The Practical Radical

Addiction leads to decades long hangover …

I am getting quite nauseous knowing our addiction to the black liquor is destroying the environment and economy of the gulf coast states. What makes it worse is that I feel I am watching the disaster in slow motion, with oil slowly and inexorably making its way onshore, while we watch grainy low definition movies of the mile deep oil well  belching out its black death.

So, as we can’t seem to do much but watch, what better time to reflect on some of the myths we hold regarding our addiction to gas as it relates to our cars.  The following are six gas mileage myths (stop doing them and nagging your husband/wife about them) and some solutions (that if 100,000,000 of us started doing something would change).

Remember what Margaret Mead says – “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (yeah, I’m not believing that much right now either .. )

Myths

• It takes more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle.
  Idling uses a quarter to a half-gallon of fuel in an hour, costing you one to two cents a minute. So, turn off the car when stopped for more than a few minutes.
• Vehicles need to be warmed up before they’re driven.
  Maybe true back in the old days, no longer.
• Old cars have bad fuel economy.
  A well-maintained car will have like-new mileage.
• A clean airfilter makes a car run more efficiently.
  If you have a car from the 70s, maybe. Now, no.
• That expensive additive s%^t you put in your gas helps.
  Probably not, you might feel better, but no. Both the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Reports have weighed in on this. There are no top-secret 100-mpg add-ons out there.
• Using premium fuel improves fuel economy.
  Nope. Use only if filthy rich.

and this one is for Lee-Anne as we disagree on this all the time …

• inflate your tires

• don’t leave tons of s$%t in your car, especially bags of sand, bricks, cement, large mammals, etc.

• use cruise control – it works

• and, drive the speed limit

Thanks to yahoo.com, edmunds.com, consumer report, and my personal angst for making this happen. Have a nice day.