ALT-3 What Reduces Fuel Economy
With gas prices constantly rising, consumers have become more conscious about how to bet conserve gas and save money at the pumps. But with so many gas sucking vehicles and serious traffics in most major cities, it seems almost impossible to get good fuel economy. However, if you know what to watch for, you can easily avoid reducing your own fuel economy.
One of the most important things to consider when you are considering fuel economy is the weight of your vehicle. The more your vehicle weighs, the more fuel is going to be required to push it. It is for this reason that many car enthusiasts are finding huge increases in fuel economy by swapping out their old heavy parts for more lightweight parts. For example, if you were to take your trunk and hood, two extremely common aftermarket parts and swapped them out for carbon fiber, you would reduce the weight of those parts by upwards of 75%. This is a huge reduction in weight, and ultimately a major reduction in gas prices.
For myself, I have dropped all of the unnecessary weight out of my vehicle in our to give me a substantial boost in fuel economy. One of the biggest things that I removed was my spare time. I put it on when I am traveling outside of my local area, but when I'm in town, a phone call away from my girlfriend or friends, I don't worry about it. I figure I would rather save the money than carry around a tire all the time JUST IN CASE something happens. Sure it will create a mild inconvenience, but with my house 20 minutes from anywhere that I would be during a given day, it wouldn't be all that major of an issue.
Another thing that you can do is reduce weight at the wheels. When I replaced my tires, I got lighter tires and wheels. By doing this I not only made my vehicle accelerate faster, I also reduced the overall weight of the vehicle significantly. You would be amazed at how much factory wheels can weigh in comparison to a lightweight aftermarket wheel.
Some people go even crazier by removing their air conditioner and airbags. For myself, I have found that if you just turn off your air conditioner you can save quite a bit of fuel. The air conditioner and heater are two of the biggest fuel hogs in your vehicle. By turning these off, you'll find an instant savings.
Next, you are going to want to make sure that your vehicle is well tuned. By checking this, you will know that your vehicle is using fuel efficiently. During this process make sure that your oxygen sensor is checked. If your oxygen sensor is relaying bad information to your car's computer, then you could be running more fuel in your oxygen/fuel mixture, which could result in more fuel going to waste. The tuning should also include oil changes. These are important to keeping your vehicle running at it's best.
Check all of your tires. If your tires are flat, then it is going to require more energy to push your vehicle. I always check my tires every couple of weeks for air pressure and give them a visual inspection daily. By doing this you ensure that your vehicle is running smoothly at all times.
If you have any items, such as luggage racks, snowboard racks, bike racks, anything like that, you are creating drag on your vehicle. By doing this, you are making your vehicle work harder to go the same speed, because these items are restricting it's ability to efficiently separate the wind. By driving around with these items on your vehicle when you don't need them, you are not only weighing your vehicle down, you are creating so much drag that your fuel efficiency is greatly reduced.
Finally you have to consider your speed at which you accelerate. The harder you jump on the accelerator, the more fuel that will be required to get you there. If you start and stop at a slow even pace, then you will get substantially better fuel mileage. Also, if you have a stick shift, make sure that you are shifting before 3000 RPMs. By doing this, you are ensuring that you are in the most efficient gear for fuel efficiency.
