Buyer Beware: Products that Increase Your Gas Mileage

In these uncertain times, everyone reacts differently to the continuing increases in gas prices that we have experienced over the last few weeks...and even over years. Many drivers have taken to doing anything they can to increase their gas mileage. This desire to save gas has created a market for products that claim to do just that. The companies that manufacture these products seem to have a great idea, since they know that the public is desperate to decrease their fuel usage.

The important question is, do these products really provide a big difference, or are these companies just making a quick buck off of consumers who are sick of paying so much at the pump?

Testing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

It can be very easy for a motorist to get roped in by the very gaudy claims that the companies who make these products are making. But, do these products really provide increased gas mileage? Is there any way they can prove the claims that they have made?

Well, that usually depends on who you ask. However, the EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, has tested a number of these types of products, and has not as yet found even one that significantly increases gas mileage. This means that the organization which is the foremost authority in fuel economy has yet to certify one of these products as being legitimate.

Do They Actually Save Gas?

That is not to say that the products do not work.

Perhaps they do provide gas mileage increases in certain vehicles, or maybe they actually increase gas mileage by a marginal amount. However, since there is no concrete evidence of such an increase from testing done by an unbiased party, so there really is no proof available yet. Again, this does not mean that the products are altogether worthless or useless. However, it is debatable whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on these products, especially when there are very cheap (or even free) alternative ways to increase your gas mileage.

Cheap and Easy Steps You Can Take To Save Gas

For instance, you can do something as simple as put the proper amount of air in your tires, and check their air pressure regularly. I recently let just one of my tires get very low on pressure, and my fuel economy dropped by almost ten percent! This simple task will usually cost you nothing (although some gas stations may have machines that charge a quarter or two), and will help you to save some of your precious gas when you drive.

Proper tire inflation is just one simple act of maintenance that can help you to preserve your fuel.

Another cheap way for a motorist to increase fuel efficiency is to change air filters regularly. Although this costs more than most fuel economy products do, it also provides genuainely proven benefits that can be pretty substantial in regards to fuel efficiency. If you had the choice between spending some money on an unproven method, or something that is proven to work, what would you choose?

A Few More Tips to Help Save Gas

These ways of increasing fuel efficiency are only just the tip of the iceberg. You can do many simple things like avoiding packing your trunk with excess junk that increases drag and decreases fuel mileage, or making sure you use the proper grade of motor oil. Switching to synthetic motor oil can help save gas, and even simple things like avoiding the use of the air conditioning system whenever possible can provide a marked increase in fuel economy!

I recently moved and noticed that the fuel economy in my Prius, ordinarily a very fuel efficient vehicle, seemed to be suffering quite badly in a new part of the country. Then, one day I looked in the spare tire well and noticed that I had left about 50 pounds of dumbbell plates in there. I removed them and my fuel economy shot back up dramatically.

If You Want to Save Gas, Save Money at the Same Time

In short, there are just too many cheap or inexpensive ways to improve gas mileage to be able to recommend buying most of these costly products that may not work much, or even at all. With so many simple and easy ways to increase your fuel economy, why pay money for something that is not proven to work?
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Save Gas - New Site

Wow! Aren't gas prices out of sight! I solved part of my gas price problem when I bought my Toyota Prius, which is still getting 50 MPG after two years, but not everybody can run out and do that.

In fact, I hear that it is hard to get your hands on a Prius...or many other hybrid cars as well.

However, there are things you CAN do to save gas, or save money on gas. Check out this new site http://web-home.ws/save_gas/

The Advantages of A Hybrid Car

With the cost of fuel the way it is and the damage that pollution from cars brings to our environment, hybrid cars are presently considered as very beneficial to the health preservation of the environment. The reason behind this is that hybrid cars do not depend mainly on fossil fuel for power. They also make use of self-generated electricity. This results in a smaller amount of fuel consumption and less pollution being emitted into the air.

A hybrid car combines an electric motor and gasoline engine to provide sufficient power to the vehicle with less fuel usage and fewer emissions than a normal internal combustion engine powered car. They are therefore far more fuel efficient than purely gas powered cars, and far more practical for everyday use than purely electric powered cars. Combining the two sources of power, hence the name "hybrid", a vehicle is then created that is relatively much less polluting and will lead to less fuel consumption. The gasoline engine means it possesses enough power to have freeway speeds that does not need too much fuel, but is also great for stop and go driving in heavy traffic areas because of the electric motor.

The hybrid car was created due to the result of a public and political demand to clean up the environment from pollutions and for the need to rely less on fossil fuel. Plugging the hybrid into an electric outlet is not necessary to recharge the batter.They charge themselves by means of power usually lost during coasting and braking (regenerative braking - done by reversing the electric motor, thus making it into a generator whose torque provides electricity back to the battery) and can also be charged by the car’s gasoline engine.

It can offer more benefits than the usual regular gasoline engine type cars. Here is a list of the many advantages hybrid cars offers.

1. Less Pollution

It is a fact that the continuous damage to our ozone layer is due to the greenhouse effect, and one of the factors that contributes to its damage is pollution in the air, in which dangerous chemicals are transferred to the air, such as carbon dioxide which is emitted by vehicles. The measure of carbon dioxide emitted by the hybrid vehicle is principally relative to the quantity of fuel it consumes; thus hybrid cars can absolutely be a contributing factor in lessening the advancement of global warming since they use half or less fuel than a conventional car.

With the use of hybrid cars, less fuel is consumed because hybrid cars do not totally use gas in order to operate, but also make use of electricity from an internal power source that doesn't bring any danger to the environment.

2. More Mileage With Less Fuel Consumption

The most obvious advantage of a hybrid car is that it saves on gas. With the use of hybrid cars, you are able to save money on gas because you don’t need to buy gas after every long trip as a hybrid in general gets twice the gas mileage of an equivalent gasoline powered vehicle.

3. Hybrid Cars Can Help Lower Your Taxes

Tax rebates are given to some hybrid cars buyers at the federal level, and some states also have additional incentives. In California, for example, a hybrid with only one passenger can get a pass to operate in the HOV lane. So if you buy a hybrid car your tax refunds can be withheld from your taxes and will provide you with additional savings or you may get other benefits depending on where you live.

4. Your Money Gains More Value

A hybrid car can return a higher resale value. If you ever want to trade or sell a previously owned hybrid car you can be sure that you will get more of what you paid for it than with a conventional vehicle.

5. Efficiency And Performance Are What Defines Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars generally have smaller engines than the regular gasoline cars since the power is obtained from two sources, so the smaller engines are closer to the normal power necessity of engines that will give an efficient performance, especially at highway speeds. After all, at those speeds only a small engine is needed to maintain the car's speed whereas a heavier engine is needed to get fast starts and provide power in cars designed with less fuel economy in mind.

6. “Hybrid Car Technology” Is The Greatest Currently Available Solution To Today's Air Pollution Problems

Hybrid cars use less fuel and incorporate a groundbreaking technology that helps diminish possible damages to the environment caused by conventional vehicles.

Despite these many advantages, there is one thing to be considered regarding the hybrid car. Its actual price in the market is not yet as affordable to a lot of people as a conventional vehicle, but it is an investment that will pay a hundred fold. Also, as time goes by, more and more companies are manufacturing hybrid cars and this will help eventually to lower the price on some models, and more used hybrids will become available. The hybrid is gaining in popularity. I just passed a house yesterday that had two brand new Toyota Prius Hybrid cars in the driveway.

OTHER NEWS:

Did you know that using synthetic motor oil can help prolong the life of your car, snowmobile, or RV while helping you save money on gas and maintenance.

2007 Hybrid Cars

A little late on this one as the 2008's are about to come out, but here it is anyway.

Almost every day, it seems like more and more car manufacturers, big and small, are developing "greener" versions of their well-known brands or adding new hybrid vehicles to their lineup. The growth and wide acceptance by the public of Hybrid technology has made a big splash in the motoring world and its popularity as well as the growing concern for the environment has added to the demand for this type of vehicles, urging more vehicle manufacturers to add more of their vehicles in the hybrid bandwagon to capture more potential consumers in the market.

Coming from one of the industry leaders, one of the newest in the batch 2007 hybrid car lineup is the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid, the third in Toyota's Hybrid vehicles. The Camry hybrid boasts of a performance of a topnotch six-cylinder engine with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine. Although it is not as fuel efficient as the first Toyota hybrid, the Prius, the Camry hybrid is a whole lot better than the regular Camry.

Of course, where Toyota goes, can Honda be far behind? That's right, giant Japanese car manufacture Honda, has also the Hybrid Accord and the Hybrid Civic. These two sedans offer what Hybrids are known for, less emission and less fuel consumption.

The 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid combines luxury and fuel efficiency, not to mention the lower emmissions of the typical hybrid, that is truly environmentally friendly. Even with a V6 engine that generates 253 horsepower, you can be sure that you will get more miles to the gallon. It is a nice change knowing that you get the luxury and power that you want and still get the fuel economy that we all deserve.

Then there is the 2007 Civic Hybrid which continuously provides the true essence of hybrid technology. Its ingenious engineering has rightly earned it its Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating. What this means is that you don’t only get from point A to point B in less gas usage, but also save the environment by not adding to the air pollutants already swarming over it.

Joining the Hybrid car race in 2007 is General Motors' second Hybrid vehicle effort, the 2007 Aura Hybrid sedan. This vehicle will be competing with other high-end hybrid cars such as the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Honda Accord Hybrid. Sporting a V6 engine as well, the Aura Green Line is dedicated to providing utmost engine power with minimal gas consumption. Its engineers claim that it will be able to generate 20 percent savings in fuel economy over its conventional model.

Auto manufacturer Nissan has also announced that a 2007 Altima Hybrid will be offered and has offered test drives and a glimpse of its development vehicle. In a deal inked with Toyota, Nissan will be dedicating five years into the project with the Hybrid Technology developed by Toyota.

Volkswagen is rumored to be soon unveiling its first hybrid model, The maker of the ubiquitous Beetle is said to be preparing a full-hybrid car for 2007 but it hasn’t disclosed yet which car model they will be infusing the technology. Latest rumors said that it would be on the Jetta for the upscale engine level or in the Passat for the four-cylinder class.

With more and more vehicle manufacturers realizing the potential of Hybrid vehicles, it might not be long before every car produced will incorporate Hybrid technology. And as oil prices continue to soar and concerns for the environment are ever growing, we can all be sure that these vehicles will be welcomed with open arms.

OTHER NEWS:

Another big step in the battle to save the planet is the growing acceptance by the public of the use of synthetic motor oils which can aid in lowering the cost of vehicle maintenance, prolong the life of the vehicle, and result in helping save money on gas.

5 Major Ways to Save Money on Gas

Copyright © Donovan Baldwin
http://lube2005.com

I know you just want to get to the meat of how to save money on gas, but let me just lecture for a moment.

Petroleum products, including gas, are not going to become cheaper. One of the reasons for this is simply that they are limited and more and more people are competing for a diminishing supply. This is Economics 101 stuff and is known as supply and demand. As supply goes down and demand goes up, the price goes up. Anyway, when was the last time you saw major price reductions on a commodity like gas?

At the same time, people around the world are beginning to realize that not only are petroleum supplies limited, but the effects of burning gas and other petroleum products to power cars, factories, and your lawn mower are creating a highly unstable environmental situation...one which may have disastrous consequences for our children and grandchildren if not for us.

Therefore, these tips not only tell you some ways you can simply save money on gas, but also nudge you a little bit along the path of change. As we have often heard, "If you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting." We have been getting more pollution and higher gas prices. Isn't it time to make some sort of change?

Now, who am I and where do I get my info? Well, I have done a lot of research and reading, but I have also been a long-haul, over-the-road trucker and owned my own truck. With a vehicle that got 6 to 8 MPG and with 300 gallon tanks to fill every couple of days I became attuned to ways to reduce my out-of-pocket expenses. Last year, I traded my Dodge Intrepid and Isuzu Rodeo for a Toyota Prius hybrid...which is a great car. While you can do all sorts of things, including walking, in order to save money on gas, here's my top five picks.

1. Trade in the gas guzzler: Now, I don't have hard and fast figures on this, but I am willing to bet, based on personal observation, that at least 50% of people have much bigger, gas-guzzling cars than they need. Although I am off the road as a truck driver, I sometimes write articles on places I have visited, and this requires a certain amount of travel. All day long, whether in California or in Georgia, I see big SUV's and trucks that only get a few miles to the gallon being driven by one person. I also see a lot of hot-looking, and sounding, cars that I know get really bad mileage. A lot of people drive these back and forth to work every day!

I was talking to a guy yesterday at a motel in Abilene. He's going on a trip to the Grand Canyon with his kids. His truck gets 15 MPG! Where he is going, gas is hovering close to four dollars a gallon. If he only goes 1,000 miles each way, he needs 133 gallons. That comes out to about $500 just for gas at $3.75 a gallon. If he were to have a smaller, more fuel efficient car that got around 30 MPG, he could cut that in half. If he had my Toyota Prius, it would cost about $150.

How about commuting? Let's imagine my new friend from the Abilene motel drives 10 miles to work each day. At 20 miles a day, that's 140 miles a week. Since he's probably going to get stuck in traffic sometimes, I'm just going to say that his average gas use is 14 MPG (easier math) and he needs 10 gallons of gas just to get back and forth to work each week. Let's just say gas costs $3.00 a gallon. That's $30 a week for gas just to get to work and back. Again, getting a smaller car with double the mileage would result in a $15 a week savings. That doesn't sound like much until you think about it as an extra $60 a month (pay your water bill?), or $360 a year.

Oh yeah! With a Toyota Prius (Can you tell I like it?), he would save over $80 a month or $480 a year.

2. Keep your tires inflated properly: Proper tire inflation saves money on gas. One study conducted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association estimated that only 15% of drivers check their tire inflation properly. It is interesting to note, by the way, that the study also showed that more people check their tire pressure as gas prices go up! Not only can proper inflation save you money on gas, but it saves you money on tires themselves. Properly inflating your tires can help handling and cut down on wear and tear on steering components.

3. Slow down: Here's a little fact for you - Fuel economy drops about 10 percent between 55 mph and 65 mph, and 17 percent between 55 mph and 70 mph. Do I really need to say more? Come on, tell the truth. How fast were you going on the Interstate this morning on your way to work?

Now, here's what I see every day on the highways of America. One person driving a gas-guzzling SUV with at least two under inflated tires at a speed near or in excess of 70 MPH! Do I really need to belabor this point? Suffice it to say that adherence to points 2 and 3 would save this person a lot of money, and cut down on pollution and our dependence on foreign oil.

4. Pay attention: Try this on for size. I see this one all the time also.

Since I was not only an over-the-road driver but also an instructor, I used to teach students to "play the lights" and pay attention. How much gas your car needs to use is based largely on what you NEED it to do. Yesterday, as a few thousand times before, I was cruising down a road and saw the light about an eighth of a mile ahead turn red. I was going to have to stop anyway, so I took my foot off the accelerator. No sooner had I done so than the driver behind me (individual in a big SUV with an under inflated left rear tire) pulled out to the left, accelerated around me, pulled back in front and then accelerated a few more feet until he finally realized that the light was red and then slammed on his brakes. Guess how much gas he wastes every day.

Folks, it's simple. Wherever you are going is probably NOT going to move before you get there! Pay attention to what is happening in front of you and around you. If you are going to have to stop anyway, why not slow down and stop rather than burning extra fuel to get to the stop faster?

A lot of that "pedal to the metal" kind of driving comes from stress. Also, studies have shown that driving like that raises your stress level even more. Take up meditation or try yoga. It will actually improve your driving.

5. Keep your car properly maintained: If your plugs are clean, your oil is changed regularly, and the car is lubed, you will get better gas mileage. The engine and connected parts will be able to work more effectively and efficiently, and this translates to more miles per gallon. By the way, most of the synthetic motor oils available today will help you save money on gas by allowing your car to run more efficiently for longer periods between oil changes. This is an extra savings, by the way. Although synthetic motor oils cost more per quart than petroleum based lubricants, they last much longer, resulting in savings in cost of the oil as well as savings in cost of the oil change if you are paying someone else to change your oil for you. You are also helping cut down on the use of our limited supply of oil.

Of course, these are not the only ways that you can save money on gas. You can carpool, find less congested routes to and from work and shopping, shop online instead of in a traffic jam, take turns driving kids to school, set it up with friends and neighbors to take turns running errands, combine errands into a single trip, or even learn to walk or bike short distances rather than driving. Hey, you might save money on healthcare with that last one, as walking or cycling around the neighborhood can help you with fitness, health, and weight loss, and that generally translates into fewer trips to the doctor, and fewer medications or medical procedures.

As they say in Germany, "Leb Wohl!"

Oh yeah! That means, "Live well!"

What a concept!

About The Author:
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Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weightlifting, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, life and the arts. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/.

His experiences as a long haul truck driver who owned his own truck led him to follow up on various methods of how to save money on gas and other operating costs while prolonging the life of his equipment. You may learn more on this subject at http://lube2005.com/information/fuel_economy.html.
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