At Auto Showcase of Tulsa, we’re proud to offer a wide selection of used cars for sale, from sedans to SUVs, vans, trucks or any other vehicle you might be interested in. We’re happy to discuss fuel economy and gas mileage for any of our vehicles with you in detail to help you find the ideal choice if this is important for you. Sadly, many of these conversations include at least some chunk where we have to debunk a few common myths that have arisen over the years regarding fuel economy – there are so many, in fact, that we’ll use this entire two-part blog series to detail all these fuel economy myths and set the record straight on each of them.

Over the years, various companies or manufacturers have attempted to market various devices or gadgets that speak to gas mileage. Some of these are simply ineffective, and while others do work as they’re supposed to, their actual purpose is not to raise gas mileage (which is not possible using this method – rather, it’s to give you better readouts than your dashboard display in terms of ways you can improve your driving habits to increase fuel efficiency. These latter devices are legitimate, though we’d question their true value; any device claiming to actually raise your mileage on its own is false marketing and should be avoided.

Down similar lines, various fuel additives are marketed as ways of increasing fuel economy, reducing emissions or both. The vast majority of these are total myths, with one notable exception: Additive meant to clean your fuel injectors, which will actually clear up this area if your vehicle has experienced a buildup, and will in turn lead to better mileage.

We’re all familiar with three octane levels at most gas pumps, which tend to display them in terms like Regular, Plus and Premium or something similar. These refer to octanes of 87, 89 and 93 in the majority of cases.

All that octane rating refers to, however, is a fuel’s ability to resist knocking or pinging during combustion. It plays no role in fuel economy whatsoever. All you’re doing if you use a higher octane than recommended is wasting money.

This myth is at least somewhat understandable because, in the past, it was actually true – manual transmissions did get better fuel efficiency than automatics. However, modern vehicles over the last few decades have closed this gap, and there now is no difference between these.

Another previously-true fuel economy factor that’s no longer legitimate is the theme of the air filter impacting fuel economy. For newer vehicles with computer systems, fuel-to-air ratio is adjusted manually, and the filter won’t play any role in fuel economy. However, this should still be done regularly, as it improves engine performance and long-term lifespan.

For more on myths surrounding fuel economy, or to learn about any of our used car dealership services, speak to the staff at Auto Showcase of Tulsa today.

At Auto Showcase of Tulsa, we’re proud to offer a wide selection of used cars for sale, from sedans to SUVs, vans, trucks or any other vehicle you might be interested in. We’re happy to discuss fuel economy and gas mileage for any of our vehicles with you in detail to help you find the ideal choice if this is important for you. Sadly, many of these conversations include at least some chunk where we have to debunk a few common myths that have arisen over the years regarding fuel economy – there are so many, in fact, that we’ll use this entire two-part blog series to detail all these fuel economy myths and set the record straight on each of them.

Over the years, various companies or manufacturers have attempted to market various devices or gadgets that speak to gas mileage. Some of these are simply ineffective, and while others do work as they’re supposed to, their actual purpose is not to raise gas mileage (which is not possible using this method – rather, it’s to give you better readouts than your dashboard display in terms of ways you can improve your driving habits to increase fuel efficiency. These latter devices are legitimate, though we’d question their true value; any device claiming to actually raise your mileage on its own is false marketing and should be avoided.

Down similar lines, various fuel additives are marketed as ways of increasing fuel economy, reducing emissions or both. The vast majority of these are total myths, with one notable exception: Additive meant to clean your fuel injectors, which will actually clear up this area if your vehicle has experienced a buildup, and will in turn lead to better mileage.

We’re all familiar with three octane levels at most gas pumps, which tend to display them in terms like Regular, Plus and Premium or something similar. These refer to octanes of 87, 89 and 93 in the majority of cases.

All that octane rating refers to, however, is a fuel’s ability to resist knocking or pinging during combustion. It plays no role in fuel economy whatsoever. All you’re doing if you use a higher octane than recommended is wasting money.

This myth is at least somewhat understandable because, in the past, it was actually true – manual transmissions did get better fuel efficiency than automatics. However, modern vehicles over the last few decades have closed this gap, and there now is no difference between these.

Another previously-true fuel economy factor that’s no longer legitimate is the theme of the air filter impacting fuel economy. For newer vehicles with computer systems, fuel-to-air ratio is adjusted manually, and the filter won’t play any role in fuel economy. However, this should still be done regularly, as it improves engine performance and long-term lifespan.

For more on myths surrounding fuel economy, or to learn about any of our used car dealership services, speak to the staff at Auto Showcase of Tulsa today.