Fuel Economy for Dummies

Fuel Economy Tips

Here at the Antisocial Network our research staffers have noticed that many freelancers like to claim a "connection" to their topic. Even if they can lay no logical claim to that connection – they didn't take high-energy physics classes while getting a BA in English Lit – they could be getting their information by osmosis because their significant other has the knowledge. Oddly, we don't find men claiming to know makeup tips; but female freelancers like to avow that their "hubby" or boyfriend is an accomplished scientist, carpenter, athlete, etc., as the basis for their posts. That's how Trisha Faulkner Wright, aka DLWright, claims to have become so knowledgeable when she posted "Tips for Saving Pennies on Gas Mileage"¹ at WritEdge.com.

According to Trisha,

"My husband is a car mechanic, so I hear people complain just about every day how they drive a gas guzzler or how their vehicle is costing them too much money in gas. This is actually where a lot of people’s first problem with their gas mileage lies. You have to stop blaming your car. You are the real reason your car is getting poor gas mileage."

Besides the fact that her husband would more likely be the one hearing complaints, that last statement would be surprising to the EPA and to anyone else who's ever studied fuel economy. If poor fuel economy is the fault of the driver, then logically a hypermiling Hummer H2 owner should be getting the same mileage as a hypermiling Toyota Prius driver. We all know that's unlikely.

No, what Wright's hyperbole is actually introducing is her claim that you can improve your vehicle's fuel economy by following a few simple tips. She even links to the Edmunds.com article -- written by people who actually know what they're talking about -- that she shamelessly rips off  for her "money-saving tips." According to Trisha, if you want to save pennies, you should Cruise Control The Speed Limit Fix Your Car Once you've turned them into tips – use cruise control, obey the speed limit, maintain your vehicle – those are three of the six tips Edmunds studies. We wondered why Wright didn't mention all six... but we figured it was because she'd hit her sweet spot at Squidoo with just three. So let's see how she handled these three.

As for using cruise control, she did little more than reword the Edmunds article -- no problems there other than a lack of originality. When she got to "the speed limit," however, she missed a critical point Edmunds (and many others) made. Here's what Wright said:

"Going the speed limit is not going to help you get better gas mileage. Do not get me wrong I think people can go the speed limit and get better gas mileage. However, I do not think it is because they are going the speed limit. I think it is because they are maintaining the same speed."

No, Trisha, you're wrong here: maybe you should ask darlin' hubby, because it is a well-known fact that an engine's fuel economy varies with vehicle speed -- and the Edmunds article says that, dumbass! Wright continues to display her automotive ignorance in her "fix your car" section, promoting a particular brand of oil that makes her car "purr like a kitten" (we're pretty sure that's more likely due to a tuneup than an oil change) while assuming that the only necessary maintenance is oil changes and spark plugs. We know, even if Wright doesn't, that even minor problems in the emission controls system can murder your gas mileage; likewise alignment or brake problems, among many others.

As for the other three tips Edmunds mentions? Trisha missed out by not mentioning excessive idling. According to the original version of her article, letting your car idle while sitting in line at the drive-through or waiting to pick up the kids after the soccer game can decrease gas mileage by as much as 19%. That compares to the 14% improvement due to using cruise control or driving more slowly. The biggest savings? as much as 31% if you stop driving so aggressively, which Trisha doesn't mention at all...

Wright might decrease her dumbassery by up to 31% if she were to not make so many silly claims -- or perhaps just understand her subject a bit better. But no, she wants them there pennies, and that combination of cluelessness and greed is exactly what makes a Dumbass of the Day.

¹ This website is now defunct, but you can see the post using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   writedge.com/tips-for-saving-pennies-on-gas-mileage/

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