12/04/2024
MythBusters Study: Does a Clean Car Get Better Gas Mileage?
In a study conducted by the MythBusters, the same car was driven in multiple test runs to determine if a dirty car can get better mpg (miles per gallon) than a clean car. Initially, it was proposed that a layer of dirt would give the car a “golf ball-like effect” for improved aerodynamics and subsequently-bettered fuel efficiency.
To complete their research—and label this myth as such or as “plausible”—co-hosts Adam and Jamie caked a car in mud and drove the car to record its measure of mpg. They then cleaned and drove the vehicle again to note that mpg rating. They repeated this process for a series of drives in the same car for the highest possible level of accuracy.
After processing the results of their experiment, it was concluded that the car was actually more fuel-efficient when it was clean: it averaged 2 mpg more than when it was dirty. The dirty car’s average gas mileage fell at around 24 mpg while the clean car hit 26.
Why Does a Clean Car Get Better Gas Mileage?
Although it may not seem very meaningful initially, the surface of your car can affect your gas mileage and fuel efficiency. This is because when your car is wiped of all protruding debris—and even so much as waxed—passing air can move across freely. Without the air getting stuck and having to navigate its way around any chunks or particles of dust and grime, your car will experience less resistance driving forward so it will be able to get better gas mileage or get better mpg.
This means that at home, how to get better gas mileage in a car will involve cleaning your vehicle since a dirty surface limits airflow and increases friction for a lower mpg rating.
