Winter in north is painful and joyful for most car owners. Many will be surprised why master said so? It's actually very easy to understand! When a piercing north wind blows outside, car owners can enjoy warmth that warm air brings inside car, isn't that happiness? As for pain, winter fuel consumption is definitely a headache. Many car owners think it's understandable that fuel consumption is higher when air conditioner is on in summer. Your fuel consumption in winter is also so high. continues? Why such a high fuel consumption in winter? Especially in cars with a small displacement, where is fuel consumption? Help everyone answer below!
Why is high fuel consumption of small displacement vehicles more obvious?
Because light weight of a small displacement vehicle means it needs less fuel consumption just to generate little thrust to overcome its own weight resistance, and fuel consumption per 100 kilometers will normally be very low. . But in winter, as said above, increase in viscosity of lubricating oil and lubricant will require additional fuel to work to overcome resistance, and additional fuel will be spent on heating and keeping warm, and small car engine is lighter and cylinder wall is thinner. Thin, high temperature in cylinder will be relatively easy to dissipate to outside, and fuel consumption for heating and keeping warm will be more obvious.
At same time, due to low fuel consumption in normal times, even if fuel consumption increases by less than 1 liter in winter, relative fuel consumption may increase by more than ten or even twenty percent, and increase will be very large.
It is for this reason that increase in fuel consumption in large-capacity cars is not so obvious, 1 liter of oil will increase by only a few percent, and in large-capacity cars, engine cylinder wall is relatively small. Large cars are fatter, so heat loss will be relatively slow, and displacement is large, and heat generated is also high.
In fact, there are certain reasons why fuel consumption is higher in winter than in summer, and not one reason that is caused by various complex factors.
1. Long hot car
I find that many car owners have a good habit of warming up their cars in morning, but blindly waiting for car speed to drop to a normal value or water temperature to rise to a normal value is tantamount to making life difficult for your wallet. In fact, car owners in most regions of our country can drive in gear for about half a minute after starting car, and then drive normally in first gear for a certain distance. For some northern cities, when winter is too cold, vehicle warm-up time can be extended accordingly. Also, when engine water temperature is too low, computer will control fuel injector to spray more fuel, so if your work distance is very short and water temperature cannot easily rise to normal in cold winter weather, then your car should be consuming a large amount of fuel.
2. Low thermal efficiency
Generally speaking, when engine is running, it should maintain normal ambient temperature, which is approximately 80°C~90°C. If temperature is too high, engine cooling system will automatically increase water circulation rate to increase heat dissipation and remove excess heat, otherwise it will reduce cooling water circulation rate to maintain required temperature. This is most basic principle of engine cooling. In winter, engine needs to store heat, not to remove it. Due to effect of air flow, engine temperature is difficult to maintain at around 80 ° C, so fuel injection volume will be increased and "ignition timing" will be changed to maintain temperature. At same time, thermal efficiency of gasoline in cold weather is also much lower than in summer, which makes fuel consumption of vehicles in cold winter weather higher than in other seasons.
3. Low battery efficiency
In winter, days are short and nights are long, so headlights are switched on more often than in summer. In addition, due to low temperature in winter, chemical reaction of electrolyte slows down and easily leads to battery failure. In addition, during a cold start in winter, need for electricity is greater to overcome resistance. Starting engine requires converting more fuel into electricity to charge battery, so relatively speaking, this is also a factor in increasing fuel consumption.
4. Warm air also increases fuel consumption
In cold weather, turning on heater also increases gas mileage, which is much greater than gas mileage of turning on air conditioner in summer. Some drivers find that warm air consumes engine heat and does not increase fuel consumption. In fact, in order to maintain temperature in winter, engine basically runs on a low cycle, and when hot air is turned on, cold air in car quickly passes through surface of heater core, which actually adds a high-efficiency radiator to engine cooling system! You can imagine his role.
5. There is a relationship between length of night and shortness of day
The increase in fuel consumption is also related to weather. In winter it gets dark earlier. When commuting, it is generally necessary to turn on headlights. The headlights are powered by combustion of engine oil, which will directly affect the car's fuel consumption.
6. Engine oil fluidity is poor
People will make appropriate changes in hot and cold weather, and same is true for cars. If attention is not in place, increase in fuel consumption is not a big deal, and damage to mechanical parts is a serious matter.
When winter comes, we can choose an engine oil with better low temperature fluidity, such as 5W or 0W engine oil. , you can choose an engine oil with better fluidity at low temperatures. For more fastidious engines, you should not change type of engine oil on your own. It is best to take car to a 4S shop for maintenance before winter, and ask maintenance specialist which engine oil is best for this model for winter.
How to deal with high fuel consumption in winter?
1. Pay attention to tire pressure and wear
Due to low temperature in winter, air pressure in tire will drop significantly, and tire rubber will harden, which will inevitably reduce grip of tire on road.
2. Do not drive at high speed for a long time
Any car has an economical speed, and driving at high speed increases air resistance, thereby increasing fuel consumption. In addition, frequent sudden acceleration and sudden braking should also be avoided and a constant speed should be maintained.
3, usually to improve vehicle maintenance
Wheel bearings should be lubricated in time, which can reduce friction and reduce fuel consumption, and viscosity of oil will also increase fuel consumption.
4. The above three points are actually external factors. Internal factors are your own driving habits, such as not accelerating quickly, not braking quickly, and pulling away slowly. Here are some fuel saving tips. save fuel is to look at yourself.
Conclusion: Even though car fuel consumption will be relatively high in winter, there are many tips for saving fuel. With current price of oil so high, if a car can maximize value of every liter of oil and drive as far as possible, it will save a lot of money over time.