Everybody wants to save fuel, but therere lots and lots of incorrect advices I found on local and international motorcar forums on how to do it. Some of em make no difference, and some even worse! Dont know from where they got those advices - Im sure not from their own experiment/experience. Some of the advices defy the laws of physics [and thermodynamics].

The following are a bunch of wrong advices on tips for fuel saving.

1. Fill-up fuel tank in the morning
I have read/heard 1001 times that its best to fill car fuel tank in the early morning while the fuel is cold by making assumption that fuel are more dense at lower temperatures, so a liter of cooler fuel actually has more hydrocarbon molecules than a liter of warmer gasoline.

The fact is: The fuel stored underground has a very large heat sink which temperature is almost constant throughout the day. By touching the fuel pump nozzle while filling up the fuel tank one will feel the temperature - it is warmer than the ambient temperature, in the morning and cooler at midday/afternoon. You dont need a thermometer to measure it.



2. Change air filter often
Maintaining cars is important, but a clean air filter isnt going to save any fuel significantly. Modern engines have computer sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter chokes off the engines air supply. Of course engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter becomes clogged, but an increase in fuel consumption will be negligible. It takes cost less than the new air filter. Here Im talking on fuel saving - not performance ya.

As far as fuel saving is concerned, installing after market maintenance-free air-filters will do more harm than good [in a long run] to modern engines. Think a second, if it is good enough why not car producers install em in the first place? If u r talking on performance alone, just tune the car without the air filter!

3. Use premium or higher octane fuel
A lot of drivers think because their owners manual recommends premium, theyll get better fuel economy and performance with it. In reality , they may be paying more money for nothing.

Most modern na cars have Programmed Fuel Injection System, for which premium is "recommended" - but not "required" - wont suffer with RON95 or lower octane rating fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug [and valve] timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower - but we never notice.

Always check owners manual before putting anything into your car. And if the car runs badly on RON95, by all means, go back to RON97, or Wee-Power or what_ever.

4. Pump up tires
Of course under-inflated tires are bad for handling and can even cause a crash. Improper tire inflation also causes tires to wear out faster and to heat up more, which could trigger a dangerous high-speed blow-out. Under inflated tires also reduce fuel economy.

So proper inflation is important.
But never over-inflate tires. Theyll get slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isnt worth the extra km a liter gained.

5. Reduce or do not use aircond.
True, air-conditioning makes extra work for the engine, increasing fuel use. But car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. Using the aircond will drop fuel economy by about 2 to 3% - to figure out the saving by turning aircond off is gaining around 10km [under RM2] when one drive fom KL to KB but one will pay more on cold drinks!

Meanwhile, driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making air-cond use the more efficient choice at high speeds.

6. Install fuel saving gadget and/or use fuel booster
Before even thinking of a device thats supposed to make car more fuel-efficient ask yourself:

Dont you think oil and car companies arent doing everything they can to beat their competitors?

Car/engine producers are already spending billions of Ringgit if not Dollars to increase fuel efficiency/mileage. If a car producer could make its cars go significantly farther on a liter simply by putting a device into the fuel line, dont think for a second it wouldnt be doing that. Its car sales also would go like goreng pisang panas.

Similarly, if there really was an additive that made fuel burn up more slowly, it would have been bought by major oil companies already and wouldnt be sold through direct selling over the Internet/SMS one bottle at a time. If Brand A fuel company could add something to its fuel that made cars go farther on a liter of fuel, cars would be lining up at the companys pumps and drive right past rivals fuel stations to come back to Brand A for more. Brand A stations could even charge more for their gas and still can sell. Click HERE for additional informations.

Borrowing a phrase from a friends blog...
"kalau nak menurut biar berakal, kalau mengikut biar berilmu..."

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With the consistently rising price of fuel many will find and try anything to improve the fuel consumption of their cars. Then they come across things like run your car on water, magnetic fuel saver, fuel saving tablets/additives, and many others. Those products claim to save money and give car better performance.

As long as cars have existed, inventors and salesmen have tried to sell fuel saver devices designed to give dramatic gains in fuel economy and power. While most of these devices install easily, and most are relatively inexpensive, the vast majority of these products very rarely meet the promises of their designers. Actually they are pure gimmicks and use false science to describe how they work and many of them will actually cause more problems or even a reduction in car performance and economy.. Dont be fooled.

Some of them are:
Magnets - By attaching to your fuel system it claim to alter the structure of the fuel as it passes through the lines are absolute not true. The explanation are based on false science. Hidro-carbon molecules do not attract to magnet!

Serbo - Is actually a device installed along air intake to ‘swirl’ the air before it enters into the engine, claimed to increase engine power as much as 20%. Do you believe? The fact is Supercharging an engine is a complex modification and is not just another plug and play toy. This is another gimmick and not worth spending the money. Our EP6DT twin scroll turbo in tandem with the ECU already work perfectly under all driving conditions.

Vaporiser/Atomizer - Claims to improve burning efficiency by vaporising the fuel that enters the engine. Probably only works on carburetor engines when it is cold. Fortunately direct fuel injection on our Peugeot 308 engine already have this effect.

Water Power - "wotta powwa" as how the Japanese pronounce. Sounds like Tsu-na-mi , hee.. heee... Basically it is a device that claims to convert water into hydrogen gas and improve the power and efficiency of the engine. Theoretically possible but these devices are at most could barely power an a/cond blower or radiator/condenser cooling fan!

Octane Booster - One should be very careful when using this chemical, as they may be harmful to the engine. True, some products work, but mostly dont. Be careful . In market there are plenty of imitation products. Racing teams have their secret recipe and develop on their own and not for sale.

These devices/chemical which claim to give reduction in fuel consumption may actually even cause potential engine damage or failure.

If you really want to save fuel, just improve your driving habits, choose cost effective route to follow and pump in the right fuel. Remember that who drives where, when and how is the main contributor to fuel saving.

Happy Motoring

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Ways to save money are all around us, we just have to be open to using them. Finding ways to cut back on spending is sometimes as simple as examining our habits. Choose one part of your budget and find new ways to save money, then move on to another category. Soon all aspects of your budget will be adding more money to your savings account.

Use a few of these ideas to save big on your automobile travel.

[1] Slow it down.

Studies have shown that the faster you go the more gasoline your vehicle will use. Lower your speed to put savings in your pocket.

[2] Use your brakes less.

Less speed is one way of cutting down on using your brakes, avoid tailgating is another. Not only do you burn more gasoline each time you use your vehicles brakes, you also ware out the brake pads faster, too.

[3] Do regular maintenance on your vehicle

Keeping your filters, belts and tires in the best condition can make a big difference in the fuel use of your vehicle.

[4] Do not let your vehicle sit and idle

If you know you are going to be stopped for more than 30-60 seconds,[not counting time waiting at signal lights] turn your motor off. The motor only needs about 5 seconds of fuel to restart, anything over that is wasting fuel and your money.

[5] Check for alternate routes

If you travel the same route to work or events, look for other routes. Sometimes we can find shorter routes or less fuel use ways. Look for routes with less signal lights, pot holes or hills to climb. All these things cause you to use more fuel. Saving one dollar a day is 365 dollars in a year. Do this with 5 different everyday events and you will have saved $1825.00 in one year.

[6] Lighten the Load

All of us carry little used items in our vehicles. Unload them, put them in the garage, where they belong. Every extra pound of weight you carry in your vehicle, adds to your fuel cost.

[7] Roll down the windows

Air conditioning can account for 25% of your fuel cost. For slow city travel, roll down the drivers window a few inches and the back passenger window on the opposite side for increased air flow. When going faster, close the windows and turn on the ventilation fan. Only use your vehicles air conditioner on high heat days.

Using one or several of these suggestions will not only lead to more money in your budget but less ware and tare on your vehicle, allowing it to last longer before it needs replacing, thus meaning more savings.

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