osiebosie Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 ...melting the doggone ice off of my windows to go to town. And I was doing so well after my last fillup, averaging over 48, which is great for me living in the hills and country in middle Tennessee (but the weather was unusually warm for January). Anyway, this awesome cold front dumped freezing rain all over us and poor Maxie got frozen to the ground. This was not frost, it was thick ice. I HAD to defrost and warm up the car. When I went out to get in and leave, my mpgs had dropped from over 48 to 45. And it got worse as I drove into town (a twelve mile trip). I had to have some heat and since my butt was cold, I had to heat my seat. :( But I was toasty warm as my mpgs dropped down to 44. I think I'm at about 42 now. Still cannot complain, though. Sharon Adair, Jus-A-CMax and RachelnLa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinto Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 That is the problem with running the motor while parked there are no miles per gallon when your are not moving. Seriously, I have found the biggest killer of mpg is the heater when it is cold outside. This morning my drive to work is 7 miles, which is all non highway, and I did, per my trip summary readout, 40 mpg at 20 degrees outside temp without the heater. Normally, I would have done 30mpg at that temperature with the heater running. I have discovered that if I leave the heater off until the car is fully warmed (by water temp gauge past the first mark) before turning it on I will do better with the mpg than if I let the car's auto function on its own. One other note, I have foamed the grill openings for faster and more consistent engine warming. I am convinced that this helps in the cold weather. Next week the weather forecast is expecting highs around 10 degrees and lows a 0 here so I will see how it works when it is really cold. Now my goal is to simply keep my average mpg around 39-40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) Hmmm. I didn't leave the heat (actually defrost) off until the engine warmed because my whole point was to melt the thick layer of ice covering the car. Plus, it kept me from walking on my also-covered-in-ice front porch any more than needed. But for future reference, it would save mpgs if the engine is warmed before turning on heat or defrost? Normally I just jump in the car and shiver and go, during the cold weather, that is. That's what the manual says: no need to warm up the vehicle. Also, what do you mean "foamed the grill openings"? And with what? My husband is addicted to stuff like that: foam and caulk. Fixes everything. And masking tape. Edited January 16, 2013 by osiebosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinto Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I understand - it is a trade off that costs mpg. Idling the car to warm it up without moving forward sacrifices miles per gallon especially with a demand for cabin heat. I am not saying that you should not idle to warm but understand that your mpg will suffer because of it. The seat warmers actually has less influence on mpg than the heater that operates from the engine heat. I hate winter. I should live were there are palm trees. Check the link below for the thread discussing foaming the grill opening. You will see a photo of my car with the grill foamed and how it was done. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?/topic/770-3-mpg-gain-with-grill-covers/ Adair 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLdr1 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Sharon, The windshield washers are factory filled with a mix that will melt most ice. You can also buy spray on Windshield De-icers, (Prestone, Rain-X, CRC are a few brands) at most automotive stores. And of course there is the "old faithful" ice scrapper... ;) Those will work out cheaper than letting the car run forever trying to defrost it... If you know you are going to be dealing with frost / icing a lot you can get a external cover for the windshield to make it really easy to clear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 An ice scraper would have no effect on what we had yesterday. We just had freezing rain all day long. I'm surprised we still have power; the trees must be falling the right direction. :) And, no, this is not normal weather for TN. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adair Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Ice storms there can be UUUUUUGGGGLLLLY! And when you have to chisel off the ice, that's what ya gotta do! Hopefully it won't last long. You'll be having warmer days before the rest of us, so you can report increased MPGs and gloat :happy feet:Just kidding! We'll all cheer for each other when the weather moderates and we see our fuel economy climb! Jus-A-CMax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I'll take a 6 - 9 feet snow dump than have Max frozen in ice. I recall some years ago, seeing some unbelievable pictures of the north east coast got battered with some icy, icy storms...freaky and nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fits2at Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 We had a bunch of ice a couple of years ago. I will take the snow any day over ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.