Getting the best fuel economy out of all the vehicles that are on the road is more important today than ever before. This is why so many drivers keep a careful check on how many miles per gallon their car is delivering. Finding ways to improve the gas mileage is always something in which they have a great deal of interest. This is why fuel saving products are of particular interest to so many auto owners.
The interest in improving the gas mileage of cars always spikes during the fall and winter seasons. This is because cold weather means that it will take your vehicle more time and energy just to get started. Whenever the temperatures are low the engine in a normal car requires a longer period of time to get warmed up and ready to operate. Cold temperatures also means that the oil vehicles use will be more viscous. Both of these facts decrease the normal gas mileage in cars by as much as 50%.
The fuel economy in cars can be improved without the need for any fuel saving gadgets or special mileage enhancing gadgets. This is true at any time of the year, but especially so when there is cold weather present.
Keeping all of the tires on a vehicle inflated to their optimal pressure will certainly help. Regular over- inflation or under- inflation of tires on any type of motorized vehicles is not a good idea. Parking your vehicles in an enclosed garage can help keep them warmer which means it will require less gasoline to get the motors operating properly. Even an unheated garage is preferable to leaving cars outside exposed to all of the winter weather conditions.
If your vehicles use spark plugs exchanging the old plugs for new ones can help you improve your fuel mileage. This is especially true if the spark plugs have been used for a long time and have a number of miles already. Drivers also need to make sure that their car engine's thermostat is working correctly. Sometimes a car thermostat opens too quickly. This will make the engine need longer time to reach driving temperature. Any time your vehicles are exposed to extended warm up periods they will use a lot more fuel.
These are just a few of the more traditional ways that drivers across the country are improving the fuel economy in their own vehicles. However you will also notice that there are always many offers that claim you can improve your car's gas mileage if you buy some of the "fuel saving devices" that are available. It is easy to find these fuel improving gadgets because they are advertised in magazines, television, and at your local auto parts stores.
These devices are even being heavily advertised on the Internet. The claims and sales pitches that are used by the manufacturers always sound extraordinarily convincing. In fact, most times the performance that is promised seems too good to be true. These high tech fuel saving gadgets promise much better gas mileage for vehicles and usually they come with supporting statistics, information and glowing customer reviews, but do they really work?
There is no real change in the fuel economy of any of the vehicles on which these devices have been tested according to the EPA (US Government Environmental Protection Agency). Of course all of these fuel saving products have not yet been put through the paces, but of the thousands that have there are few positive factors to report.
Of the numerous devices and additives that are supposed to save fuel and improve the mileage in vehicles the sad fact is that they do not live up to the hype and advertising. There are devices that cause more air to enter the intake manifold which will cause a car to operate on leaner fuel. Many of these devices have been rigorously tested and only one created a small improvement in the gas mileage. Unfortunately this positive factor was overshadowed by the increased exhaust emissions that occurred.
Testing was also done on many of the liquid based injection systems that were supposed to be fuel saving products for cars driven by consumers. Always there was the same type of result as before. Researchers have just been unable to discover the fuel economy improvement that these products are supposed to deliver.
There are even some ignition system enhancement products for cars. This is yet one other class of fuel saving gadgets on the market. Not one of these ignition system enhancer devices caused vehicles to show any improvement in their normal fuel economy.
A very popular type of gas saving gadget is one that attaches to the fuel lines on vehicles. You can find a number of these devices that are marketed as either fuel line heaters, coolers or magnets for cars. Supposedly their design is able to ionize and cause changes to the very molecular structures of the fuel that you are using. Needless to say, these do not work, and you should save your money for other purchases instead.
If you are using one of the gas saving enhancers that needs to be mounted at the intake so that it can improve the mixing of the fuel that the vehicles use, beware. Basically what you have to do is to give your car a tune-up before you install this supposed "fuel saving gadget". Any slight improvement in the mileage that occurs is due to the tune-up, not the device.
If you follow the basic rules of good driving and maintain your vehicles properly you will improve your fuel mileage without spending extra money. Modify your driving so that it includes smooth acceleration and gear shifting; avoid "jack rabbit starts"; keep your tires inflated and make sure that you are not overloading your car with unnecessary weight for in town travel. You should be very cautious about any fuel saving additives and devices because very few of them result in any real gas savings.
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