Hypermiller is Common But Ecomodder?
January 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
We have heard about hypermillers. Hypermillers are those who are willing to do anything to save money on fuel.
Now comes a new term known as ecomodder.
Ecomodder is someone who modifies a car for better mpg (usually people modify cars for better speed and mph).
According to ecomodder.com
“High performance” means miles per gallon, not miles per hour.”
This is true if you are going for better gas saving.
You can find full description about ecomodder / ecomodding at ecomodder.com
While this is still new in the market, perhaps this is the way out to solve the many problems related to gas/fuel pricing and car maintenance.
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10 Tips in Gas Saving You Should Have Known
January 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
photo credit from flickr: Neato Coolville
Ok, everyone wants to save money (no doubt) especially on fuel since fuel pricing is like the roller coaster (ups and downs).
Now, there are a few tips you have known but there is no doubt we need to be reminded every once in a while otherwise we will forget about it all.
There are many aspects that affect gas savings from our behaviours to the mechanical part.
Still, here are the tips you should know / should have known:
1. Air filter
Clean air filter can save up to 28 cents a gallon (which is about 10% fuel efficiency).
2. Alignment
Check your car alignment and make sure it is in the proper alignment and save about 28 cents a gallon.
3. Engine
Make sure your engine is functioning properly. Have a mechanic do a check up (like health check up) on the engine and repair whatever that is needed. Save about 11 cents a gallon.
4. Tires - Pump Them
Pump your tires to make sure that they are properly inflated. Save 8 cents a gallon.
5. Cap
When you refill the gas for your car, make sure you take the time to check the cap. Make sure it is not broken or missing. You can save about 2 cents a gallon (still savings).
6. Reduce speed
Better safe than never. Drive slowly. Slowing down can save you 19 cents a gallon. For example, slow down from 70mph to 65mph. This alone will reduce 7% fuel consumption.
7. Drive smoothly
This is perhaps the best way to save fuel - up to 33% fuel efficiency and a saving of 48 cents a gallon.
8. Don’t brake to frequent
The rule is to drive slow so you don’t have to keep your foot on the brake pad all the time as this will wear cause the brake to wear out faster than ever. You can save as much as 96 cents a gallon.
9. Throw out the thrash
Some people treat their cars as trash can. Seriously, it is time to get rid of those garbage and lighten your car. This is to reduce your fuel consumption and save an additional 4 cents a gallon.
10. Stop idling
This is a bad habit. Idle will make your car to use up more fuel. Stop idling and save one cent a gallon (which is important as well).
So, now you have all the tips recap again and hopefully you will be able to remember most of it.
While the pricing is at an affordable rate, there is no reason why we should be wasting our money on fuel. Savings is important for the rainy days. While it is still sunny, get prepared to face the worst.
Enjoy your ride!
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Top 10 Fuel Efficient Cars In 2008
January 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
It is 2009 and why not have a journey back and check out the Top 10 Fuel Efficient Cars in 2008. After all 2008 had been a year full of ups and downs.
With the increase of fuel prices around the world, everyone had problems with the finance and many of us were looking for ways to save more money on fuel.
If you want to get a new car this year, perhaps you would like to check out some of the hottest cars in the market that can help you save more fuel thanks to the fuel efficiency technology.
These are the top 10 cars in 2008 with their details.
1. 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Midsize Car
Fuel Economy
City: 48 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg
2. 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
No. 2 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Compact Car
Fuel Economy
City: 40 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg
3. 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
No. 3 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
Fuel Economy
City: 35 mpg
Highway: 33 mpg
4. 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
No. 4 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 SUV
Fuel Economy
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 30 mpg
5. 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid
No. 4 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 SUV
Fuel Economy
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 30 mpg
6. 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
No. 4 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 (tie) Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 SUV
Fuel Economy
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 30 mpg
7. 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
No. 7 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
Fuel Economy
City: 33 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
8. 2008 Toyota Yaris
No. 8 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Subcompact Car
Fuel Economy
City: 29 mpg
Highway: 36 mpg
9. 2008 Toyota Corolla
No. 9 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
Fuel Economy
City: 28 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
10. 2008 Honda Fit
No. 10 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Vehicle
No. 1 Most Fuel-Efficient 2008 Small Station Wagon
Fuel Economy
City: 28 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
Don’t forget to look out for the hot cars coming up in 2009!
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Bike-Share: What Is That?
November 24, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
picture courtesy from TreeHugger
Bike-sharing is not exactly a very new concept. This concept has been put to action in Paris since 2007 and it has been a successful project. The government even consider a car-sharing program, similar as the bike-sharing concept.
The concept is to pay a daily fee or annual fee to access to the public bikes. These public bikes are available at special designated stations and you can pay by cash or credit cards for the fees.
For a mere $2/day, the Parisians can unlock any of the 20,000 bikes at the 1,500 stations 24 hours a day. Then they just return to any of the 1,500 stations when they are done riding.
If bike-sharing is a huge success in Paris, why not implement this in other countries as well.
Paris, Barcelona, Washington D.C., Montreal and Mexico City have implemented this program. New York and Portland are currently under development.
The idea bike-sharing came upon during the fuel price hike sometime ago and it is proven that this idea indeed is a great way to reduce traffic jam on the road and the best part is everyone can save more money on transportation.
Besides, biking is a type of exercise that can help to keep you in shape.
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45 Useful Tips On and Off The Road
November 15, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
1. Before getting into your car, ask yourself "Is this trip necessary?"!
2. On short trips, try walking or bicycling. It’s good exercise.
3. Consider car-pooling and share the gas bill and ride.
4. Always use the shortest route and avoid sightseeing trips and bottlenecks.
5. Organize activities and perform as many errands as possible in one trip.
6. If possible, avoid driving during rush-hour & other peak traffic periods.
7. When bargain hunting, check newspaper ads and use your telephone.
8. Do they deliver? Let them pay for the gas! Try mail order firms, too.
9. Make a list and do all the grocery shopping once or twice a week.
10. Let the kids run some of the errands. Let them walk to school, too.
11. Public transportation may be cheaper, especially when traveling alone.
12. Pack as little in your car as necessary so it has less weight to carry.
13. Shop around for service stations with the lowest gasoline prices.
14. Check to see if there are "self service" gas stations in your area.
15. Don’t speed. Cars get about 21% more mileage at 55 mph then at 70 mph.
16. Better planning reduces the need for speeding, to get there in time.
17. When starting your car, don’t idle it for more than 30 seconds, even in cold weather. Today’s cars are designed to be driven almost immediately.
18. If you must stop for more than 30 seconds, don’t idle your car. The engine is more fuel efficient if your turn it off and restart it.
19. Drive evenly with a steady foot. Avoid jiggling the accelerator.
20. Keep tires properly inflated at all times. (Check pressure when cold).
21. Use air conditioning only when necessary. Try opening the window.
22. Avoid "jackrabbit" starts. When starting, press accelerator slowly.
23. Avoid panic stops. When possible, coast to stops such as traffic lights.
24. Remove items that cause wind resistance, such as luggage racks.
25. Don’t forget to release the emergency brake before pulling away.
26. Never rev engine before killing it. This wastes gas, wears out cylinders.
27. Keep tuned to radio traffic reports & avoid traffic jams, other delays.
28. Make certain your gas cap fits properly.
29. Use the lowest octane gas that won’t make your engine knock.
30. Use only your right foot for accelerating and braking. That way you can’t accidentally ride the brake and use excessive gas.
31. Shift into high gear as soon as possible. If you have automatic transmission, lift your foot from the accelerator about one second early.
32. Pass other cars as soon as you see you are overtaking them. Don’t wait.
33. Keep your car properly tuned for top fuel efficiency.
34. Keep brakes properly adjusted. Dragging brakes increases resistance.
35. Operate as small a car as possible for your driving needs. (Small cars weighing half as much as large cars use about half as much gasoline!)
36. Avoid cars with gas-consuming options such as air conditioning; power equipment such as window, etc: automatic transmission, etc.
37. In hot climates, drive a car with light colored exterior and interior, to reflect light, heat. Tinted glass also prevents heat buildup.
38. Use radial tires for less friction between tire and road.
39. When driving, keep your eyes moving and your feet still!
40. Keep your steering wheel still too. The more you weave back and forth, the farther your car has to travel and the more gas is consumed.
41. Don’t overfill your gas tank. It could leak or spill in heat or on a hill.
42. Use snow tires and/or chains as little as necessary because they make your car work harder and use more gasoline.
43. When you see a hill ahead, build up speed before you reach it, then maintain your speed on the slope. (If you must accelerate on the hill, you will use much more fuel). Then coast down the other side.
44. Keep wheels aligned for better mileage - Longer tire life, too.
45. Record all gas purchases for tax deduction purposes.
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One Car Policy
November 6, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
It is not easy to fill up the gas. The price is up, so the amount of gasoline you can afford is going down. There is an average one car per family. However, most families have more than one children and so that makes about two to three cars per family.
If one car is difficult enough to maintain, why bother to have more cars? Not only fuel problem you will be facing but there is the maintenance you need to figure and not including the pollution you will be contributing to the nature.
Why not make it a one-car policy for every family? It might sounds hard to achieve but rather than not having a car, this might be a better option.
There is no need to increase the number of cars on the road because there are so many cars and one day you will be able to arrange all the cars on the road and yet there is not enough space to line up every car around the world.
Pollution is getting worse day by day due to the emission of the gas from the cars, factories and power plants. Do we need to kill ourselves and our younger generations?
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Mahindra FuelSmart System
October 23, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving Products
Mahindra has launched two new series - Scorpio and Bolero with Fuel Smart System and Micro Hybrid Technology. What is so special about this system anyway?
The Mahindra FuelSmart system with Micro Hybrid technology switches off the vehicle’s engine after it has come to a complete halt. For example, if the vehicle comes to a halt at a traffic signal and is in neutral, the engine will shut down automatically after 10 seconds.
Just before stopping, the indicator light located in the instrument cluster will blink, indicating that the engine is going to stop shortly. Once the signal turns green and the driver presses the clutch pedal, the engine starts immediately for continuing the journey.
Apart from being fuel efficient, the engine is switched off during traffic signals / traffic jams so the release of a considerable amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is avoided. This mitigates the adverse effects of global warming, thus helping to provide us with a cleaner environment to live in.
The system is also able to detect any battery problem, safety issues and even temperature of the engine. All these are to make sure your vehicle is safe for use and to inform you should there be a need for maintenance.
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Smart Way To Run Errands To Help Save Fuel
October 20, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving Tips
If you are a mother of many children, you will have to send them to school, pick them up from school, go to the market to buy the daily necessities and food, pay bills and many more. In short, you will need a car to do all that.
If you can tweak a bit of your daily routine, you will be able to save more fuel and in the long run, more money.
You might ask, just how can I tweak my daily routine when I am so used to it?
First of all, are you an internet savvy user? If you are not, then perhaps you should learn a few things about the internet. If you are, congratulations, you are on your way to saving more fuel and more money.
First of all, you cannot abandon the idea of sending and picking up your kids from school and you will have to do you grocery shopping as well so this is what you can do.
1. You can first send your kids to school, then go to the market and do your shopping for as long as it takes until when it is time to pick up your kids from school and then head home.
2. If you need to pay bills, do it online. You can simply click a few buttons to pay your bills at the comfort of your home. There is no need to go out just to pay bills. Save more fuel and more money.
3. If you want to shop for clothing or non perishable goods, you can try online shopping. The best thing about online shopping is you might get free delivery depending on how much you spend.
4. If you are doing grocery shopping, maybe it would be best to do it once a week. This way, you can either leave your kids at home or bring them along.
5. As for daddy, the only way to save fuel is to take the public transport to work but for some it is quite impossible especially those who need to travel for meetings and all.
6. If you work from home, you can even save more but before you jump into the bandwagon, make sure you can provide enough for the family. There are many people working from home and this way you don’t have to spend on fuel to go to work.
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Save More Money On Fuel When Travelling With These Tips
October 15, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving Tips
So, you have been planning that trip for weeks. Finally it is time to go and have fun. Suddenly, it hits you. How are you going to manage the fuel? Well, it is easy to have fun without having to burn a hole in your wallet especially on fuel.
If you are travelling by car, always make sure that your car is properly maintained. This include servicing your car in order to make sure that all the parts are working just as they should be. Make sure you wash your car as well to clean away the dirt on the body.
When you are driving, try to avoid using air conditioning to save some fuel. If possible use the vent so you don’t have to lower your window and increase drag. Drag will cause the car to use up more fuel that it is necessary.
However, the best way is of course to travel by public transportation such as train or bus if possible. If you are travelling alone, these might be better options because it is easier to travel alone. However, if you are travelling with family, it is still possible to make it to the train.
Using public transportation is always the best because no matter you are using it or not, it is always there on the road so why not use it and help to save the environment. Reduce the use of fuel and automatically you will reduce the carbon footprint on Earth.
There is always an option to save more money if you are willing to implement the tips in your life. Be open to the many options and do the best you can to save fuel and save the environment.
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EPA New Method of Test For Fuel Economy
October 12, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gas Saving News
DO you ever wonder how the EPA gets the fuel economy or fuel efficiency numbers for the vehicles in US? Well at least I have thought about it and here is how it is done.
Surprisingly there are two ways, one is the old way and one is the new way. The old way was used before the year 2008 whereas the new way is being used starting from 2008.
What are the differences?
EPA use a dynanometer to measure the fuel economy numbers (i.e. 24 MPG) for both old and new ways. There is no change here.
The only difference between both ways lies in the requirements for the dynanometer. The variables are changable to meet the needs of the road such as in the city or on highway. Then, there are some new requirements for the new hybrids as well (in the new way).
The Old Way
When calculating fuel economy in the city, these are the requirements to be set on the dynanometer:
- Trip length: 11 miles
- Test time: 31 minutes
- Number of stops: 23
- Time spent idling: approx. 18%
- Maximum speed: 56 MPH
- Average speed: 20 MPH
- Engine temp at startup: Cold (75 degrees outside air temperature)
However, when calculating the fuel economy for highway, these are the requirements:
- Trip length: 10 miles
- Test time: 12.5 minutes
- Number of stops: None
- Time spent idling: None
The New Way
When calculating the fuel economy using the new way, there are some changes such as:
- Higher speeds - up to 80 MPH on the highway cycle
- Colder temperatures - tests will now start at 20 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 75
- More rapid acceleration
- Use of accessories - the air conditioner will be operated 13% of the time
With the use of new way, there are some effects as well that involves dropping city fuel economy estimates by 10% to 20%, with hybrids taking the highest percentage. Highway estimates will drop by around 5% to 15%.
Bear in mind that the new way only applies for new cars produced in 2008 and above. You will see that the hybrids are way ahead than conventional cars and perhaps it is time to switch to hybrids for a cleaner air and healthier environment.
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