Gas Mileage Savers

Gas mileage savers can be defined as anything that helps you save money on gas. As many of you know, the price of gas is going up and there is no end in site. In this article, you will learn about some gas mileage savers that will certainly help you save money.

There are many simple ways to save money on gas. The first is to plan your driving ahead of time. By planning ahead, you can combine multiple trips and tasks into one. For example, plan to go to the grocery store or pharmacy before picking the kids up from school or on the way home from work. Try to carpool with co-workers as often as possible. The more people in your carpool, the more money you will save. These gas mileage savers are sure to save you time and money.

Another way to save money at the pump is to watch the way you drive. Do you start and stop quickly between intersections? Accelerating quickly and braking hard both use more gas than accelerating smoothly and coasting between lights at intersections. Though we can't control the traffic lights, we can control how we drive between them. This is a great tip for city driving that will improve your fuel consumption.

On the highway, you can improve your gas mileage as well. Using the cruise control and staying within the speed-limit will cut down on your fuel consumption. Cruise control helps you maintain a more constant speed than you can do yourself, which translates to better mileage. On long drives, cruise control is the key to better fuel efficiency. But what about the speed limit? While the speed limit is for your safety, it is also one of the lesser known gas mileage savers. The faster you drive, the harder your car has to work. After about 65 MPH, the efficiency of your car begins to drop drastically. So, keeping your speed in check will keep your gas bill under control too.

Maintaining your car and keeping your car free of excess clutter are two more gas mileage savers to be aware of. By keeping up with the regular maintenance of your car, you'll keep it running efficiently, which means burning less gas. Things to keep an eye on, either by you or a professional, include properly inflated tires, a clean air filter, and regular oil changes and tune-ups. Improperly inflated tires can reduce your fuel efficiency, as can clogged air filters. A clean running, properly maintained engine will be more efficient. Removing excess clutter from your car can also help your mileage. Extra weight in the trunk or bed of your truck or SUV means more gas being burned during everyday driving.

Another gas mileage savers option is to drive a more fuel efficient car. Hybrid cars, cars that run on battery and regular petroleum, can help you save money at the pump too. By using various energy saving techniques, such as cutting the gas engine when the car is idle and using an energy return system when the car is braking, reduce the amount of gasoline used. If a hybrid car is not your thing, you can also try a diesel car, or simply a smaller car. Smaller cars weight less and typically have smaller engines than trucks and SUV's. If hauling a big load around is not a typical daily task for you, then, a smaller sedan or coupe will save you big bucks in gas. Diesel engines, too, get very good gas mileage. It is not atypical for a diesel engine to get more than 40 miles per gallon. So, the next time you're deciding which car to drive or buy, remember these gas mileage savers!

Americans have always loved driving their cars, but with gas prices the way they are, driving is not as cheap as it used to be. Remembering the gas mileage savers in this article will help you drive around without breaking the bank. Find other similar articles
at http://www.gasmileageworld.com.

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Ethanol and E85 - Fuels Of The Future?

Copyright 2006 Donovan Baldwin

Pure ethanol or E100 is also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. It is made when corn, grain, or other agricultural products are fermented, distilled, and denatured and because of this, it is a continually renewable resource, a true benefit in the world of alternative fuels. Another benefit is the fact that, unlike many other, mainly petroleum based, fuels, it contributes nothing to the build-up of greenhouse gases. Because of its renewable nature, it is possible to extensively reduce a nation's dependence on foreign oil products.

Pure ethanol is never used as an alternative fuel, but ethanol blends are. For example, E10 is a fuel made of 10 percent ethanol and blended with 90 percent gasoline. The most common blend is E85, a fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 is officially classified by the U.S. Department of Energy as an alternative energy fuel. It could be used in most cars today that are run on gasoline with some modification, and new, flexible fuel vehicles, are being developed that could use E85. Recently, lobbyists have been pushing for its use in FFVs or flexible fuel vehicles, alternative vehicles that have a lesser impact on the environment than today's gas guzzling cars.

E85 Properties

Why is E85 gaining in popularity to the point that lines of vehicles are being developed that will run on it alone? Compare it to the properties of gasoline, and see for yourself:

* 96 octane to 86-94 octane in gasoline

* 12,500 lower heating value to 18,000-19,000 lower heating value of gasoline

* 1.4 gallons of E85 is equal to 1 gallon gasoline

* Per gallon, E85 gets 72% of the miles that gasoline gets

* Holding tank is 1.4 times larger than a gasoline holding tank

* In cold weather, E85 starts the car as well as gasoline

* Vehicle power is increased 3-5% with E85

Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV)

A flexible fuel vehicle is a car that runs on any ethanol blend, E85 or less, and can also run on regular unleaded gas. They have been in production for almost a decade and continue to be built by some major car manufacturers including Ford, GM, Mercury, Isuzu, and more. Over 2 million of today’s vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles, which can run on ethanol, gasoline, or a mixture of the two. You may own one of these FFV's without even being aware of it. Some of the benefits of flexible fuel vehicles include:

* Emissions that create smog are reduced 25 percent

* Cost effectiveness is equal to that of cars run on gasoline

* Similar warranties and original equipment are manufactured as they are for gasoline run vehicles

* Emissions that create greenhouse gases are reduced 35 to 40 percent

* Vehicle horsepower increased up to 5 percent

* Fuel is renewable

* New vehicles can be ordered with a flexible fuel engine option

* More and more E85 pumps are springing up all over the country

* Gasoline can be mixed with any amount of E85 if E85 is not available

Hybrid Vehicles And Ethanol

Most cars, including hybrid cars have no problems with a 10 percent ethanol blend. However, at this time, the combination of E85 and the hybrid car is only slowly making its way from the drawing board to the highway. Some instances have occurred where the two have been combined, but these are primarily in fleet situations and concept cars so far. However, it shouldn't be too long before you can buy a hybrid car that will run on E85.

Drawbacks of E85

There are a few disadvantages to E85 at this point in the game, though they hardly outweigh the benefits. Some of these include:

* The cost of E85 is formidable due to the cost of the fermentation process but research has already begun to develop a new and cheaper fermentation process that utilizes lower-grade feed stocks.

* Ethanol is quite a bit more corrosive than gasoline, which could lead to engine problems.

* Issues of things like vapor lock, flame visibility, and cold starts have experts concerned.

* The miles per gallon of E85 is less efficient than the miles per gallons of gasoline.

* It's not easy to find E85 gasoline tanks because distribution is difficult.

One present disadvantage that DOES outweigh the ecological value for the consumer is the scarcity of locations selling E85. This will probably continue to change over time however. For those in the military, there are some military bases where E85 can be found

Despite the limitations, ethanol based alternative fuels like E85 are an incredible improvement over the use of gasoline. Some car manufacturers are offering to upgrade regular engines to E85 capability for no cost, and the fact that flexible fuel vehicles are not reliant upon E85 but can use gasoline in any combination with the ethanol blend makes it a simple choice. Scientists and researchers are working on ways to fix the remaining issues. This new technology is more than a trend but the direction in which the future is taking drivers.

You can learn more about alternative fuels and flexible fuel vehicles, including what vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles, and where to find E85, at the United States Government's Alternative Fuel Data Center at http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/fuel_inf.html .

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