Saving Money on Gas - The Scoop on Products and Services

By Richard Chapo

As gas prices skyrocket and are forecasted to continue doing so, saving money on your fuels costs is becoming very important. Here is what you really need to save a few bucks.

The idea of improving your fuel economy by ten percent wasn't much to get excited about when gas cost $1.75 a galloon. With some areas, such as San Diego, approaching $4.00 a gallon, a ten or twenty percent improvement starts to look very attractive. Most products claiming to help your mileage, however, are junk. On the other hand, certain steps and products can make a big difference.

Fuel injector cleaners are hardly new products on the market, but they can significantly improve your miles per galloon. Over time, fuel injectors get gummed up which means they do not fire at the correct time nor produce the correct amount of gas flow. You might think this would help your mileage since less gas is going in, but the opposite is true. The same goes for fuel filters. Replace the filters yourself and add a fuel injector cleaner the next time you are at the pump.

Air filters are another area where you can save some cash on gas. For an engine to work efficiently, it needs the correct amount of air flow that it was originally designed for. Dirty air filters throw this balance askew. Replace your air filter and you should see better fuel efficiency. You do not need to buy after market air filters because they actually will introduce too much air to the engine, making it inefficient.

One of the biggest areas you can attack to improve your mileage is the timing of your engine. Stick to the recommendations of your manufacturer, but use high end NGK spark plugs. They maintain their settings and will fire consistently throughout their life. Replacing your spark plugs should be done in concert with a tune up, another step that will increase your mileage by as much as 20 percent.

Although not a product, tire alignment is a big issue when it comes to gas mileage. If your tires are out of alignment, the friction coefficient between them and the road increases dramatically. This means it requires more engine power and gas to push the skewed tires across the road. Get them aligned and you will see immediate mileage improvement and a better ride. On top of this, make absolutely sure your tires have the correct air pressure as designated by the car manufacturer, not the tire manufacturer.

There is a lot of advice being offered on how to save money on gas, much of it so vague as to be useless. Take these steps, however, and you will see marked improvement and save some serious cash in the long run.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

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