Saturday, 12 December 2009

Winter Driving's Ecological Footprint (wheel print?)

It took a bit longer than usual, but winter’s definitely here now: we’ve had our first snow storm and the next one’s in the forecast. Temperatures dip to around –24 at night and haven’t been above freezing since Nov. 30. But the surest sign winter’s here is: the winter tires are back on again.

After a few close calls in the past we opted for studded tires this time. Wow, what a difference; unbelievable traction.
Noisier, too. Which made me wonder if all that extra traction translates to extra fuel consumption…


Mmm, studs...

Well, the good news is: no, so far studded tires seem to get the same mileage as their standard non-studded winter tires. The bad news: no matter how you cut it, winter driving uses a lot more fuel than summer driving.

It’s not just the tires, of course. It’s mostly the frigid temperatures that make your engine run a lot less efficient. It takes the motor much longer to warm up, and even then it often doesn’t reach ideal combustion temperatures. Add the energy required to run your lights, defrosters, cabin heater (and seat heaters for the whimps out there), and you get the picture.

As a certified ego geek I try and drive as environmentally conscious as possible, resulting in great mileage for our ancient ’97 Ford Escort. During the warmer months (April – October): around 6 litres/100 km (that’s 39 Mpg for you non-metrics). But once November comes around the numbers quickly get less glorious: around 7.8 litres/100 km (30.1 Mpg).

Maybe not too bad compared to most cars (and trucks for sure), but still: a whopping 25% drop in fuel efficiency…
Guess there’s only one way around it: drive (25%) less!
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2 comments:

  1. Peter16 December 2009 at 06:45

    You could always try the old Northerner trick: some corrugated cardboard placed in front of the car's radiator (covering, say, about 50% of the surface). It has the effect of making the engine run a bit hotter than otherwise, thus hopefully increasing fuel efficiency. That said, remember to get rid of it on milder days and when spring rolls around! :)

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  2. Wendy @ BearHaven21 December 2009 at 13:15

    Great article! I've been itching to get studded tires, so it's nice to hear an endorsement, and also to learn about winter's impact on fuel efficiency.

    On another note, you say you're a certified eco geek. I was wondering - what agency issued your certification? Does it get you discounts at restaurants? Enquiring minds wanna know.

    :-)

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