4 Ways Cold Weather Affects Gas Mileage of Your Mini Cooper

MINI is a British car manufacturer which was acquired by BMW in 2000. It has been manufacturing some of the most popular small cars. Mini Cooper has emerged as one of the top-rated subcompact cars due to its energetic engine, upscale interior, easy to use infotainment system, and very attractive exterior design. Mini Cooper offers a wide range of powerful engines starting from 134-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine to 301-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. Moreover, it also offers a standard 6-speed manual transmission and 7-speed automatic transmission. Driving such a unique vehicle with such a powerful engine and efficient transmission could make your driving experience really fun.

Cold weather could damage some of the most sensitive components of your Mini Cooper. So, you should be aware of basic preventive car maintenance tricks to minimize the impacts of cold weather on your Mini. The extremely cold temperature could damage the battery and other vital hardware of your Mini Cooper which might cost you a lot. Moreover, the performance and gas mileage of a vehicle declines significantly during the winter months. So, take suitable precautionary measures to keep the crucial components of your Mini Cooper in its top order. Moreover, efforts should also be made to get better fuel economy during the winter months. Let us discuss the impacts of cold weather on the gas mileage of your Mini Cooper.

What causes poor gas mileage in cold weather?

The engine of your Mini Cooper works hard during the winter months and thus consumes more fuel than normal. Moreover, several other factors like low tire pressure, viscous lubricants, and damaged battery not only affects the performance of your vehicle but also have negative impacts on the gas mileage of your Mini.

Thick driveline fluids:

The engine, transmission, and other vital components of your Mini Cooper need an adequate amount of lubricant to stay operational. Lubricant not only minimizes friction within those components but also keep those components cool by absorbing the heat generated due to friction. However, the viscosity of the lubricants used in your Mini increases during cold weather which not only affects the performance of your vehicle but also adversely affects its gas mileage. So, use suitable lubricants recommended for cold weather.

Battery failure:

The battery is responsible for powering the ignition system, starter motor, lights, and different types of electronics of your Mini Cooper. However, cold weather could cause physical as well as chemical damages to the battery which could cause power disruption in your vehicle. Different components of the ignition system including spark plugs rely on the battery to stay operational. Disruption in the power supply due to battery failure would adversely affect the performance as well as the gas mileage of your Mini Cooper. So, check the battery of your vehicle prior to the arrival of cold weather. If the battery is weak or damaged, then replace it immediately to ensure a continuous power supply.

Loss of traction:

Heavy snowfall and icy road in winter not only have negative impacts on the performance and fuel economy of your vehicle but also could cause fatal road accidents which might cost you your life. It is really difficult to generate better traction on an icy road as a result of which the engine of your vehicle has to work harder and thus consumes more fuel. Use of low tread tires during cold weather could be dangerous. So, measure the tread depth regularly and replace the tires with low tread depth. Besides, use winter tires to generate a better grip on an icy road. Moreover, the use of underinflated tires also has a negative influence on the gas mileage of your Mini Cooper. So, check the tire pressure regularly.

Higher aerodynamic drag:

Environmental temperature declines rapidly during the winter months as a result of which air becomes denser. Dense air increases aerodynamic drag on your Mini Cooper which would ultimately affect its gas mileage.

Endnote

Cold weather could kill the engine of your Mini Cooper in the middle of nowhere. Moreover, it also negatively affects the performance as well as the gas mileage of your vehicle. Moreover, loss of traction on the icy road and low visibility could also lead to fatal road accidents which could be fatal. So, take suitable precautionary measures to minimize the impacts of cold weather on your Mini Cooper.

Louden motorcars have been providing car service and repair only to the owners of BMW, MINI, Mercedes and Porsche for the last 40 years in and around Dallas. We are rated among the top 10 shops in the U.S.