Fuelish Myths

Routing conventional wisdom

True or False?

Driving with the air conditioner turned on always wastes gas.

Slowly accelerating to cruising speed saves gas.

It takes more gas to start a car than it does to let the engine idle for a few minutes.

A warm engine is most efficient, so heat it up well before driving.

All true, right? Wrong. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, each statement is false, according to data from extensive studies performed independently by the Department of Energy and Douglas Aircraft Co.'s transportation department. Drawing on this research, Atlantic Richfield Co., the nation's seventh largest oil company, last week launched a Drive for Conservation program to educate motorists and demolish fuelish fallacies. Among the tips:

> Efficient air conditioners found in late-model cars can save gas since, at speeds of 40 m.p.h. or more, the wind drag from open windows burns more fuel than does the cooling.

> Jackrabbit starts do waste gas, but the quicker the car reaches cruising speed, the better the overall fuel mileage. The optimum fuel consumption comes between 40 and 50 m.p.h.

> Letting a car idle for much more than 60 seconds consumes more gas than restarting it.

> Warm engines do work best, but running up an engine for a few minutes does no good, since it takes 20 minutes to reach maximum efficiency. Better to just let the engine tick over 30 seconds or so and drive off, warming up on the way.

> When driving at 40 m.p.h. or more into the wind, slow down; the air resistance is costly.

> Do not increase speed when going up hills.

> Remove unnecessary weight from the car; lightening it by 100 lbs. will produce up to an extra one-half mile per gallon.

> Short trips are fuel wasters. Drives of five miles or less account for about 15% of the mileage on U.S. cars, but consume over 30% of the gasoline. Reason: the trip is over before the engine begins to operate at peak efficiency.

To drive home these facts, ARCO has adapted a DOE system for a traveling exhibit that will visit 125 cities over the next 14 months and provide direct hands-on teaching of how to save gas. The visitor climbs into a V-8 Chevrolet Malibu that is mounted on a special platform. Then, following audiotaped instructions and other information that is flashed at him, he "drives" the stationary car in typical fashion over a simulated three-mile course. A measuring device reveals how much gas he used. Next, he takes the car over the course a second time, following instructions that tell him how to save fuel.

The gas consumption comparisons can be dramatic; most drivers manage to save 20% to 40%, and some as much as 48%. Though Energy Secretary Charles Duncan Jr. did not take the time to go for a test spin when he visited the exhibit in Washington last week, he did promote ARCO's effort by sitting behind the wheel of the Malibu. Motorists, he said, can cut fuel consumption by as much as 10% "without inconvenience or sacrifice."

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