Fuel Efficiency
As long as a barrel of oil continues to hover around the $100 mark we are not going see any relief at the pump. Many people will look for ways to improve their fuel efficiency and probably end up wasting money in the process. So, here are a few tips that can help you make the most of a tank of gas.
Gimmicks
First, there is no miracle gadget, bottle, or other product that will make your car get more miles per gallon! Sorry. A few years ago CNN hooked up with Popular Mechanics magazine took a handful of products to Universal Technical Institute in Houston, TX.
They tried a magnet set up that wrapped around the fuel line and claimed to ‘align the fuel molecules’ entering the fuel rail so your fuel would burn more efficiently. Don’t know exactly what the magnets did but there was a10% loss in the vehicles fuel mileage.
They also tried a small fan item, looked like someone had got bored with an empty beer can, that is placed between the air filter and the throttle body, the Tornado. Just an obstruction, fuel mileage dropped nearly a mile per gallon! They removed the Tornado and, you guessed it, fuel mileage went back up.
Out of everything they tried, the only improvement came from ensuring the tires on the vehicle were inflated to the proper level, they averaged 10% improvement across the vehicles.
Read full article at CNN.com
Common Sense & Maintenance
*Aggressive driving habit will cause you to lose the most fuel efficiency. Fast acceleration and hard braking will consume that tank of gas faster than anything. Most cars attain best fuel efficiency range between 30 – 60mph.
*Maintain your vehicles regular service intervals. Keeping up with the scheduled maintenance will help keep your vehicle running well and help find issues or concerns before they turn into problems.
*Change your air filter, you can do this yourself! You don’t need to pay someone else to do it for you. Air filters range from $10 to $50 and more, but if you buy the filter, a few clips pop off to give you access. I try to change mine with every other oil change.
*MythBusters recently did an experiment where they drove 2 identical vehicles with exactly 5 gallons of gas in each at 45 and proved it is better to drive with your windows down than with your air conditioning on, over 45 it was better to use you’re a/c.
Hope some of this will be useful to you, you can read more at the following links.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }