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

Volkswagen Polo Sips Its Way To 60 MPG – In Your Face Hybrids!

The Polo may be a step down from the already lowly Rabbit; but it is a giant step forward in terms of Gasoline powered Efficiency. It has 4-doors, a reasonable price tag, and last but not least: a sweet little engine. Europeans have always known what we Americans have been missing: Turbo-diesel power is the way to go! Not only can you get the best MPG from a diesel car, the fuel burns more cleanly, and adding a turbo increases power by using wasted exhaust gasses.

The little engine that could is a 1.4L, 3-cylinder, direct injected, turbo-diesel. This bad boy pumps out a staggering 79-hp. But when combined with a LRR tires, special aerodynamics, and a manual transmission; the Polo can easily obtain the 60 MPG advertised, eat that hybrids. And the little 12-gallon tank will take you well over 700 miles. Sounds good to me!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116314
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4262351.html
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Better MPG thru AERODYNAMICS….all the COOL kids are doing it!!!!

Everyone with a pick-up truck knows that the way to get better gas mileage is to drop the tail gate while driving…right? Well not really…..it turns out that the biggest improvement you can do for your pick-up is to get a tonneau bed cover. But trucks were built to haul stuff, and MPG is not high on the list of a truck owner. So what about the regular commuter?

Here’s an important lesson in physics: the faster you go the more wind resistance your car will encounter. When driving around town at low speed; drag does not play a significant role in gas mileage. But once you reach freeway speeds, the wind resistance has a major effect on your cars performance. “At 70 mph, you've got four times the force working against your vehicle that you have at 35 mph.” (edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106954/article.html) It takes much more energy for a car to overcome drag at 75 mph that at 35 mph. Therefore the faster you go the worse your MPG will be.

As gas gets more expensive, auto makers are reducing a cars drag coefficient (cd) by leaps and bounds, and they are spending billions in the process. In the past any car with a cd lower than .30 was considered sports car territory, but now Toyota has a couple of models out there that break this barrier. (edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106954/article.html) This is done in a couple of ways. Managing the way air flows around a car is a big deal. The more streamlined the better. Wind Tunnel testing has become an important feature in the development of a car. Under car body panels help move any air out from under the car that would usually become trapped. And things like rounded edges, smaller mirrors, and redesigned front grills and spoilers also help.

There are a couple of things we as commuters can do to increase our MPG by decreasing our cars drag coefficient. Roof racks, ugly wings, and huge body kits; really hinder the movement of air around your car….so get rid of those things. Closing your windows and sunroof at higher speeds will also have a positive effect on your MPG. Some people out there go as far as totally blocking out the front air dam, grill, and fog lights.

Some changes to your auto can really hurt the way your car slides through the air. Raising your truck will have a drastically negative effect on cd. So will putting on big wheels and tires that stick out. Bug guards also slow the airflow over your automobile.

I know the Lakers are in the Finals and as a fan you want to fly that flag on your car…..but remember, most extra things added to the exterior of your auto decrease you fuel economy. Remember less drag means better MPG.

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What Do Roof Racks, Ugly Body Kits, and Dragster Style Aluminum Wings….all have in common with your WIFE????

I’ll tell you what they have in common…..at the end of this blog of course!

It is a good idea to remove pieces that effect aerodynamic performance. Or in laymen’s terms: Get the huge roof rack off your car! Items such as bug deflectors, running boards, extended mirrors, and roof racks all affect the aerodynamics of your car and decrease gas mileage.

Ok a Ford F-150 is not as aerodynamic as a Ferrari we know….but Ford put Millions and Millions into Research and Development; and you can be guaranteed that the body design they came up with has the best drag coefficient possible for a truck. But when you attach a bug deflector here, a roll bar there, a huge roof rack up there…..these parts all add up and it does affect your MPG.

All those little Honda Civics running around with ugly unpainted body kits and huge dragster style aluminum wings….are killing the great gas mileage those little cars were born to get! And Please I Beg You!!!!……just save up your money for an extra week so you can paint these items before they go onto your car…..nothing looks uglier than a green car with white bumpers, side skirts, and a wing! As for the dragster wings that can add 2000 lbs. of down force at 300 mph…..please….your Honda wanda will never need that…it’s like bringing a shotgun to a knife fight….can you say OVERKILL!!!!

Heck it is even better for you to use your Air Conditioning at highway speeds rather than opening your sunroof and rolling down your windows. Reason being that open windows cause enormous amounts of aerodynamic drag, thus reducing fuel efficiency! (wanderings.net/notebook/Main/SurprisingWaysGetBetterGasMileage)

So remember that if you are going on vacation...…..then a roof rack is ok. Or if you plan to go off-roading then please add a roll bar and be safe. So what do these things have in common with your wife? You’re POCKETBOOK! Because adding these items will cost you mucho dinero in the long run.

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Lighten Your Load!!!!! Less Is More…Better MPG That Is!!!

I'm sure that most of you out there....especially women....have you cars loaded to the brim with crap. You are the pack-rats of the highway. Well let me tell you that those extra pounds your car has to lug around is effecting your fuel economy and costing you money. Just a quick look into my trunk and I had a baby stroller, some tools, a nice heavy blanket, and some half empty water bottles.
Every 100 pounds or so can decrease your Fuel Economy by a few percent. Think about a race car; they only have the bare essentials, this is because every 100 pounds of weight they shed is equal to a tenth of a second off their ¼ mile time. And that’s a big deal. All that extra weight could cost you up to $0.10 a gallon.
SO PUT YOUR CAR ON A DIET!!!

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Shopping Gives Me Gas!!!!!!

Three little words will cause any man to throw a tantrum…..Let’s Go Shopping! Tell your significant other “No!” and you will be spooning the dog on the couch for the rest of the night. But say “Yes” and your life will become the very definition of misery for the next few hours. We have all been there holding our wives overpriced purse; but now there may be a silver lining.
Many Grocery of Warehouse stores now sell gas at a discounted price to their discount card carrying customers. So be sure to sign up and get one of those little preferred card things, it could save up to 10 cents per gallon on gas. And that could equate to $10 a month or even more if you drive a gas guzzler. And money in pocket means more money for the wife to spend!

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Life in the Slow Lane.....

Back in the 1970's when the oil crisis was on.....the government lowered the speed limit down to 55 mph. The reason being that cars get the best gas mileage at this speed. Our Government figured that by reducing highway speeds, that would reduce our fuel consumption by just a little bit.
If you live in California like I do.....the slow lane moves at about 70mph. And if you are anywhere near the fast lane then you'd better kick it into warp drive!! Fuel economy dramatically drops after 55 mph. And driving that musch fast only further kills you MPG.
Reducing your speed to the speed limit can increase your gas mileage by 6%-10%. Which may only look like 33 MPG vs 30 MPG. But if you factor in that savings to the price of Gas....its like saving .35 or .40 cents per gallon. Which could be up to $4per fill-up on a normal economy car like a civic.
And if you fill up once a week at the least than that equates to over $200 per year. But if you are a heavy commuter and fill up quite often...the savings could be much higher.
here is a link to a
Dallas Morning News story

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