Fuel Economy - Plymouth Gran Fury 1980 Operating Instructions And Product Information

Cold Temperatures
Colder temperatures cause fuel economy· losses during warm-up
and low speed operation. Don't use excessive time, however, to
warm u p your engine. Modem engines warm up rather qu ickly,
and letting the engine run on fast idle just wastes gas. So, instead
of starting the car and letting it idle several minutes in the drive-
way or garage to warm the interior ... simply go out, start the
car, buckle-up, and drive away with moderate acceleration and
speed.
Accessories
Use your accesso ries judiciously. They are powered by drive
belts from the engine and use fuel. Some options, like power
steering, only reduce gas mileage by a small percentage. Air
conditioning, however, may subtract up to 10 percen t. Some
electrical equipment, such as the high beam headlights o r
electrically-heated rear wi ndow defroster, also affect fuel
economy. That's because it takes more power to operate the
alternator when it's charging the battery. Therefore, for best fuel
economy, use these accessories sparingly, especially air condi-
tioning. You can often use the ventilation system once the car has
cooled down.
Engine Tune-up
To ach ieve peak performance a nd maximum fuel economy, keep
your vehicle properly serviced.
Monitor your vehicle's performance carefully. If you follow the
maintenance schedules, your vehicle wi ll be kept at optim um
operating efficiency.
If your vehicle
s uddenly develops problems in performance or
gas mileage, take it to your dealer to diagnose and perform
service operations.
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