Table of Contents
Advertisement
188
Dr iv ing and e n v ironm e nt
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driving short distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalyt ic converter have to
reach their optimal
operat ing tempe ratu re
to
reduce fuel consumption and noxious emis-
sions effect ively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size
car only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km). After about 2 .5 miles (4 km),
the eng ine is at its proper operat ing tempera-
ture and fue l economy has reached a norma l
level. So you can see t hat you sho uld avoid
short tr ips wheneve r possib le.
The
outside temp erature
is also critical in this
regard. Your car consumes more fuel in the
winter than in the summer.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
