Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency Without Damaging It
May 15, 2008 – 6:04 amThere are many fuel saving devices available nowadays, and some of them not only don’t work, but can also cause damage to your car.
Tests that were carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency on over 100 fuel saving gadgets showed that most of them did nothing to improve fuel mileage, and for the ones that did work, the results were not that great.
The gas-saving products on the market seem to fall into clearly defined categories. These include, but are not limited to: vapour-bleed devices, liquid injection devices, ignition devices, fuel line devices, mixture enhancers, internal engine modification devices, fuels and fuel additives, oils and oil additives, and driving habit modifiers.
The EPA evaluates or tests products to determine whether their use will result in any measurable improvement to fuel economy. However, the EPA cannot say what effect gas-saving products will have on a vehicle over a long period of time. It is possible that some products may harm the car or adversely affect its performance.
An example of how one of these devices can do harm is in the case of the air bleed device. It is designed to add large amounts of air to the engine via the carburettor. Now this could likely cause misfireing which can damage the engine, especially on vehicles manufactured from 1974 -82, because the carburettors are factory set for a maximum air to fuel mix. And this device is unlikely to even work on post 1982 vehicles due to their carburettor having an automatic air fuel adjustment which effectively make the device usless.
Assesing fuel consupmtion is not an exact science due to the amount of variables, like traffic and driving habits, but even so there are lots of adverts featuring testimonials from happy customers.
In one case a consumer sent a letter to a company praising its gas-saving product. But what was not mentioned in the advertisement was the fact that the consumers vehicle also had an engine tune-up at the time the device was installed.
Some advertisers claim that the gas-saving device is approved by the Federal government. No government agency endorses gas-saving products for cars. The seller can only state that the item has been tested by the EPA. If the advertiser claims that the product has been tested by the EPA ask to see the results or contact the EPA directly.
You may have already bought one of these devices. If you are not happy then you are well within your right to ask for a refund. Any honest company will offer a money back guarantee. If they do not, you can file a complaint with the state consumer protection agency.
Regular maintenance and servicing is one of the best way to ensure that your vehicle is running at it’s maximum fuel efficeincy. You can find out service intervals by looking in the vehicle manual.
Below are my three tips to improving a vehicles fuel efficiency:
Get an engine tune-up.
Make sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressures.
Rid your vehicle of excess weight by cleaning out your trunk.
Tags: Cars
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