Sky-high petrol/gas and diesel prices can be avoided by following a new concept which allows your car to run on water. Yes, you heard correctly, water! The concept involves you carrying out a few simple do-it-yourself steps to modifying your existing car, enabling your car to use the atomic power of hydrogen in the water as its' main source of engine power.
Here are the facts:
You can safely convert your car yourself, using existing household tools and materials from any local hardware store.
The conversion process is 100% reversible so won't affect your car manufacturer's warranty.
Using water to operate electric/mechanical devices was demonstrated at the 2008 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, with a new water-based laptop charger.
1000's of cars have already been modified to run on water.
Running your car on water increases your travelling distances by 40%-50% in comparison to petrol/gas or diesel.
Using the hydrogen in water as your car engine's power supply makes your car much more friendly on the environment.
You can make money by legally charging people to convert their cars, once you've converted your own.
The process is 100% safe because the hydrogen is only created when needed, as opposed to large quantities of hydrogen being compressed, which may become flammable.
Save money and "make money" when you learn how to modify your car to accept water as fuel. Not only will your new fuel supply last twice as long, the cost of it will be slashed, saving you thousands per year. Once you've modified the cars of your close friends and family, news of your expertise may prompt their friends to pay you to modify their cars as well, knowing it will save them money in the long run.
Download your very own do-it-yourself car conversion guide from driveyourcarwithwater.co.uk and learn how you can modify your car to run on water.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mason_Ifejika
Showing posts with label save gas from the pump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save gas from the pump. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Monday, 19 April 2010
Do Forecourts Encourage Petrol Theft? Stealing Petrol is on the Increase
You are sitting in a pub and someone suggests they can fill your car up to the brim with petrol for £20.00. How come it is so cheap, they might tell you " We work for vehicle transporters and need to empty petrol tanks for safety". You personally may not buy this generous offer of a tank full of petrol but someone will and thousands probably do.
How do they really do it? - They take your car and stick on some false number plates and pop into your friendly local filling station or garage and fill up YOUR car. They know where the CCTV camera is and are skilled in not getting caught on camera. Hoods are great camera shelters! Your car is full of petrol and it has transformed itself into a 'get away' car or some boy racers' lethal weapon.
These modern day 'Robin Hood' types seem to think that apart from lining their pockets ( to buy drugs probably ) they are helping the man in the street by filling his car with cheap petrol.
When they decide not to do the pub rounds because they have sufficient funds until the next day, they may choose to steal a car, in fact we don't know for sure whether they cut a duplicate key from your car whilst they where helping you!
Imagine waking up in the morning to find your car ... and your cheap fuel gone.
The nightmare begins. They are in a stolen car full of stolen petrol, who knows what havoc they are about to create?. Death and carnage could be the result of their fix.
Whilst I was sitting in my local petrol station, I watched innocent people going about their business. Children and elderly buying treats from the mini-mart whilst business people and parents were putting petrol in their cars and vans. I saw a car screech out, I doubt if fuel had been stolen because nothing else happened, having said that, we don't know what the company rules are or indeed the procedure in relation to the theft of petrol. Do they just call the police with as much information as possible .. or get on the their job because when the police arrive, there is nobody else to deal with the police. This means they lose far more money closing down whilst the police take statements etc, than the actual stolen petrol.
Do they bang a big red button, which in turn records the vehicle and notifies the police? But all that aside, a child or granny could have been killed. The police are now in pursuit ... it doesn't bear thinking what could happen next.
A multiple collision on the motorway, a crowd at a bus stop mowed down - because the thieves naturally want to escape arrest.
My thoughts turned to a system that could prevent the theft of petrol. In essence if something was in place to stop cars from leaving, and it was obvious that such barriers were in situ, this event probably would not exist. Bank robbery is now rare because of the CCTV and those guillotine like shutters that drop down like a thunder bolt. Okay, I accept that barriers and shutters are a total inconvenience to the 99.9% of people who pay for their petrol and are out of the question. Then I remembered an article that the Customs and Excise had fitted something called 'CatsClaw" at the docks in Dover.
I embarked upon a mission, I searched for the system and the Customs people where more than happy to boast of their new weapon to stop drivers speeding off when passengers were asked to stop for a search. The device is set into the road and operated remotely by an officer. When activated, blades deflate all tyres and immobilise the vehicle.... Simple !! Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me where I could get more information, security reasons you know.
If it is good enough for our Ports, Docks and Harbours, should we want to know why the big petrol filling stations aren't using it.?
If I were in their shoes I would say that it is better to allow someone to drive off than detain a raging bull but if they knew Catsclaw was in operation then they wouldn't steal petrol in the first place. What does it take?
A channel across the exit route for the catsclaw to remain safe until activated and some effective signage.
Obviously thieves would look for other exits and some outdoor landscaping would easily fill those.
We all want to protect our family and friends from lunatics driving with stolen petrol and I don't want my petrol bills increased to pay for the cost of stolen petrol. I want the petrol stations to act now!
pyZc_H88ghdJkBJ7
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Digby_Farquart
How do they really do it? - They take your car and stick on some false number plates and pop into your friendly local filling station or garage and fill up YOUR car. They know where the CCTV camera is and are skilled in not getting caught on camera. Hoods are great camera shelters! Your car is full of petrol and it has transformed itself into a 'get away' car or some boy racers' lethal weapon.
These modern day 'Robin Hood' types seem to think that apart from lining their pockets ( to buy drugs probably ) they are helping the man in the street by filling his car with cheap petrol.
When they decide not to do the pub rounds because they have sufficient funds until the next day, they may choose to steal a car, in fact we don't know for sure whether they cut a duplicate key from your car whilst they where helping you!
Imagine waking up in the morning to find your car ... and your cheap fuel gone.
The nightmare begins. They are in a stolen car full of stolen petrol, who knows what havoc they are about to create?. Death and carnage could be the result of their fix.
Whilst I was sitting in my local petrol station, I watched innocent people going about their business. Children and elderly buying treats from the mini-mart whilst business people and parents were putting petrol in their cars and vans. I saw a car screech out, I doubt if fuel had been stolen because nothing else happened, having said that, we don't know what the company rules are or indeed the procedure in relation to the theft of petrol. Do they just call the police with as much information as possible .. or get on the their job because when the police arrive, there is nobody else to deal with the police. This means they lose far more money closing down whilst the police take statements etc, than the actual stolen petrol.
Do they bang a big red button, which in turn records the vehicle and notifies the police? But all that aside, a child or granny could have been killed. The police are now in pursuit ... it doesn't bear thinking what could happen next.
A multiple collision on the motorway, a crowd at a bus stop mowed down - because the thieves naturally want to escape arrest.
My thoughts turned to a system that could prevent the theft of petrol. In essence if something was in place to stop cars from leaving, and it was obvious that such barriers were in situ, this event probably would not exist. Bank robbery is now rare because of the CCTV and those guillotine like shutters that drop down like a thunder bolt. Okay, I accept that barriers and shutters are a total inconvenience to the 99.9% of people who pay for their petrol and are out of the question. Then I remembered an article that the Customs and Excise had fitted something called 'CatsClaw" at the docks in Dover.
I embarked upon a mission, I searched for the system and the Customs people where more than happy to boast of their new weapon to stop drivers speeding off when passengers were asked to stop for a search. The device is set into the road and operated remotely by an officer. When activated, blades deflate all tyres and immobilise the vehicle.... Simple !! Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me where I could get more information, security reasons you know.
If it is good enough for our Ports, Docks and Harbours, should we want to know why the big petrol filling stations aren't using it.?
If I were in their shoes I would say that it is better to allow someone to drive off than detain a raging bull but if they knew Catsclaw was in operation then they wouldn't steal petrol in the first place. What does it take?
A channel across the exit route for the catsclaw to remain safe until activated and some effective signage.
Obviously thieves would look for other exits and some outdoor landscaping would easily fill those.
We all want to protect our family and friends from lunatics driving with stolen petrol and I don't want my petrol bills increased to pay for the cost of stolen petrol. I want the petrol stations to act now!
pyZc_H88ghdJkBJ7
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Digby_Farquart
Sunday, 18 April 2010
How to Save Gas and Money With Proven Techniques
Saving gas has become more than a nice way to economize; it has become a top priority with prices of gasoline and greenhouse emissions being what they are. As someone who managed multiple gas stations for one of the largest oil companies in the world, and as an ASE certified owner of an auto repair shop, I heard nearly every question on how to save gas and money you could possibly imagine. More importantly, I learned what works and what doesn't. As a result, I get 41 miles per gallon, highway, on a car that is EPA rated for 36 miles per gallon. When my wife drives the same car with all else being the same she gets 33 miles to the gallon.
1. Does filling up in the morning really save gas?
Absolutely! Gasoline expands and contracts with temperature changes. A tank can show 20 gallons of gasoline in the morning, have some gasoline taken out, and yet still show the same level of gasoline in the afternoon! Here's the thing; gas is sold by volume, so one gallon of cold gas will give the mileage of perhaps 1.1 gallons of warm gas (by way of example), but you're paying for just one gallon! Leave the house a little early and fill your tank up in the early morning when it's the coolest. And, of course, look for the lowest prices at REPUTABLE filling stations. A clean exterior usually means clean gasoline.
2. Does topping off the tank more often when prices are going up save gas and money?
What it does is save money ON gas. This may be hard to understand, but here goes: When evaluating any inventory that you are depleting, you want to take into account the cost of replacing that inventory. Suppose you use a gallon a day, you have a 22 gallon tank, and prices go up an average of one cent a day. Hopefully you're never letting the tank get lower than the last two gallons, so you go twenty gallons between refills. If you wait the full twenty days to fill up, you will spend 20 cents more per gallon, equaling an extra $4.00. But, if you'd been topping off each day, instead of 20 cents more for each gallon you will have paid one cent extra the first day, 2 cents extra the second day, etc., until at the end of the same twenty-day period you find that you've spent only $2.10 extra FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF GAS! That may not sound like much, but multiply that out for the year and it adds up. Furthermore, ask yourself this: If you were told by a gas station attendant that the pumps on the left would give you the same amount of gas but would cost you almost $2.00 less per fill-up than using the pumps on the right, which pumps would you use? Of course, the opposite holds true when prices are going down. In that case, which is all too rare, you would save money by waiting until you're nearly empty because each day that passes yields greater savings in cost per gallon.
3. Does proper tire inflation really save gas?
Not only does proper tire inflation save money on gas, but it can also save your life. Improper inflation is a leading cause of tire failure, but we're not talking about getting a flat tire - we're talking about catastrophic tire failure, where the tire explodes, disintegrates, or plain comes off of the rim while you're driving. Remember the Firestone/Ford debacle? Firestone's claim was that Ford was not using the originally recommended tire pressure, causing some serious accidents. That said, underinflated tires put more rubber on the pavement, increasing road friction, AND hindering the tire's ability to dissipate the heat from road friction, which causes a vicious cycle of creating even more friction and heat. The friction will hurt your fuel economy and the heat will hurt your tires - which in turn may hurt you if the tire fails.
4. I understand a dirty air filter hurting fuel economy, but doesn't a dirty fuel filter make your car use LESS gas?
Lessening the amount of gas to increase fuel economy may make sense intuitively, but that's not how to save gas and money! Keep in mind that intuition tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones, and Galileo proved that wrong hundreds of years ago. What actually happens is that a clogged fuel filter causes a leaner fuel mixture. That will make the combustion of the air-fuel mixture LESS efficient as it gets worse. Why? Without getting too much into chemistry, the fact is that gasoline burns best at the correct ratio of air to gasoline (14.7 pounds of air to each pound of gasoline). Not enough air causes inefficiency as does too much air. One of the clues a mechanic picks up on a car with too lean a fuel mixture is a high hydrocarbon and high oxygen reading of the exhaust fumes. Hydrocarbons are unburned gasoline resulting from the misfire caused, in this case, by not enough gasoline in ratio to the oxygen. In plain English, the engine now has to work harder to give the same amount of power. That always hurts fuel economy.
5. Can I save gas by opening the windows instead of running the air conditioner?
Sort of, maybe, but actually no. Assuming you're travelling at highway speeds, recent studies have shown that modern cars, with much more efficient air conditioners than their predecessors had, actually show very little, if any, difference in fuel economy between running the A/C and having the windows open - both shave off about 2% to 3%, assuming everything is in proper working order. This was NOT true for trucks, SUV's and other larger vehicles. Larger vehicles got WORSE fuel economy in these tests with the windows open than with the A/C on, likely because of the much greater interior volume acting almost like a parachute with such vehicles. Of course, you save the most gas and money by driving with the windows closed and the A/C off, but that's not always possible.
6. Should I leave the car on if I'll be idling less than three minutes since it takes even more gas to start the car?
Not anymore. Actually, that three minute figure was a rough approximation, at best. In any case, modern cars - many going back to the early 1980's and late 1970's - have computer-controlled fuel injection, making the amount of fuel required to restart a warm engine equal to as little as 30 seconds of idling. Clearly, letting the car idle for even as little as three minutes is not how to save gas and money. If you know it's going to be a few minutes and you're not in traffic you'd do better to shut the engine off. Additionally, modern cars don't need a warm-up period of more than about thirty seconds when cold starting - unless you're in extreme cold where you probably want to get a block warmer.
7. I keep seeing mechanical gadgets that are supposed to save money on gas. Do they work?
I've seen all kinds of gizmos and I'm sorry to say that, while many of them make sense on paper, most of them don't seem to work. I also have to admit that a lot of the problem is that people were trying to find a way around fixing important mechanical failures. Always keep your vehicle in good repair (one of the best ways to save gas and money in the long run) -- attaching some additional device to an engine with weak compression or some other defect is not likely to deliver favorable results. It's like trying to use a squirt gun to put out a major forest fire. As for cars that ARE in good repair, some things may work, but if your car is under warranty you need to be careful that the gadget does not void the warranty. Right now I'm following the "hydrogen from water" concept, where the car's electricity is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then drawn into the air intake. I've seen some impressive demos of them even being used by government agencies. I'm looking to install one myself.
8. Do additives save gas?
That's a broad subject. The broad answer is yes - depending upon the situation (please avoid fighting forest fires with squirt guns!). Brand-name additives for cleaning fuel injectors are generally effective in that dirty injectors and valves most definitely will hurt fuel economy. As a matter of fact, on older cars I was often able to save my customers a lot of money on carburetor overhauls by running a very high concentration of injector cleaner through the system. Obviously this was not for carburetors that had mechanical, "hard parts" failures. With newer cars you need to be careful and, with just about any car from the 1980's on up, make sure that any product that will pass through the intake and exhaust system is sensor safe! Also, rather than use premium gas on a car that doesn't call for it, I recommend using regular gas and pouring a bottle of injector cleaner in with a fill-up every two months or so, depending upon how much driving you do.
9. What about oil additives?
That's a highly conditional "Yes". There is the old stand-by, Marvel Mystery Oil, which many mechanics will tell you is really transmission fluid. Marvel Mystery Oil does two basic things: First, when added to your gasoline it burns off carbon build-up in the combustion chamber, thereby reducing pre-ignition. If you do this and see smoke coming from your tailpipe you either used too much or you most definitely DID have carbon buildup, meaning the temporary smoke caused by burned-off carbon was a good thing! Before detergent motor oils came along you used to have to "de-coke" your engine on a regular basis - same basic thing. Second, when added to your oil it provides an extra bit of cushioning and lubrication for your valves and valve stems. In either case, these situations should not be an issue on newer cars. STP Oil Treatment is good in that it is a viscosity index improver. Do NOT disregard the directions on the label as it will end up being similar to using too high of a viscosity motor oil. STP also helps reduce engine wear by leaving a protective film for when you start the engine, when most engine wear takes place since normally there isn't as much oil pressure at that time.
10. Do those oil additives with PTFE help save gas?
Yes, but according to study after study, only while it or its residue is present in the engine. PTFE undoubtedly does reduce friction. What is in doubt is the ability to get it to actually bond to engine parts. It takes extremely high temperatures to get PTFE to bond to metal - temperatures you don't get except perhaps in the combustion chamber itself, thereby excluding all of the bearings, the cam shaft(s), rocker arms, valve stems, lifters... well, you get the picture. But while the additive is still in your engine it DOES provide better protection. It's expensive to add that to every oil change, but for a collectible car you may want to go with it, though saving gas doesn't usually go hand-in-hand with driving a collectible.
11. The owner's manual says I only have to change the oil every 7,500 miles. Is my mechanic trying to pull one over on me when he recommends every 3,000 miles, or will I get better gas mileage this way?
You will get better gas mileage - especially in the long run. Frequent oil changes will help prevent engine wear and sludge, both of which will kill engine efficiency as they get worse. As for the discrepancy in recommended oil change intervals, they're both correct. How so? If you read the owner's manual carefully, as in the fine print, you'll find something to the effect that for hard or heavy duty you should use the shorter interval. Here's the issue: what constitutes heavy duty? Heat, cold, dust, humidity, stop and go traffic... I don't know about you, but I can't think of ANY place that doesn't have any of those conditions! So why do they print that in the manual? They want to be able to report a low cost of operation while giving you a realistic guideline. Go with 3,000 miles unless you're using synthetic oil. And, yes, synthetic is better and I would strongly suggest you continue using it in cars that call for it in the owner's manual. And use the manufacturer's recommended viscosity of oil. That, too, can make a difference in fuel economy and warranty coverage.
12. Do driving habits really save gas?
Well, yes -- if they're good ones! This is exactly why I get around eight more miles per gallon of gas than my wife does with the same car! Taking off from a red light gradually, not too slowly, but not jack-rabbit starting, makes a TREMENDOUS difference in the amount of energy used. Moreover, you always want to be in the highest gear at any given speed that is safe for the given road and traffic conditions. At 45 miles per hour on level ground I will be using fifth gear while my wife will be in third, MAYBE fourth, gear. I don't blame her - she's used to driving an ambulance, where the priority is saving lives, not gasoline. You don't drive a stick shift? Well, this still applies to you in the sense that most automatic transmission drivers don't realize that very often the car will not shift into the next highest gear because they're giving the engine just a slight bit more gas than needed. Once you've reached your desired speed lightly lift your gas pedal just a bit and you'll often feel the car shift into the higher gear, thereby using less gasoline to travel at the same speed. This is especially true at around 38-45 miles per hour, depending upon the transmission and driving conditions. Also remember this little rule: Every time you are pressing the brake you are wasting the gas that you used to get up to that speed. Obviously, that's not always true, but it does increase your awareness of driving too fast (you can virtually always lower your speed to save gas so long as you drive safely and above the MINIMUM speed limit). Look ahead so that you can just let up on the gas pedal, rather than having to go hard on the brakes. You also may want to take a look in your trunk to make sure you're not carrying around useless extra weight. I helped one man save a lot of money on gas by pointing out that when test-driving his car it felt like something very heavy was in the trunk. His jaw dropped as he remembered that his deceased mother's china was in there - inside a cedar chest! No word on whether anything got broken...
My intention in writing this article was to provide techniques to save gas and money and also give the reader an insight into why these techniques work. These are probably the most important pointers on saving gas that I, my friends, and my customers put into use. Drive safely and wisely!
Hi, I'm James Patrickson. If you'd like more information on saving gas please feel free to read my blog at http://faq-saving-money-on-gas.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Patrickson
1. Does filling up in the morning really save gas?
Absolutely! Gasoline expands and contracts with temperature changes. A tank can show 20 gallons of gasoline in the morning, have some gasoline taken out, and yet still show the same level of gasoline in the afternoon! Here's the thing; gas is sold by volume, so one gallon of cold gas will give the mileage of perhaps 1.1 gallons of warm gas (by way of example), but you're paying for just one gallon! Leave the house a little early and fill your tank up in the early morning when it's the coolest. And, of course, look for the lowest prices at REPUTABLE filling stations. A clean exterior usually means clean gasoline.
2. Does topping off the tank more often when prices are going up save gas and money?
What it does is save money ON gas. This may be hard to understand, but here goes: When evaluating any inventory that you are depleting, you want to take into account the cost of replacing that inventory. Suppose you use a gallon a day, you have a 22 gallon tank, and prices go up an average of one cent a day. Hopefully you're never letting the tank get lower than the last two gallons, so you go twenty gallons between refills. If you wait the full twenty days to fill up, you will spend 20 cents more per gallon, equaling an extra $4.00. But, if you'd been topping off each day, instead of 20 cents more for each gallon you will have paid one cent extra the first day, 2 cents extra the second day, etc., until at the end of the same twenty-day period you find that you've spent only $2.10 extra FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF GAS! That may not sound like much, but multiply that out for the year and it adds up. Furthermore, ask yourself this: If you were told by a gas station attendant that the pumps on the left would give you the same amount of gas but would cost you almost $2.00 less per fill-up than using the pumps on the right, which pumps would you use? Of course, the opposite holds true when prices are going down. In that case, which is all too rare, you would save money by waiting until you're nearly empty because each day that passes yields greater savings in cost per gallon.
3. Does proper tire inflation really save gas?
Not only does proper tire inflation save money on gas, but it can also save your life. Improper inflation is a leading cause of tire failure, but we're not talking about getting a flat tire - we're talking about catastrophic tire failure, where the tire explodes, disintegrates, or plain comes off of the rim while you're driving. Remember the Firestone/Ford debacle? Firestone's claim was that Ford was not using the originally recommended tire pressure, causing some serious accidents. That said, underinflated tires put more rubber on the pavement, increasing road friction, AND hindering the tire's ability to dissipate the heat from road friction, which causes a vicious cycle of creating even more friction and heat. The friction will hurt your fuel economy and the heat will hurt your tires - which in turn may hurt you if the tire fails.
4. I understand a dirty air filter hurting fuel economy, but doesn't a dirty fuel filter make your car use LESS gas?
Lessening the amount of gas to increase fuel economy may make sense intuitively, but that's not how to save gas and money! Keep in mind that intuition tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones, and Galileo proved that wrong hundreds of years ago. What actually happens is that a clogged fuel filter causes a leaner fuel mixture. That will make the combustion of the air-fuel mixture LESS efficient as it gets worse. Why? Without getting too much into chemistry, the fact is that gasoline burns best at the correct ratio of air to gasoline (14.7 pounds of air to each pound of gasoline). Not enough air causes inefficiency as does too much air. One of the clues a mechanic picks up on a car with too lean a fuel mixture is a high hydrocarbon and high oxygen reading of the exhaust fumes. Hydrocarbons are unburned gasoline resulting from the misfire caused, in this case, by not enough gasoline in ratio to the oxygen. In plain English, the engine now has to work harder to give the same amount of power. That always hurts fuel economy.
5. Can I save gas by opening the windows instead of running the air conditioner?
Sort of, maybe, but actually no. Assuming you're travelling at highway speeds, recent studies have shown that modern cars, with much more efficient air conditioners than their predecessors had, actually show very little, if any, difference in fuel economy between running the A/C and having the windows open - both shave off about 2% to 3%, assuming everything is in proper working order. This was NOT true for trucks, SUV's and other larger vehicles. Larger vehicles got WORSE fuel economy in these tests with the windows open than with the A/C on, likely because of the much greater interior volume acting almost like a parachute with such vehicles. Of course, you save the most gas and money by driving with the windows closed and the A/C off, but that's not always possible.
6. Should I leave the car on if I'll be idling less than three minutes since it takes even more gas to start the car?
Not anymore. Actually, that three minute figure was a rough approximation, at best. In any case, modern cars - many going back to the early 1980's and late 1970's - have computer-controlled fuel injection, making the amount of fuel required to restart a warm engine equal to as little as 30 seconds of idling. Clearly, letting the car idle for even as little as three minutes is not how to save gas and money. If you know it's going to be a few minutes and you're not in traffic you'd do better to shut the engine off. Additionally, modern cars don't need a warm-up period of more than about thirty seconds when cold starting - unless you're in extreme cold where you probably want to get a block warmer.
7. I keep seeing mechanical gadgets that are supposed to save money on gas. Do they work?
I've seen all kinds of gizmos and I'm sorry to say that, while many of them make sense on paper, most of them don't seem to work. I also have to admit that a lot of the problem is that people were trying to find a way around fixing important mechanical failures. Always keep your vehicle in good repair (one of the best ways to save gas and money in the long run) -- attaching some additional device to an engine with weak compression or some other defect is not likely to deliver favorable results. It's like trying to use a squirt gun to put out a major forest fire. As for cars that ARE in good repair, some things may work, but if your car is under warranty you need to be careful that the gadget does not void the warranty. Right now I'm following the "hydrogen from water" concept, where the car's electricity is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then drawn into the air intake. I've seen some impressive demos of them even being used by government agencies. I'm looking to install one myself.
8. Do additives save gas?
That's a broad subject. The broad answer is yes - depending upon the situation (please avoid fighting forest fires with squirt guns!). Brand-name additives for cleaning fuel injectors are generally effective in that dirty injectors and valves most definitely will hurt fuel economy. As a matter of fact, on older cars I was often able to save my customers a lot of money on carburetor overhauls by running a very high concentration of injector cleaner through the system. Obviously this was not for carburetors that had mechanical, "hard parts" failures. With newer cars you need to be careful and, with just about any car from the 1980's on up, make sure that any product that will pass through the intake and exhaust system is sensor safe! Also, rather than use premium gas on a car that doesn't call for it, I recommend using regular gas and pouring a bottle of injector cleaner in with a fill-up every two months or so, depending upon how much driving you do.
9. What about oil additives?
That's a highly conditional "Yes". There is the old stand-by, Marvel Mystery Oil, which many mechanics will tell you is really transmission fluid. Marvel Mystery Oil does two basic things: First, when added to your gasoline it burns off carbon build-up in the combustion chamber, thereby reducing pre-ignition. If you do this and see smoke coming from your tailpipe you either used too much or you most definitely DID have carbon buildup, meaning the temporary smoke caused by burned-off carbon was a good thing! Before detergent motor oils came along you used to have to "de-coke" your engine on a regular basis - same basic thing. Second, when added to your oil it provides an extra bit of cushioning and lubrication for your valves and valve stems. In either case, these situations should not be an issue on newer cars. STP Oil Treatment is good in that it is a viscosity index improver. Do NOT disregard the directions on the label as it will end up being similar to using too high of a viscosity motor oil. STP also helps reduce engine wear by leaving a protective film for when you start the engine, when most engine wear takes place since normally there isn't as much oil pressure at that time.
10. Do those oil additives with PTFE help save gas?
Yes, but according to study after study, only while it or its residue is present in the engine. PTFE undoubtedly does reduce friction. What is in doubt is the ability to get it to actually bond to engine parts. It takes extremely high temperatures to get PTFE to bond to metal - temperatures you don't get except perhaps in the combustion chamber itself, thereby excluding all of the bearings, the cam shaft(s), rocker arms, valve stems, lifters... well, you get the picture. But while the additive is still in your engine it DOES provide better protection. It's expensive to add that to every oil change, but for a collectible car you may want to go with it, though saving gas doesn't usually go hand-in-hand with driving a collectible.
11. The owner's manual says I only have to change the oil every 7,500 miles. Is my mechanic trying to pull one over on me when he recommends every 3,000 miles, or will I get better gas mileage this way?
You will get better gas mileage - especially in the long run. Frequent oil changes will help prevent engine wear and sludge, both of which will kill engine efficiency as they get worse. As for the discrepancy in recommended oil change intervals, they're both correct. How so? If you read the owner's manual carefully, as in the fine print, you'll find something to the effect that for hard or heavy duty you should use the shorter interval. Here's the issue: what constitutes heavy duty? Heat, cold, dust, humidity, stop and go traffic... I don't know about you, but I can't think of ANY place that doesn't have any of those conditions! So why do they print that in the manual? They want to be able to report a low cost of operation while giving you a realistic guideline. Go with 3,000 miles unless you're using synthetic oil. And, yes, synthetic is better and I would strongly suggest you continue using it in cars that call for it in the owner's manual. And use the manufacturer's recommended viscosity of oil. That, too, can make a difference in fuel economy and warranty coverage.
12. Do driving habits really save gas?
Well, yes -- if they're good ones! This is exactly why I get around eight more miles per gallon of gas than my wife does with the same car! Taking off from a red light gradually, not too slowly, but not jack-rabbit starting, makes a TREMENDOUS difference in the amount of energy used. Moreover, you always want to be in the highest gear at any given speed that is safe for the given road and traffic conditions. At 45 miles per hour on level ground I will be using fifth gear while my wife will be in third, MAYBE fourth, gear. I don't blame her - she's used to driving an ambulance, where the priority is saving lives, not gasoline. You don't drive a stick shift? Well, this still applies to you in the sense that most automatic transmission drivers don't realize that very often the car will not shift into the next highest gear because they're giving the engine just a slight bit more gas than needed. Once you've reached your desired speed lightly lift your gas pedal just a bit and you'll often feel the car shift into the higher gear, thereby using less gasoline to travel at the same speed. This is especially true at around 38-45 miles per hour, depending upon the transmission and driving conditions. Also remember this little rule: Every time you are pressing the brake you are wasting the gas that you used to get up to that speed. Obviously, that's not always true, but it does increase your awareness of driving too fast (you can virtually always lower your speed to save gas so long as you drive safely and above the MINIMUM speed limit). Look ahead so that you can just let up on the gas pedal, rather than having to go hard on the brakes. You also may want to take a look in your trunk to make sure you're not carrying around useless extra weight. I helped one man save a lot of money on gas by pointing out that when test-driving his car it felt like something very heavy was in the trunk. His jaw dropped as he remembered that his deceased mother's china was in there - inside a cedar chest! No word on whether anything got broken...
My intention in writing this article was to provide techniques to save gas and money and also give the reader an insight into why these techniques work. These are probably the most important pointers on saving gas that I, my friends, and my customers put into use. Drive safely and wisely!
Hi, I'm James Patrickson. If you'd like more information on saving gas please feel free to read my blog at http://faq-saving-money-on-gas.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Patrickson
Monday, 1 March 2010
5 Ways to Save Gas
Stop wasting hundreds of dollars at the gas pump.
With prices the way they are this is far too expensive a habit.
I have comprised a list of the best 5 ways to save gas so you can start taking back control of your gas budget.
#1 Way to Save Gas.
Purchase your gas using a gas saving credit card.
Most of these offer 5-10% cash back when you purchase gas.
Potential Saving: $4000 annual gas bill x 5% = $200 saving
#2 Way to Save Gas.
If you don't need higher octane gas, don't use it. Using Premium when your vehicle doesn't need it can actually do harm and make it run hotter than it should. As Regular is on average 20 cents cheaper you can save a bundle too.
Potential Saving: $4000 annual gas bill / $4 x 20c = $200 saving
# 3 Way to Save Gas.
Regular maintenance and a good tune up will make your car better running and last longer. This alone can improve your mileage by 20%. You may have some costs in this one but the savings are well worth it.
Potential Saving: $4000 annual gas bill x 20% = $800 saving
# 4 Way to Save Gas.
Not only will incorrectly inflated tires wear out quicker but it will also make your car less efficient and cost more in gas. Just 5 pounds under inflated can cost you 2% extra on your fuel.
Potential Saving: $4000 annual gas bill x 2% = $80 saving
#5 Way to Save Gas.
This is the biggest saver but as there is some cost involved I've put it last. The cost is minimal compared to the saving and should be considered as an investment.
There are ready made kits available to simply just "bolt on" or you can build your own from readily available items. Either way you shouldn't be spending more than a few hundred dollars and probably much less. The average saving in fuel economy is 30-40% (depending on vehicle).
Potential Saving: $4000 annual gas bill x 30% = $1200 saving
Wow! A $1200 potential saving. Once you deduct the cost of the kit this saving is still one of the best ways to save gas you can find, in my opinion.
Convert to Using Water. Correct tire pressure.Have your car serviced.Use the correct octane fuel for your vehicle.
At Run Your Car Cheaper we are committed to finding solutions to the rising cost of fuel. Come visit us and start saving on your gas costs.
Join the free ezine for all the latest gas saving tips and get a bonus ebook on How to Beat the Gas Pump Monster CLICK HERE
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Gayler
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