Crap MPG winter time

Ricochet J

Ricochet J

Ricochet J

Soldato
Joined
29 Jun 2004
Posts
12,957
Is my car broken? I drive with the same style I do in the summer than I do in the winter.

Winter gives me 360/370 miles to the tank.
Summer gives me 400/410 miles to the tank.

In the summer, the air con is on. In the winter, the heaters are on.

Do the heaters take more fuel than the air con? :(
 
cold air is compressed (more than warm), so it chucks more fuel in as a result.

could also be alterations to your driving style due to deteriorated conditions. both?
 
I went from a 620ti in summer to a ZS diesel in winter... and the fuel economy saving isn't quite as drastic as I'd hoped due to the cold! :p

Cold weather really screws round with economy for the reasons above, heaters use less but the figures you've quoted seem quite good for summer vs. winter tbh :)
 
assuming plugs and fuel filter were changed at service?

had the alignment done recently?

i want to say injectors, but i'm not sure tbh. best asking/waiting a ford expert.

feel down on power at all?
 
Its pretty simple really, its colder outside so the car takes longer to get to operating temperature. More fuel is used to ensure the engine runs smoothly when cold.
 
Cold air = More dense = More in fuel in mixture

Also auto choke on longer

Good side is a slight increase of power!! Woo! More ice skating!
 
If you do lots of short trips your economy will be worse in winter as the engine spends more of its time outside the optimal operating temperature and therefore consuming more fuel.
 
My MPG seems to have dropped since the relatively cold weather started, its hovering around 27MPG as opposed to 30 odd in the summer.
 
I wouldnt be unduly concerned about a 10% mpg difference when environmental conditions change so suddenly. You could try an ECU reset?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom