Better Peak Car ...
Posted on 05/23/2008 11:18:17 AM PDT by newgeezer
Sure you want to save gas, but there's a lot of bad advice on how to do it. Some of it makes no difference, and some of it can wind up costing you.
With gasoline prices hitting record levels, it seems everyone has a tip on how to save fuel. Much of the advice is well-intentioned, but in the end, much of it won't lower your gas bill.
Here's a look at a few misconceptions:
#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning
You may have heard that it's best to fill your gas tank in the early morning while the fuel is cold. The theory goes that fluids are more dense at lower temperatures, so a gallon of cold gas actually has more gas molecules than a gallon of warmer gas.
But the temperature of the gasoline as it comes out of the nozzle varies little during the course of the day, according to Consumer Reports, so there's little, if any, benefit, to getting up early to pump gas.
#2. Change Your Air Filter
Maintaining your car is important, but a clean air filter isn't going to save you any gas. Modern engines have computer sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter chokes off the engine's air supply.
While engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter becomes clogged, a lack of performance or an increase in fuel consumption will be negligible, Consumer Reports says.
#3. Use Premium Fuel
With prices already over $4.00 a gallon, premium gasoline is a hard sell these days. But a lot of drivers think because their owners' manual recommends premium, they'll get better fuel economy if they stick with it. Really, they're paying more money for nothing.
Even cars for which premium is recommended won't suffer with regular fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower - really, you'll never notice - but no reduction in fuel economy.
#4. Pump Up Your Tires
Proper tire inflation is important for a number of reasons. Under-inflated tires are bad for handling and can even cause a crash. Improper tire inflation also causes tires to wear out faster and to heat up more, which could trigger a dangerous high-speed blow-out.
According to on-the-road driving tests by both Consumer Reports and auto information site Edmunds.com, underinflated tires reduce fuel economy, so proper inflation is key.
But you should never over-inflate your tires. They'll get you slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isn't worth the extra mile a gallon you might gain.
#5. To A/C or Not A/C
There's no question air-conditioning makes extra work for the engine, increasing fuel use. But car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. In around-town driving, using the A/C will drop fuel economy by about a mile a gallon.
Meanwhile, driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making A/C use the more efficient choice at high speeds.
At most speeds and in most vehicles, A/C use drains slightly more fuel than driving with the windows down, contends David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. "My final take on is that it's very close," says Phil Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. "It's hard to measure the difference and every vehicle is different."
The best choice - if temperature and humidity allow - is to keep the windows rolled up and to turn the A/C compressor off. You can keep the fans running to blow in air from the outside, but your car will be as aerodynamic as possible while still letting you breathe. You will save gas, but the fuel economy improvement will be slight.
#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-Ins
Before you buy a device that's supposed to make your car more fuel-efficient or pour in an allegedly gas-saving additive, ask yourself this: Don't you think oil and car companies aren't doing everything they can to beat their competitors?
If BP could add something to its gasoline that made cars go farther on a gallon, cars would be lining up at the company's pumps. Sure, people would burn their fuel-saving BP gas more slowly, but then they'd drive right past rivals' gas stations to come back to BP for more. BP stations could even charge more for their gas and still sell tons of the stuff.
So if there really was an additive that made gas burn up more slowly, it wouldn't be sold over the Internet one bottle at a time.
Likewise, car companies are already spending big bucks to increase fuel mileage. If General Motors could make its cars go significantly farther on a gallon simply by putting a device into the fuel line, don't think for a second it wouldn't be doing that. GM's car sales would go through the roof.
"There are a number of these gas-saving devices that are generally useless," says Champion.
But drivers who try them will swear they work. In reality, it's probably an automotive placebo effect, says Reed. Buy one of these devices or additives, and you're like to pay extreme attention to your fuel economy and how you drive.
Of course it can't hurt to keep a close eye on your driving habits -- and what kind of car you drive. In the end, that can make the most difference in saving gas.
Copyrighted, CNNMoney. All Rights Reserved.
Most of those tips are much effort for little results;I once believed those type of articles.
Obviously these people have never been to Alaska 7 months out of the year.
Which brings up an issue - How much gas is wasted waiting in line at drive-thru fast food joints? (Not to mention the exercise lost by not walking in.)
The libs should be moving to ban these windows for everyone soon, regardless of the evidence. But, on an individual initiative level, I wonder if, on average, you save gas if you park and walk in to get your order? I would think the re-starting and backing would use up any gains.
I can see that from a small efficient 4 cylinder like the yaris has. The engine has to make higher rpm’s to compensate for the added drag from the accessories. Where as my 5.3L v8 pickup engine barely gets dinged 1mpg with the AC on and full load on the alternator. typically, a v8 engine creates more torque at idle and under standard load the more vacuum produced with less work on the engine.
Considering the hot summer months, I wouldn’t be too depressed about getting 29/30mpg like your getting. :D
I'd guess the reason the aftermarket mesh tailgate faired better than the factory tailgate was that it saves weight without sacrificing aerodynamics.
Leftists hate premium fuel. "It's no fair you having more horsepower or going faster than me!"
Is higher octane nothing? Doesn't higher octane mean more energy density? Leftists haven't figured out a socially acceptable excuse to hide their envy behind on this one so we're left with a proclamation without explanation.
As I posted in response to the original outdated list (cars have changed a lot in 30 years), if you're looking at idling for more than 30 seconds (or 10 seconds, depending on the car and/or who you believe), you'll be ahead if you shut it off and restart it. Especially if there's any sort of a line at the drive-up window, I have no doubt I'm better off parking it and going inside.
Backing out? Ya got me there. Maybe I'll just tell my wife to push the car out and hop in before I start it. ;)
Without running my A/C and running super unleaded with an ounce and a half of Acetone my gas mileage has increased 25%.
Don’t beleive me? keyword in your search engine “Acetone in gasoline” and see for yourself.
evilsportutegrl (just kidding, I have an Expedition) is correct.
Basically you have three-box aerodynamics (engine/cab/bed) versus two-box aerodynamics (engine/cab) with the tailgate down. Three-box is better. The bed acts as a “box-o-air”, which circulates, but does not significantly trap the slipstream.
Better Peak Car ...
EVEN MORE BETTER PEAK CAR!..............
No. Octane is not a measure of energy. Octane is a measure of resistance to detonation. Lower octane fuel detonates (explodes) easier than higher octane fuel. Higher octane indicates more resistance to (early) detonation.
If a modern, computer-controlled engine requires high-octane fuel—generally due to high compression ratio—it will perform optimally when high-octane fuel is used. When lower-octane fuel is used with such an engine, the engine control computer will retard (delay) the spark to prevent damaging pre-detonation (aka "knock"). Then, peak horsepower will be reduced because the engine is prevented from running at optimum.
There is no benefit to running higher-octane gasoline than recommended by the manufacturer in a properly-tuned engine.
Not only that, it keeps the stuff in the truck. Twice now I have seen stuff fall out of a truck onto the highway. One episode involved yellow paint splattering on my car. Both trucks had down tailgates.
I'm with you. Until gas prices come down I'm only driving down hill.
No, higher octane means it burns slower. Higher octane fuel is more resistant to combustion than low octane fuel. That's why high-octane fuel resists 'knocking' in your engine. You will actually get lower gas mileage from high octane if your engine runs fine on regular. All this is true for light-throttle driving.
If you are towing or driving for performance and your engine has the compression ratio and computerized-tuning capability, high-octane will give you more power and better performance because once your engine starts 'knocking' on low-octane fuel, it loses power and starts to damage parts. That's why higher-octane produces more power. But only if your engine is designed for it (high compression and computer-capable). Like a Corvette.
High-octane in a Taurus that runs fine on regular is a waste of money.
Oh yeah? I could care less. /s
May dad told me to put an imaginary egg under your foot and drive so that you won’t break it.
But that’s the stretch limo version, got any pix of the compact model?
Still even more better peak car! ...
This steam powered monster gets more than 1,000 miles per load!
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