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186 Comments
- inactive, on 01/29/2009, -0/+44Myth: In icy conditions, smashing the gas all the way to the floor and steering erratically is the best way to drive to work.
Fact: Wrong. But you sure wouldn't know it by watching people drive in the snow in Denver. - DeRose05, on 01/29/2009, -2/+27lol what about when i get plowed in by 4 feet of snow...is it true i can kick the ***** out of the driver???
- desistere, on 01/29/2009, -4/+23Title not accurate. Most of these aren't so much myths as idiocy.
#1 is definitely not debunked. For almost anyone that drives a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the advice holds. Anybody that thought your handling would improve on a FWD vehicle by putting weight in the back is an idiot.
#2 Why would starting your car at lunch make it more likely to start after work. That makes no sense. Sounds like someone is going out to their cars to sneak a drink or smoke at lunch.
#3 Is it a coincidence that many batteries die during the winter? How is that a myth? Yes, many batteries die all the time.
#4 Who could forget the myth of the clogged wiper bottle?
#5 The greatest myth is the myth of "How do I clean my windshield?" - hdar3415, on 01/29/2009, -2/+20I'm not so sure about that, I don't like driving with my "oil like molasses". I always tell people to let the car warm up to the point that the defroster can at least keep the windshield clear. At that point the oil has also warmed up and thinned.
- vertigo32, on 01/29/2009, -0/+17I had a co-worker tell me that to save gas, they have been keeping their heat as low as they could stand on their commute.
They said I didn't know what I was talking about when I told them that heat is a waste product of their engine and the only 'extra' energy it takes the negligible amount of electricity the blower uses.
Of course, that's not really a myth - that's just ignorance...similar to the other 'myths' in this article. - agentinfinite, on 01/28/2009, -1/+17I actually never knew about the wiper squirters check valve. Nice tips.
- trumble117, on 01/29/2009, -0/+14Regardless of what it does for the car, I like it to be warm inside before I try to drive somewhere :)
- RunDiggMC, on 01/29/2009, -1/+14Not if you drive a diesel. Diesels, especially trucks, have almost no power until they warm up.
- UncleCrapper, on 01/29/2009, -0/+11A trick I learned from my father is to stick a piece of cardboard or polystyrene in front of the radiator in extremely cold (-25C and below) weather. He grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan and they often had to do this get the engine temperature above "C" in the winter, otherwise they would never get any interior heating from the engine.
Apparently modern cars have thermostats and cross valves that eliminate this problem, but this can be an issue for older vehicles.
And do American cars not have block heaters installed, especially in the states that experience winter? It is common practice in the colder areas of Canada to plug the block heater in when the temperature drops. - BoxAdorable, on 01/29/2009, -0/+10Dugg up for making me choke on my beverage and almost spit on my keyboard.
- smartassCanuck, on 01/29/2009, -0/+10The heater core that heats the air being blown into the cabin of the car is a radiator, the air is heated by pumping engine coolant through the heater core while blowing air over it. Turning the fan on high will actually slow the rate at which the coolant warms. The engine's thermostat prevents coolant from circulating through the main engine radiator until the coolant reaches operating temperature this causes the coolant to warm more quickly.
In my car the climate control sets the fan to it's lowest setting until the engine temperature starts to rise, it raises the fan speed with temperature, once the engine has reached operating temperature it will run the fan at full speed (if it's really cold out.) - saltydawkins, on 01/29/2009, -0/+9groo68 - it's not that intellectual work is on a lower plane (or a higher one, for that matter), it's that physical labor is physical; therefore increasing the likelihood that the worker is physically fit and has a higher level of pain tolerance.
- dae3dae3, on 01/29/2009, -2/+11You can take a shot at it. Just remember, that is somebody who actually works for a living and doesn't sit in front of a keyboard tapping away all day.
In other words, you might get your ass kicked. - BioHMMWV, on 01/29/2009, -1/+10Block heater people, use it.
- megamod, on 01/29/2009, -2/+10So I can turn my washer nozzles into mini flame throwers? sweeet. Then why would snow/ice be an issue if you just kept a lighter by the nozzles?
- iamnos, on 01/29/2009, -4/+12#6 - Cars Don't Feel Windchill
Sure, the vehicle may cool off faster, but it will only get as cold as the ambient temperature. - inactive, on 01/29/2009, -0/+8Yeah, and if you drive a stick, it takes a while for everything to warm up as well.
But you're right, just letting it run for a while won't do it - you have to actually drive. Driving a manual transmission in -10F weather is quite unpleasant. - ricksite, on 01/29/2009, -0/+7It would take quite a while for your extra fuel usage due to using the rear defrost to add up to a couple of dollars.
- rob132, on 01/29/2009, -1/+8I've always wondered....
If it's cold, and start my car and drive (no warm up), what's the fastest way to get heat?
1) Keeping the heat off (letting the heat build in the engine)
2) Turning the heat on (more draw would pull the heat sooner) - jackelopeus, on 01/29/2009, -1/+8Slow news day at Digg?
- ricksite, on 01/29/2009, -0/+7Have you ever even driven in snow? Based on your comment, I would guess no. If you don't use your defroster, the inside of your windshield will get fogged over. Also, your windshield will eventually get covered in snow and you will end up driving blind.
- zedzedtop, on 01/29/2009, -1/+8Turning on the rear defroster will hurt fuel economy due to the extra demand on the alternator. Although, I'd argue that being able to see behind you is far more important than saving a couple dollars on fuel. Also, that has nothing to do with the heater but maybe they were confused.
- zuiquan, on 01/29/2009, -0/+7That's great but I can tell you've never driven a 2WD pickup in the winter where there's any sort of real accumulation. You can't stop if you never got started in the first place.
- smartassCanuck, on 01/29/2009, -0/+7lol.. SO true, it always amazes me just how many people think that in a front wheel drive car mashing the gas should move you in the direction you steer. Then they freak out when they slide off the road.
- MrSteamTank, on 01/29/2009, -0/+6What a sucker. The best gas saving techniques are turning your car off when you go downhill and keeping those gas guzzling headlights off at all times(even during the night!).
/s - dhughes, on 01/29/2009, -0/+6 Ohhh yes you can!
- phosphite, on 01/29/2009, -0/+6Myth #7: Pulling the e-brake around slippery corners isn't fun.
Of course it is! :) - Target91, on 01/29/2009, -0/+6Does anyone know how well a hybrid or electric car's battery would do in the cold? (below 0 F)
- brstilson, on 01/29/2009, -0/+6Actually oil has additives that lower the viscosity in lower temperatures. Cars used to use "straight weight" oil that would get as thick as molasses when it got cold. All modern gas engines today use either 10w-30 or 5w-30. The "w" number means the effective viscosity at low temperatures.
- retral, on 01/29/2009, -1/+7Well, lets see..
I'd rather it be cold with dead air than cold with air blowing around making it feel even colder, so I'd rather keep it off for a bit (assuming I'm in the car as it's warming up).
Also, the heater draws extra energy which means your engine's going to kick up a bit while the heater is on, which in the long run is harmful to do in the cold (although at the same time, it may make it heat up faster). - dhughes, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5 I let my engine heat up first, the engine comes first, and then only after the engine coolant temperature is showing at the low end of the normal range I may turn on the heater with the recirculate function on since that will warm up the interior quicker rather than trying to heat cold outside air with little engine heat available.
Turning the heater on right away just blows cold outside air on you and you're taking heat away from the engine. - 12012009, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5About the oil problem...
If you drive any sort of newer car, letting your engine heat up could actually damage it more than driving straight off. Most modern motor oils will be completely fluid after 5-20 seconds even in -30C, but letting the engine run on iddle means that the oil pressure will be unnecessary low, causing poorer lubrication. The second argument is that most modern engines are very efficient and therefore need load to warm up. The best bet is to start the car, clean the windshield, get in and drive, taking care not to under/over-rev the engine before the _oil_ temperature is normal (oil, not _water_ temperature..).
If you yourself are cold, it's better to turn off the heating (don't forget to still let the airflow hit the windshield, so that you avoid fogging) and keep your jacket on, and then turn the heating on once the water temperature starts rising up. In theory it would be better for the engine if you kept the heating on untill it has completely warmed up, as the engine is set to heat up the water system first, loosing energy... but hey, the difference is not enough for you to freeze because of it. - garyi113, on 01/29/2009, -1/+6On my drive to work there's always at least one a-hole who has to prove he can go the speed limit because he has a 4WD. Even if there's 4 inches of snow or a sheet of ice on the road. He's usually seen getting towed off the median wall later down the road. Causing a jam for everyone.
- saltydawkins, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5The loss of fuel economy for the rear defroster is negligible. Roughly equivalent to the extra weight of a bag of groceries.
- yourmightyruler, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5Well said sir. That's why if your car is overheating, you turn on your heater to cool your car. This turns the cabin of the car turn into a giant radiator.
- wrillo, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5MYTH BUSTED
- IphtashuFitz, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5You'll find block heaters on cars in northern Maine and up in Alaska. When I was in Fairbanks a few years ago I got a chuckle out of seeing all the public parking lots had electric outlets at each space so people could plug their block heaters in.
- saltydawkins, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5Is that you, Grampa?
- TheUngod, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5My climate control says off. It will automatically turn on the heat when it's actually useful. I would imagine the car manufacturer did it that way on purpose.
- CedEx, on 01/29/2009, -0/+5It's called using an ice scraper.
You start the car... then run around with the ice scraper scraping all the ice off. Once that's done, you hop inside and drive off. The car should be warm enough to move, but you still have to drive gently for the first 5 minutes or so. - jdames1980, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4Houghton is insane! Especially with those very steep hills.
- Ben851, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4Thats because you drove an Isuzu.
- mwalker05, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4spoken like someone whos never driven a rwd vehicle in snow
- groo68, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4I know i was just responding to "actually works for a living".
- KennMac, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4Thank you for summing up the fallacies of this ***** article. Popular Mechanics writes garbage more often than I'd like to admit.
- dhughes, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4 The energy is still a result of a chemical reaction, the same as the lead-acid battery, so the cold will affect a Lithium-Ion battery resulting in less energy.
A diesel VW is better than the Prius, no batteries to worry about or the cold (no more than any other car) and you'll get 20 to 30mpg more on top of what a Prius gets, ~60 to 70mpg sounds great. - BoneheadFarker, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4I own an 88 Jeep with a carbeurator. Why don't you come by and try your myth out...
- FruitFocker, on 01/29/2009, -3/+7"Letting your car warm up before you drive it is a myth as well."
Letting your car warm up is a myth? - asnider, on 01/29/2009, -0/+4Correct. Windchill is a way of measuring how cold it feels on human skin, not how cold it actually is. Windchill has essentially no effect on inanimate objects.
- Logicexe, on 01/29/2009, -0/+3You're right drhouse, what I've heard is that 30 seconds to a minute is usually good enough to start driving.
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