The Toyota Prius gets HIT with the UGLY Stick!

Yes the Toyota Prius already comes factory ugly. We are talking Pontiac Aztec ugly. But you don’t buy the Prius for looks right? There is no denying that the little Prius is the God of MPG! Well just when you though your fuel economy could not get any better; AutoLabo has a new aerodynamic body kit.

A little history first; the Prius has one of the lowest drag coefficients of any car today. What the heck is drag coefficient and why does this matter? Well obviously the faster you go the harder a car has to push against the wind, i.e. wind resistance. While the Honda Insight with its drag coefficient of 0.25 cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter, the bulky Hummer H2 has a drag coefficient
of 0.57 which obviously has a negative effect on gas mileage.

Well the 2004 Toyota Prius was just a smidge behind the insight with a 0.26 drag coefficient. Well the AutoLabo body kit lowers that drag coefficient even more; so much more that the Prius will gain 7 more miles worth of MPG with the addition of this kit! And at a price of around $2000 this body kit will pay for itself in no time.

Source: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090225/AUTO03/902250312/1149/AUTO01
http://jalopnik.com/5104713/autolabo-creates-aero-package-for-toyota-prius

Does Higher Octane Fuel Increase MPG?

More money equals better quality; Right? And better quality gas will make my car run more efficiently and therefore my gas mileage will be positively affected! Big Wrong! For the most part; cars run practically the same whether you have 87 or 91 octane in the tank. The vast majority of cars and trucks can run on the cheapest gas with no problems. It is only those cars with high performance engines, turbos, or superchargers that NEED to run the highest octane fuel sold. “Many high-performance engines are designed to operate with a high maximum compression and thus demand high-octane premium gasoline. A common misconception is that power output or fuel mileage can be improved by burning higher octane fuel than a particular engine was designed for. This is not true. The power output of an engine depends in part on the energy density of its fuel, but similar fuels with different octane ratings have similar density. Since switching to a higher octane fuel does not add any more hydrocarbon content or oxygen, the engine cannot produce more power.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating)

Consult the owner’s manual of course. Most of the gas we get comes from the same source. Octane does not refer to the energy level of a fuel but to its resistance to auto-ignition or detonation. Detonation is a leading cause of engine failure. But if your auto can run on 87 octane; then go for it. The only thing that will happen is you will save 20 cents per gallon.

http://www.consumertipsreports.org/the_truth_about_highoctane_gas.html
http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/IsHighOctaneGasWorthTheMoney

My Favorite Ways to WASTE Gas?

With all these hymiling and gas saving techniques in a world dependent on gasoline and it prices; I figured I would take the road less traveled. So if your super rich like me and you want your eco-foot print to be as large as possible here are a few way to waste gas.

Drive It Like You Stole It – There is nothing like racing the car next to you from stoplight to stoplight. Why accelerate slowly and save gas when you can punch it and blow the doors off of Grandma’s Cadillac? I’m a take no prisoners’ sort of guy….it makes no difference your gender, age, skin color. If you pull up next to me….it’s so on! If I get a ticket then so what, who doesn’t love Traffic School?

Chilling Like A Villain – When it’s time to grab a bite to eat; I look for the longest line drive-thru line I can find. Nothing is cooler than sitting with your car in idle getting 0 MPG. I also like to sit in front of my kid’s school with the car running for 30 minutes letting that precious gas be burned right up because I can!

Speed is Sexy – Driving the speed limit is for whimps! What really revs up the female libido is driving at a high rate of speed in the most un-aerodynamic vehicle possible. The drag coefficient of a car refers to its aerodynamic efficiency. While the Honda Insight cuts through air like a hot knife through butter; I prefer to drive my huge Hummer which is more like a giant lead brick with a parachute attached. And the faster I drive my Hummer, the worse my gas mileage becomes….but chic’s don’t care about MPG!

Cruising for a Bruising – Yeah many people have cut back on the summer road trips and car club cruises. But all this talk about saving gas only makes me want to get out there and see what’s what. Oh yeah and waste as much gas as possible.

Get Your Roll On – In an earlier post I talked a little bit about low-rolling resistance tires and how these can improve your gas mileage. Well partner….I go for the stickiest tires out there. Sure they lower your MPG; but the thrill of being able to pull 4g’s around a corner far outweighs the savings at the pump!

Cars Can’t Drive – People out there are way too willing to put their lives in the hands of their car. What I mean by this; is using the cruise control does save on gas; but is your life worth saving some cash here and there. I know people who have set their cruise control only to have the car decide it wants to drive 135 MPH! Never trust a foreign automobile!

I Got Premium Gas – My car needs a high octane fuel because it’s Italian. But you too can look cool if your use a higher octane even though your car will run fine and get great gas mileage on 87. Feel free to close your eyes, pay for the premium stuff and dream like you are filling up your Porsche.


Run It Into The Ground – I like to treat my car like an opponent in the Octagon. I work it over until it finally breaks. Why should I change the oil or air filter. I’m not cutting my car any slack by keeping up on the maintenance. No way! I want my car to be tough so I teach it the school of hard knocks.

One Good Trip Deserves Another – Most people run all their errands at once in order to cut down on trips to the store and ultimately save gas. Not me…no way. I love to make 10 trips a day. Out of sugar? Don’t ask the neighbors…I’ll run to the market!

Source: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/129989/article.html