Does your car use much gas idling?

[duragezic]

My car's fuel economy seems to take quite a plunge. I know that is common during the winter to lose 1 or 2mpg but I think it's more like 6 or 7mpg for me. Could that be accounted for in that I start it in morning about 10 minutes before I leave to warm it up and defrost the windows (although the defrost doesn't work worth a damn and I gotta scrape it all anyway!).

 

[Analog]

a drop like that may be more typical for cold weather.

 

[XZeroII]

Your car uses more gas when it's not fully heated up. That's probably the reason.

or

I get 30 miles per gallon. I go 0 miles, I use 0 gallons.

 

[FoBoT]

running for ten minutes when it is cold would use quite a bit , i think

 

[Jejunum]

ive also read that winter gas is oxygenated for easy combusion leading to less energy per unit therefore less mpg

also remember when u first start your car and its cold it idles at a signficantly higher than normal rpm - and ur getting no miles for significant gas useage

 

[Ornery]

Who cares? Gas is cheaper than water. I warm my wife's car up 20 minutes every morning before taking my son to the bus stop. I warm it up 15 minutes or more before she takes it to work an hour later. I warm mine up 15 minutes just to drive my other son to school 3 minutes away!

 

[bolsen]

Originally posted by: Jejunum
ive also read that winter gas is oxygenated for easy combusion leading to less energy per unit therefore less mpg

also remember when u first start your car and its cold it idles at a signficantly higher than normal rpm - and ur getting no miles for significant gas useage

On that note, one could say that at the higher rpm the motor runs more efficient, thus using less gas.