Gas Mileage Myths

Avoid making these mistakes when trying to improve your mileage

The following ideas are popular ways of saving gas, but they are all wrong.

#1 Fill your tank early in the morning when it's cold

The gas is usually stored in tanks below ground level where the temperature stays the same day and night. Thus is makes little or no difference if you fill up early or late.

#2 Use premium fuel

Modern engines runs well on regular fuel and if there is any savings by using premium, the additional price you pay will far outweigh what you save.

#3 Replacing the Air Filter improves MPG

Only works on old carburetor cars from the 80s. A modern car with fuel injection automatically adjusts the fuel mixture to suite the amount of air so there is no fuel economy to gain.

On the other hand replacing the air filter will release the horsepowers previously choked by the dust and dirt on the old filter bringing your engine back to full power.

#4 Running Your Car on Water, aka. Hydrogen Generators

It should be common sense that running your car on water will not work. Still there's a plethora of products out there that promises you can improve your fuel economy by adding water to your fuel, more specifically using a hydrogen generator to make hydrogen from water and add the hydrogen to the fuel.

Mainly this won't work as more energy is needed to make the hydrogen than what you gain from burning the hydrogen with the gas. If you don't believe me, Mike Allen at Popular Mechanics has an article debunking the myth about water improving your mpg.