yes, earlier in the time of the first automatons it could indeed be like that. But now? Rather, the opposite is true, so there are many vehicles in the current range that have better fuel consumption figures with an automatic transmission than with a manual transmission. This is because electricity and smart systems are and will always be better than humans. The only fact when we can say that the automatic transmission will have more consumption is the situation when an unfamiliar person gets into a car with an automatic transmission, and it will take some time for him to get used to the car and learn to drive.
It is a good idea to turn off the air conditioning
Yes, this is also a big myth. So this way – if the air conditioning is on, it's really true that the consumption will really increase by some deck per hundred kilometers driven. This is an indisputable and practically verified fact. There is therefore clear advice, linked precisely to the fact that you turn off the air conditioning and thereby reduce consumption. And that brings us to why this is a myth. Just look at the connections. When do you turn on the air conditioner? Yes, it is when it is very hot and you want to cool down. If you don't turn it on, what's the second thing you do? Logically, the windows will be downloaded. As a result, the aerodynamics of your car will completely change. And for the worse. And this condition leads to the fact that the car has worse air resistance and thus logically increases its consumption. And since many people were interested in the given comparison, several tests were also created. And how did they turn out? With regard to consumption, the air conditioning on is a better choice than the windows down. In addition, driving is much more comfortable. The air blowing violently from the windows is definitely not pleasant for any passenger, and when it comes to noise, it definitely exceeds any specific limits. It's crazy on a long drive.
