Originally Posted by
Anthony Whitesell
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ETHANOL (atleast at the 10% that's in the fuel around here). You're air conditioner has been running all winter. The A/C runs when the defroster is on. I drive 30,000 miles a year, use 15-17 gallons a week. I always get the best gas mileage in the spring and the fall. I drive a 2004 Nissan Altima and get 32-33 mpg in the spring and fall and 28-29 in the summer and the winter. Hummm...the same in the summer and the winter? The air conditioner is only on in the winter and the summer.
I'm not 100% postive on this, but the AC is on when you turn defrost on so the moisture is pulled out of the air being blown onto the window. I'm just lucky I park in a heated garage, as I rarely need to use it. I think in MN, the mix is always 8-10%, so I can't blame my milage on that, unless they recently added more ethanol? The extreme low temperatures drop tire pressure when parked outside at work, and I work real close to home, so the engine doesn't warm up all the way for efficient driving. These affect me the most. Of course if I ran my defrost more, it will kill my milage even more. In-town driving in these conditions I see about 19MPG in a 01 Grand Am, and about 22 in the summer. Highway wise I get 27-29 both summer and winter, just depends on how much faster than legal I feel like driving.
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