When the cold weather hits, fuel economy inevitably takes a dive. Lower temperatures impact gas mileage in a number of ways, including winter gasoline blends, lower intake air temperatures, longer engine warm-up times (to reach optimum efficiency), increased air conditioner use (with defrosters), and idling. Keeping your car in a garage will help decrease warm-up time, as can an engine block heater. A grill blocker can help keep under hood temperatures up while you’re driving in the coldest weather. But the biggest trick is keeping the driver warm while reducing the amount of idling at start-up and throughout the day.
I’m testing a Milwaukee Tools M12 heated hoodie this winter, to see if I can reduce idling. I’ve posted the first part of a two-part video review:
The Milwaukee Tools M12 heated hoodie uses a 12-volt lithium ion battery pack to power carbon-fiber heating elements across the chest and back. The hoodie has three power settings and can run for six hours on its lowest setting. The mid-weight fabric is a cotton/polyester blend, with a soft waffle texture on the lining. To ensure you’re getting the best price, check eBay for deals on the (Last year’s version can be a LOT less expensive than the current version!)
No one likes to get into a freezing cold car. My plan is to decrease the amount of time spent warming up the car in the morning. The heated hoodie – along with a winter hat and gloves – should keep me warm, but defrosting the windows is the big question mark. I’m hoping that Gel Gloss No Streek Window Cleaner Wax will reduce deicing times.
While heated seats are one of my favorite options, neither of my cars are currently equipped with seat heaters. I’m hoping to add a set of aftermarket seat heaters to the Sparco R100 bucket seats in my 1999 Honda Civic HX Coupe project car (a.k.a. Slambo) at some point down the road, when time and finances allow.
It’s been abnormally warm this fall here in New Jersey, so I haven’t had the chance to test the Milwaukee M12 Heated Hoodie in seriously cold weather yet. I’ll update this post with results, along with the second part of the video review. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: Milwaukee Tools sent the Heated Hoodie for review purposes. This blog post and the video review are not sponsored. The Amazon and eBay links are affiliate links. Thank you for supporting what we do!
– by Daniel Gray