Does driving with the AC on waste alot of gas?
Lately my car has been wasting a lot of gas. It's a honda civic 2004 suppose to save a lot of fuel from what I read online. I don't go on a highway, but it is the summer, and I like to drive with my AC on. When I bought this car it didn't seem to waste this much gas; I seem to put gas every 3 days or so. One day I came to a realization that maybe the reason I waste so much gas is because of the AC is always on. I've never had an AC off when driving, and I think this is one of the reasons. I do drive about 15 to 30 miles a day but still it didn't seem like it waste this much gas before. I will be doing some experiment to drive with the ac off from now on and see if there's a difference.
My guess is that your car simply needs a good tune-up. You can also check your tires for proper pressure -- yes, insufficient pressure lowers gas mileage. Your driving habits also affect mileage -- fast starts, lots of stop-and-go, speed.
It uses less gas than leaving your windows down
Car and Driver done an investigation on this years ago. At highway speeds ( 65 mph ) it's more fuel efficient to use the a/c. Because drag from the windows down caused more fuel consumption. City driving the windows down Is more fuel efficient, because of less drag. I can't remember the exact mpg stats of the comparison, but from what I remember, a/c on really doesn't make a major difference in mpg's.
Yes, you can expect anywhere from a 5 to 10% decrease in fuel economy with the AC compressor engaged, especially with city driving. One other note, it is a someone common misconception that you will save on gas if the blower motor is set on low instead of high. It does not matter. Once the AC compressor is engaged you will use the same amount of fuel regardless of what setting you might have your fan on.
Sounds like your car needs a good tune-up! How long has it been since the spark plugs and air filter been changed? If the air filter is dirty that can make it suck gas and also low tires can cause it to use gas!
NO, it does use a little bit of fuel but not enough for you to really pay much attention to regardless of what some others posted
Also, your driving in the city is a huge fuel consuming trip. You will only get the best fuel economy over 45MPH. 55MPH is the ideal fuel saver, anything faster than that & your using more fuel
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