You Get Bad Gas Mileage Because You Want To!

The first time I heard that it ticked me off, until I realized... they were right.

There are so many things I could do to increase mileage it wasn't even funny. And I'm not talking about the hypermiling stuff that will drive you crazy, but all the "little" things.

Take something as simple as lubrication. Engine, transmission, ball joints, and bearings all have friction and all need to be lubricated. The Oil Change shops have "conditioned" us to change our oil every 3,000 miles, but the Manufacturers most now recommend 7,500 miles which has a safety factor of 50% built in.

Oil is oil isn't it? Well, yes and no! Oil "shear strength" is what tells you how "good" an oil is. The lower the shear strength the worse it is. Natural oils have the worse shear strength regardless of the "additives". Semi-synthetics are better, and full synthetics are the best. Of all the oils tested (which are 100's) Mobil 1 is good and Amsoil's Signature Series full synthetic as been shown to be the best.

I've personally only run full synthetic motor oils since 1986 and my engines don't show any wear, even with 228,000 miles on my current engine. Why anyone would run anything but synthetics that don't need changing for 20,000 miles is beyond me. They pay for themselves many times over in increased mileage alone.

Then there are the Oil Additives; STP, Prolong, Duralube, Lucas, etc. We know they exist, but less than 10% of Americans use them, let alone even ever TRIED them. Why? Who knows, maybe we don't believe the claims to increased mileage, maybe no one ever explained what they can do. Do they work?, sure, but for a limited time, mostly by coating the walls of the cylinder with teflon, ptfe, or graphite. But they are short lived and usually require a continued diet of adding it to your oil EVERY time you change your oil and the FTC came down hard on unrealistic claims.

And last, the metal treatment processes. Where Oil Additives ONLY coat the metal, treatment or conditioning processes actually bond to the metal or even change the molecular structure of the metal. Companies like 300 Below is expensive, time, and energy consuming to remove the engine and have it cryo'd to 300 degrees below zero, but is worth it, just not for the average Joe. Metal conditioners like the Super Lubers engine conditioner that with nano-technology actually bonds to the metal inside the cylinder and reduces friction so much that I couldn't help but get an additional 4.5 miles per gallon often giving 15%-20% increase in mileage.

So you see, I really was getting lower gas mileage because I wanted to.

Nicholas St Jon - as an associate of Johnathan Goodwin and Uli Kruger, I've become well versed in engine efficiencies. Combined with my experience on the Space Shuttle program and work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, figuring out how to make things work better has become a way of life. As the Electric Vehicle consultant on the LincVolt project, we expect to get Neil Young's classic 1959 Lincoln Continental well over the 50 mpg goal and push it to the 100 mpg target mileage. You can keep track of our progress by joining our free Newsletter at:
http://ShopGoodwinConcepts.com
And if you know someone that would like to get 20-30 mpg out of an H1 or H2 Hummer:
http://JohnathanGoodwin.com/diesel-conversions.php


By Nicholas St Jon

How to Improve Gas Mileage and Save on Fuel - 4 Gas Saving Tips

Here are a few tips to save on gas. Of course, only do the ones that make sense for you since not everyone is in a position to take advantage of all the suggestions. Some of them may seem silly or nit pickey, but remember, the goal is to save money.


Always fill up in the morning. Always. Everyone can do this. The reason is that gas expands with heat and you will actually get less gas for the same cost if you pump in the afternoon. The gas in the underground tank heats up during the sunlight hours and cools down at night.
Pump your gas at a moderately slow level. This reduces the amount of gas that gets returned to the underground tank in the form of vapor. The faster you pump, the more gas gets returned as vapor.
This may seem silly, but get gas as often as possible. Since gas goes up almost daily, you will be 'dollar cost averaging' your purchases at the pump. Lets compare getting gas whenever your tank is only a quarter empty with waiting until your tank is completely empty. If your tank holds 12 gallons and you wait till its a quarter empty, you get three gallons.
Here are our assumptions: Tank size = 12 gallons. Gas goes up $.05 every day. Both drivers originally fill up when gas is $4.00 , but driver #1 refills at 3/4 of a tank and driver #2 fills up when completely empty.


Driver 1 buys 12 gallons on Day 1 - $4.00/gal x 12 gallons = $48.00
Driver 1 buys 3 gallons on day 3 - $4.15/gal x 3 gallons = $12.45
Driver 1 buys 3 gallons on day 5 - $4.30/gal x 3 gallons = $12.90
Driver 1 buys 3 gallons on day 7 - $4.45 /gal x 3 gallons = $13.35
Driver 1 buys 3 gallons on day 9 - $4.60/gal x 3 gallons = $13.80
So, Driver 1 has paid a total of $100.05


Driver 2 fills up on day 1 - $4.00/gal x 12 gallons = $48.00
Driver 2 fills up on day 9 - $4.60/gal x 12 gallons = $55.20
Driver 2 has paid a total of $103.20 Just because driver 2 waited, he has had to pay $3.15 more than did driver 1.
This strategy may seem silly to you, but if you do this all the time, you will save a lot over the long run. Combine this with only getting gas in the morning, and you save far more than you realize. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Gas isn't going up 5 cents every day, etc..." It doesn't matter. The only way this strategy will hurt you is if prices are falling. So, when prices start to fall (HA HA HA) you can then wait to fill up when your tank is empty.


The last suggestion is to install a fuel saving device. There are now a few websites devoted to teaching you how to use water to create hydrogen (called HHO) which then gets input into your engine through the intake manifold. It requires that you have a separate apparatus which holds the water and connects to the battery, but it isn't as if you pour water in the gas tank. These devices do actually work, and more importantly do not damage your car. You can test the devices without risk. Most sites will hype up the claims on increased gas mileage, but the increase really depends on the vehicle into which you install the device. On average, though, you will see a definite improvement in your gas mileage.
If you would like to see more gas saving tips and find out about the fuel saving device, then please see tips to save money on gas

Art Graham is an accountant and an accounting software analyst. He has 23 years working in the accounting and finance field. For tips and resources on how to control your spending and how to save money please refer to http://www.costslayer.com


By Art Graham