CAR NUT STEVE PARKER saw a large display ad recently in the LOS ANGELES TIMES for a company inviting "potential distributors" to come to a hotel ballroom meeting ("Free!") to find out how to become "distributors" for the "NEW, SECRET GAS PILL" which would "INSTANTLY SAVE 25% OF THE GAS IN YOUR TANK!" And he got mad. So he wrote the following (after he sold the idea to THE DESERT SUN newspaper's Business Editor Dennis Britten) for THE DESERT SUN, the Gannett newspaper which covers the Coachella Valley in southern California, one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation. It's by-far the most-read newspaper in the area. Home to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella and more cities and towns, some famous, others not so, the area is said to be second-only to Las Vegas in growth numbers and percentages. STEVE PARKER has been a columnist for THE DESERT SUN since moving to the desert area from Marina del Rey in Los Angeles in 2000. Oh, attorneys general in several states have filed charges against the "magic pill" people --- And say they made some $25 MILLION in just a few weeks! Now, here's HOW TO REALLY SAVE GAS AND MONEY:
They’re baa-a-ck!
The creepy, sleazy characters who sell “secret” devices, pills, fluids, mechanical contraptions and other things “Detroit doesn’t wan you to know about!”, all to supposedly help you save gas and money. Since prices skyrocketed, even a man who “runs his cars on tap water” has been profiled on CNN. With prices up and probably not coming down, these folks are more numerous (and perhaps enticing) than ever.
For the average driver, cars and trucks come from the factories tuned for the best possible mileage. Laws of physics, not magic, determine how much fuel it takes to power an engine to produce the “horsepower” to move a vehicle a certain distance.
And gasoline remains the single most efficient fuel for the internal combustion engine.
There are, though, many reliable and proven ways you can save fuel and funds, whether you’re driving the latest hotshot from Europe or Asia or a classic Detroit
The first and easiest thing to remember is: Stay away from the mid- and high-grade fuels. Most vehicles less than 20 years old will run fine on the least expensive 87 octane gasoline. Try a tank full of low-grade, and if you notice no difference in your vehicle’s performance (like engine knocking, pinging or hesitation, stalling or bucking), keep using it! If these symptoms do appear, use a tank full of the expensive stuff, then go back to the cheap gas until the problem arises again. This alone can save as much as $0.75 cents a gallon.
An annual change of spark plugs (or more often, depending on their condition, which your technician should check) and a check of all belts and hoses is important.
Spark plugs cost from $2 to $15 apiece, and in this case, pricier may be better.
Loose belts, especially with today’s one-belt “serpentine” systems, can hurt fuel mileage. Replacements run from $25 to $50.
Ignition wires often are overlooked. They wear out slowly, cooking in the heat of the engine bay and the desert summer. Silicon-covered replacements (as much as $75) can increase mileage and give a noticeable performance boost.
Check, clean and replace (when necessary) all air, oil and gasoline filters. Replacing them all with original equipment costs less than $100. A washable, “high-performance” air filter can improve mileage and emissions (about $60).
The oil filter should be replaced every time you change the oil, every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Use a pre-mixed blend of conventional and synthetic oils; there’s a number of them on the market and they all meet the same American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. Prices are usually under $10 per quart.
Aftermarket exhaust systems and bolt-on turbocharger and supercharger systems cost a lot but can generously increase mileage and improve performance and emissions. Serious drivers might also want to investigate aftermarket performance “chips” for their engine’s computer.
A simple and free check of tire pressure is mandatory every two or three weeks. Many new cars and trucks have dashboard monitors reporting tire air pressure (systems will be mandatory starting in 2009). Proper air pressure means better mileage, safer driving and longer tire life.
Many of these items have to be checked and inspected more often here than in coastal areas due to local heat, sand, dust and wind. All of these attack every rubber and plastic part on a car, including tires and even in the engine bay and under the vehicle.
Those looking for the “quick fix” with “magic potions” are falling victim to their own greed. One company which recently advertised in major national newspapers has been indicted by several states’ attorneys general. One report says this outfit made $25,000,000 from eager investors who wanted to distribute the company’s “magic gas tank pill” fuel-saver in the last year.
Improving fuel mileage is not difficult. It takes common sense, a few dollars, and most important, a lighter throttle foot. Slow down! Also, in stick-shift cars, be like fuel-saving race car drivers and “short shift”; that is, shift into the higher gear at lower-then-usual engine rpm’s.
Yes, even race car drivers need to save gas sometimes!
(Steve Parker has been reporting on the auto industry for 35 years. The two-time TV Emmy Award winner is heard Sunday from 8-10am on NewsTalk 920 KPSI radio and seen on CAR NUT TV on TIME-WARNER Channel 10. Visit his blog and email him at www.SteveParker.com)
-30-
Comments