The biggest winter energy myth: That you need to idle your car before driving

During the 1980s and into the early 1990s, however, the auto industry did away with carburetors in favor of electronic fuel injection, which uses sensors to supply fuel to the engine and get the right air and fuel mix. This makes the problem of warming up the car before driving irrelevant, because the sensors monitor and adjust to temperature conditions.

Another big myth, at least based on how I’ve seen people drive, is that it’s a good idea to spin your tires to get traction. But since the coefficient of sliding friction is lower than that for static friction, once the slipping begins, you’ve lost. You should ease off the gas and start over.