Gas Saving Myths : Rooftop Views

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Gas Saving Myths

There are real tips for saving gas, such as obeying the speed limit and not leaving your car to idle. But with gas prices at record highs, the best advice is to avoid the gas-savings myths that really don't pay off. Here are just a few:

Fill up Your Gas Tank in the Morning - The theory is that fluids are denser at lower temperatures, so a gallon of cold gas actually has more gas molecules than a gallon of warmer gas. This may be true, but the temperature of gas that comes out of the nozzle hardly varies at all throughout the day, even if it's 100 degrees outside.

Certain Products Boost Fuel Efficiency - There are many products in the market today that claim to boost your fuel efficiency. If this sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. The EPA tested 100 different products with the same promises and only a handful of them worked. However, "Even for the few that work," says the Federal Trade Commission, " the gas savings was so small it didn't justify the price."

Use Premium Fuel only - A lot of drivers think that because their owner's manual recommends premium fuel, it is necessary and more fuel efficient. This is not the case, and most drivers can get away with using regular fuel. If your car is running properly and your owner manual does not require premium, you will not decrease your MPG with regular gas.

Don't Sweat the A/C - Air condition makes your engine work harder, thus using up more fuel, right? Yes, says the EPA. But, because of the technology today, using the A/C will only drop the MPG by about a mile a gallon.

And just for grins, here are the best and worst. We'd still go for the Lamborghini - bad gas mileage or not!

According to the Department of Energy, the following are currently the most-fuel efficient cars:

1. Toyota Prius City: 48 HWY: 45;
2. Honda Civic Hybrid City: 40 HWY: 45;
3. Smart Convertible City: 33 HWY: 41;
4. Toyota Yaris City: 29 HWY: 36;
5. Mini Cooper (Manual) City: 28 HWY: 37;
6. Toyota Corolla City: 28 HWY: 37;
7. Honda Fit City: 28 HWY: 34;
8. Nissan Versa City: 26 HWY: 31.

And just for fun, here are the least efficient:

1. Lamborghini Mucielago City: 8 HWY: 13;
2. Bentley Azure City: 9 HWY: 15;
3. Bentley Arnage RL City: 9 HWY: 15;
4. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti City: 9 HWY: 16;
5. Aston Martin DB9 City: 10 HWY: 16;
6. Bentley Continental GTC City: 10 HWY: 17;
7. Mercedes Benz E63 AMG City: 12 HWY: 18;
8. Audi S4 Avant City: 13 HWY: 20.