Hooray! Summer's coming and we can all get out more and frolic on beaches, mountain trails and whatever else comes to mind. Oh no! Experts are predicting that gas prices could hit $3.50 during the summer.

What do we do? Should we go buy fifty-gallon barrels and fill them with fuel before the prices skyrocket?

Not a bad idea, but perhaps a little extreme.

So first off, let's try not to let our love for our vehicles overcome our good sense and frugality. Second, don't worry, your car gets better gas mileage in the summer than it does in the winter. It's true! Here's why:

Reason number one: there's less humidity in the air (usually). Of course this won't necessarily be the case if you live near the Gulf Coast.

But anyway, gas does not absorb so much moisture during these warm times. Waht is more, fuel lines don't fill up so much with condensation in the warm weather. This means that your gas is free to function at the top of its game, with no water getting in the way or slowing it down. Your cylinders will fire more efficiently and your car will even respond better than it does in the cold.

Isn't that wonderful?

Reason number two: cars run better and more efficiently when their engines are warm. During the winter, your car has to run for a good chunk of time before it hits this optimum temperature. But when the warm weather rolls in, your car's sitting temperature is pretty close to that optimum temperature already. Thus, your vehicle does not need to warm up for such a long time. In this way, it does not need to burn so much fuel.

The result of these wonderful warm-weather miracles? Better mileage. Which means that the huge gas bills you will be facing as you tool around the countryside will be somewhat offset by your car's efficient running.

Something else to consider, to help you get over the gas pump shock, is that when it's warmer, you won't feel like you need to drive everywhere. You could grab your bike or even walk. You won't be so dependant on your car's heating system to keep comfortable, so this should also reduce your gas consumption. And any thing you can do to reduce your gas consumption is a good thing, right?

Now don't you feel better?

Learn more about this author, Jared Garrett.
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