Plan your fall Improve winter foliage road trip fuel...

Many motoristsnotice that their vehi-cles seem to get lessmiles per gallon incold weather than inwarm weather. That’snot a trick of thebrain, as studies haveshown that cars do, infact, have poorer fuelin economy in coldweather.

According to theUnited StatesDepartment of Energy,fuel economy testshave indicated that,when driving in short-trip city driving, a con-ventional gasolinecar’s gas mileage isabout 12 percentlower at 20 F than itwould be at 77 F. Thedisparity is evengreater in hybrid vehi-cles, which can seetheir fuel economydecline by roughly 34percent when drivenat 20 F. Before driverscan understand howto improve their win-ter fuel economy, it’sbeneficial to learn whycold weather has suchan adverse effect on acar’s fuel economy.

A host of factorscombine to reducefuel economy in thewinter. When tempera-tures dip, engine oiland other drive-linefluids also get colder,and this increasesengine and transmis-sion friction. Thatforces the vehicle towork harder and usemore fuel. An enginealso takes longer toreach its most fuel-efficient temperaturewhen the weather out-side is cold. Thiswon’t have too greatan impact on fuel effi-ciency when takinglong trips, but theshorter the trip theless economical thevehicle’s use of fuelwill be, as a shorter

trip means the vehicleis spending a largerpercentage of theoverall drive at a lessfuel efficient tempera-ture.

Another reason fueleconomy suffers in thewinter is the necessi-ties and certain crea-ture comforts driversneed when driving inthe cold weather.Windshield defrostersand vehicle heatingsystems use a sub-stantial amount ofpower, and that usageforces the vehicle toexpend more energyand use more fuel. Andwhile many driversconsider heated seatsone of the greatestautomotive inventionsknown to man, thoseseats also use up a lotof power that nega-tively impacts fueleconomy.

But factors outsidethe vehicle alsoimpact its fuel econo-my in the winter. Forexample, colder tem-peratures decreasetire pressure, and thatincreases roll resist-ance, which means thecar must work harderand use more fuel toget down the streetthan it would if it wereriding on fully inflatedtires in the summer-time. Cold air also ismore dense than warmair, and that increases

aerodynamic drag onthe vehicle, whichthen needs to usemore fuel to counterthe increased drag.So what can be done

to improve fuel econo-my in the winter?Fortunately, driverscan take several stepsto do just that.

Park the vehicle in a garage

Leaving your car inthe driveway in thewinter means youmight have to dig thevehicle out come win-ter snowstorms. Butthat’s not the onlyinconvenience of park-ing your vehicle out-side in the winter, asdoing so can adverselyaffect its fuel econo-my. When possible,park the car in thegarage, as this increas-es the initial tempera-ture of the engine,engine oil, drive-linefluids, and the vehi-cle’s cabin. This canshorten the time ittakes for the engine toreach its most fuel-efficient temperaturewhile decreasing theengine and transmis-sion friction that nega-tively impacts fuel effi-ciency.

PRESS & DAKOTAN ■ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 PAGE 13

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Plan your fall foliage road trip

Come autumn, thou-sands of motoriststake to the highwaysand backroads toexperience the ever-changing landscapemade beautiful byleaves changing col-ors. Fall foliage roadtrips make for a funway to spend a week-end afternoon.With cameras in hand

and provisions at theready, motorists canmake the most of theirnext fall foliage roadtrip.

•Know when to goLearn the best times

of the year to see thepeak leaf colors.Mountainous regionsand many located innorthern latitudes willsee changes in leafcolor earlier thanother regions. Driversliving in certain areasof Canada, regions ofthe Rocky Mountainsor in particular partsof New England canexpect to witnessleaves changing coloras early as September,while much of the mid-west can expect peakcolor in mid- to late-October. Southernregions may not seeleaves change coloruntil November.

•Aim for a weekdayMany people plan fall

foliage road trips onthe weekend. These“leafers” or “peepers,”as they’re sometimesreferred to, flood nor-mally empty ruralareas and can easilycause traffic jams.Schedule your owntrip for a weekday soyou can avoid most ofthe crowds and enjoya more serene environ-ment for hiking excur-sions or countrysidevisits.

•Book earlyIf you plant to stay

overnight, book yourtrip as early as possi-ble and don’t be sur-prised if costs arehigh. Autumn is not only a

peak time for leafcolor changes, butalso it’s a prime timefor vacationers inter-ested in comfortabletemperatures andamazing scenery, soautumn lodging ratesmay be equal to orexceed the ratescharged during theheight of summervacation season.Verify room rates andopenings well inadvance if you haveyour heart set on stay-ing in prime leaf color

country.

•Employ a few tricksof the photographytradeFall foliage may be at

its most vibrant atsunrise and sunsetwhen the sun is low inthe sky and will notcast much glare.Slightly overcast daysalso may help leaves’colors pop, but toomuch cloud cover maycause a lack of vibran-cy in leaf color.

•Watch the weather Autumn weather can

be unpredicable. Somedays it may be crisp,while other days it willbe hot. Sometimes youmay experience hotand cold weather onthe same day. Dress inlayers so that you canbe comfortable andshed or add layers asnecessary.

•Explore different spotsDo not take the same

route or visit the sametowns each year. Varyyour trips to experi-ence a greater range ofautumn magic. Fromthe eastern seaboardto the Rockies,explore as many awe-inspiring palettes offall colors as possible.

Autumn is a great time to embark on road trips and take in the awesome spectacle of fall foliage.

FUEL, Page 14

Improve winterfuel economy

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