{"organism":"Page","children":[{"organism":"Container.Raw","children":[{"organism":"Metadata","model":{"title":"How to save fuel during the winter months: Myths vs reality","text":"Wondering if winter is costing you more at the pump? We bust common cold-weather fuel myths and share smart tips to help you save fuel in the final weeks of winter.","links":[{"name":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank?","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank.html"}],"image":{"src":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/_jcr_content/root/metadata.shellimg.jpeg/1755066483115/mythbusters-article.jpeg","width":3840,"height":2160},"date":"2025-08-14T12:30:00Z","tags":[{"name":"Vehicles","value":"vehicles:"},{"name":"Save well","value":"shell:business/business-customers/save-well"}]},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/metadata"},{"organism":"ContentOwner","model":{},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/contentowner"},{"organism":"Container.Header","children":[{"organism":"Container.Raw","ref":"https://www.shell.com.au/_jcr_content/root/header/inherited.model.json","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/header/inherited","model":{}},{"organism":"Breadcrumb","model":{"links":[{"name":"Home","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/"},{"name":"Motorists","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists.html"},{"name":"Go Well Content Hub","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub.html"},{"name":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank?","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank.html"}]},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/header/breadcrumb"}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/header","model":{}},{"organism":"Container.Main","children":[{"organism":"Container.Section","children":[{"organism":"PageHeader","color":"inherited","model":{"title":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank?","text":"\u003Cp\u003EThink winter’s draining your tank? We separate fuel facts from fiction. From tyre pressure drops to car seat warmers, we share simple tips to help you save fuel and drive smarter during the final weeks of winter.\u003C/p\u003E\r\n","image":{"src":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/_jcr_content/root/main/section/page_header.shellimg.jpeg/1755066517732/mythbusters-article-banner.jpeg","width":3840,"height":960},"date":"2025-08-14T12:30:00Z"},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/page_header"},{"organism":"Container","colspan":8,"children":[{"organism":"Author.Info","color":"inherited","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop/author","model":{"links":[{"name":"By Shell on August 14, 2025"}],"image":{"src":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/_jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop/author.shellimg.png/1755063996363/shell-pecten.png","alt":"shell pecten","width":2500,"height":1405}}},{"organism":"PromoSimple.Text","color":"inherited","colspan":8,"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop/text","model":{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ESeparating fact from fiction isn't always easy in the motoring world and that has opened the door to plenty of myth-making.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPremium fuel cleans your engine. Automatics use more fuel than manuals. A car needs a long drive to clear the engine. No doubt you can think of a few yourself.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo what about this one: cars use more fuel in the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/five-safety-tips-for-preparing-your-car-for-the-snow.html\"\u003Ewinter months\u003C/a\u003E. True or false? Whether you drive a petrol or diesel vehicle, we put the myths to the test to help you drive smarter in the final weeks of winter.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECold weather and fuel economy – the basic truth\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUnlike some motoring myths, this stacks up. The 2014 study The influence of street environments on fuel efficiency: insights from naturalistic driving\u003Csup\u003E1\u003C/sup\u003E included weather in its list of major factors that influenced fuel efficiency and concluded that it did indeed deteriorate when temperatures dropped.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAustralian data tells the same story closer to home: a Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics\u003Csup\u003E2\u003C/sup\u003E study of real-world driving found that lower ambient temperatures and wet weather consistently push fuel consumption higher – even within the modest seasonal swings most of us experience.⁠\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhy? Well, there are myths that attempt to explain this too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDoes cold weather lower your tyre pressure and cost you fuel?\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you know your science, you'll know cold air is denser than warm air and is why tyres lose pressure when the temperature drops. Another physical truth – that rolling resistance increases as tyre pressure drops – means this phenomenon has a negative impact on your \u003Ca href=\"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/fuel-efficient-driving-habits.html\"\u003Efuel economy\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith tyre maker \u003Ca href=\"https://www.continental-tires.com/products/b2c/tire-knowledge/tire-pressure-in-winter/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EContinental\u003C/a\u003E estimating the loss at 1-2 PSI for every 10ºC, tyres that are correctly inflated in summer can be well under pressure by winter. And while true winter tyres (also known as snow tyres) aren’t widely used in most of Australia, maintaining correct pressure all year round is still critical for safe handling.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf unsure of your vehicle’s current tyre pressure, you can stop at your local \u003Ca href=\"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/fuel-finder.html\"\u003EShell\u003C/a\u003E and check your tyre pressure.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIs the heater as draining as AC?\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile using the heater does technically increase fuel consumption, you won't notice it and it won't be as significant as using AC.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat's because a car's heater essentially recycles heat generated by the engine. The main energy consumer is the fan used to circulate the air, and those extra few amps only slightly increase the load on the alternator and engine itself.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing AC, in contrast, engages a compressor that causes significant drag on an engine, making it work measurably harder and use more fuel.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow much? There's no simple answer because every car is different but five to 10 per cent is a common estimate, with the systems in older cars typically less efficient.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECar seat warmers draw power, but do they waste fuel?\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust like the heater, heated seats do consume electricity and technically increase fuel consumption.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAgain, though, the total power draw is typically a few miniscule amps, it is not something you'll notice ‘at the pump’.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDoes cold air make your car work harder to cut through it?\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs well as dropping tyre pressures, the increased density of cold air does make it harder for a car to move through it, meaning more engine power is needed to overcome the increase in aerodynamic drag.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust how much this phenomenon actually impacts \u003Ca href=\"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/fuel-efficient-driving-habits.html\"\u003Efuel economy\u003C/a\u003E has not been studied but the science stacks up, especially at higher speeds when drag is at its greatest.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EShould you warm up your car? Not anymore\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBack when cars used a carburettor (a mechanical device that mixed air and fuel before sending it to the engine) to feed fuel into the engine, this was indeed correct – your engine did need to be warm before it performed smoothly and efficiently, making a winter warm-up routine useful.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut today's computer-controlled fuel injection technology can alter the air/fuel ratio and myriad other factors with microsecond precision, allowing an engine to warm up much quicker and without any of the driveability issues of old.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow to save fuel during the end of winter and beyond\u003C/b\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ECheck your tyre pressures regularly and keep them inflated to specification – look to your car's owner manual for guidance. Your local Shell service station has air pumps available year-round, making it easy to top up, especially during winter.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAvoid winter idling unless you need the heater to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/how-to-prevent-and-clear-foggy-car-windows.html\"\u003Eclear foggy windows\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERemove unused roof-mounted equipment to minimise aerodynamic drag, especially if you drive a lot on the highway.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Csup\u003E1\u003C/sup\u003E \u003Csub\u003EWang, X., Liu, C., Kostyniuk, L. P., Bao, S., & LeBlanc, D. J. (2014). The influence of street environments on fuel efficiency: Insights from naturalistic driving. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 11(8), 2291–2306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0584-1\u003C/sub\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Csup\u003E2\u003C/sup\u003E \u003Csub\u003EBureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) 2017, Fuel economy of Australian passenger vehicles — a regional perspective, Information Sheet 91, BITRE, Canberra.\u003C/sub\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n"}},{"organism":"PageTags","model":{"tags":[{"name":"Vehicles","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/tag-search.html?tag=vehicles%3A"},{"name":"Save well","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/tag-search.html?tag=shell%3Abusiness%2Fbusiness-customers%2Fsave-well"}]},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop/page_tags_copy"},{"organism":"PromoSimple.Text","color":"inherited","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop/text_copy_copy_copy_","model":{"text":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Csub\u003EDisclaimer\u003C/sub\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 9.75px; vertical-align: sub;\"\u003E\u003Csup\u003EViva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.\u003C/sup\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n"}}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_copy_copy_cop","model":{}},{"organism":"Container","colspan":4,"children":[{"organism":"PromoSimple.Text","color":"inherited","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop/text","model":{"title":"You may also be interested in"}},{"organism":"Author.Info","color":"inherited","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop/author_copy_copy_cop_856149899","model":{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EBy Shell on July 15, 2024\u003C/p\u003E\r\n","links":[{"name":"Fuel-efficient driving habits: how to stretch your tank on a budget","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/fuel-efficient-driving-habits.html"}],"image":{"src":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/_jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop/author_copy_copy_cop_856149899.shellimg.png/1755067291170/shell-pecten.png","alt":"Shell Pecten","width":2500,"height":1405}}},{"organism":"Author.Info","color":"inherited","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop/author_copy_copy_cop","model":{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EBy Shell on May 15, 2025\u003C/p\u003E\r\n","links":[{"name":"How to prevent and clear foggy car windows","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/how-to-prevent-and-clear-foggy-car-windows.html"}],"image":{"src":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/_jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop/author_copy_copy_cop.shellimg.png/1755067334014/shell-pecten.png","alt":"Shell Pecten","width":2500,"height":1405}}}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section/simple_996584123_cop","model":{}}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main/section","model":{}}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/main","model":{}},{"organism":"Container.Footer","children":[{"organism":"Breadcrumb.Large","model":{"links":[{"name":"Home","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/"},{"name":"Motorists","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists.html"},{"name":"Go Well Content Hub","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub.html"},{"name":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank?","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank.html"}]},"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/footer/breadcrumb"},{"organism":"Container.Raw","ref":"https://www.shell.com.au/_jcr_content/root/footer/inherited.model.json","id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/footer/inherited","model":{}}],"id":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank/jcr_content/root/footer","model":{}}],"id":"/conf/shell/settings/wcm/templates/base/structure/jcr_content/root","model":{}}],"model":{"title":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank?","text":"Wondering if winter is costing you more at the pump? We bust common cold-weather fuel myths and share smart tips to help you save fuel in the final weeks of winter.","date":"2025-08-14T12:30:00Z","links":[{"name":"canonical","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank.html"},{"name":"errorUrl","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/error.html"},{"name":"hierarchy","value":"en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank"},{"name":"homeTitle","value":"Shell Australia"},{"name":"homeUrl","value":"https://www.shell.com.au/"},{"name":"locale","value":"en-AU"},{"name":"title","value":"Mythbusters: Does winter really drain your fuel tank? | Shell Australia"},{"name":"textDirection","value":"ltr"},{"name":"template","value":"base"},{"name":"contentPath","value":"/content/shell/countries/australia/en_au/motorists/go-well-content-hub/mythbusters-does-winter-really-drain-your-fuel-tank"},{"name":"externalDisclaimerText","value":"Shell plc Legal Disclaimer\r\nYou are now leaving the Shell website.\r\nThe link you have selected will direct you to a website that is not controlled by Shell plc or any member of the Shell Group. 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