Clean your Air Filter to Improve Fuel Economy

The performance of your car is proportional to the amount of air it has coming in. A dirty air filter restricts airflow to your car's engine and decreases performance. This, in turn, will result in the driver having to step on the gas to get the extra power being lost. The more power you use the less fuel efficient your drive will be. Fuel economy relies on having a clean air filter to keep your engine running well with minimum fuel usage and maximum fuel economy.

The restrictive properties of filters vary from brand to brand however reusable filters often block less air. They are cleaned rather than replaced which saves you money when servicing.

How to tell if your air filter needs changing? In order to get the most fuel economy out of your car the filter should be as clean as possible; hold it up to the light, if you can't see any light shining though it then its too dirty.

Follow this link to Find and remove your air filter. 

The cleaner it is the more power your engine can create and the greater your fuel ecomony.

Pump Up Your Tyres With Nitrogen

Pumping up your tyres with nitrogen seems like a more effort than its worth, after all, air is made up of 78% nitrogen anyway! Is it worth $10 a tyre to remove the 22% oxygen in your tyres? 

Here are the arguments:

Nitrogen is a larger molecule than oxygen, therefore, it escapes slower from your tyres. This means that your tyres remain adequately pressurised for longer, giving you better fuel economy - saving you petrol.

Replace your factory exhaust

Source: Paul

Replacing your factory exhaust system with an aftermarket kit can have many performance and aesthetic benefits. A lot like the addition of a Cold Air Intake, the modification is commonly thought to be for performance cars only and have no fuel economy benefits. This is a misconception; the integration of the right aftermarket exhaust for your car can have a worthwhile effect on your petrol consumption.

An important concept to understand is that an increase in power without altering the amount of fuel consumed results in an increase in fuel economy. That is, more power per unit of fuel translates to more distance on the road or a larger load over the same distance (e.g. towing a trailer or caravan). So when this article suggests a part will increase power, you can take this as an increase in fuel economy as well.

So what goes into an exhaust system? There are quite a few aftermarket modifications available in this department, some of which will help you reach your fuel economy goals, others which won’t. Below is an outline of the parts that can increase your car’s power and fuel efficiency.

Cold Air Intake - Increasing your car's horsepower

Typical cold air intake system

A cold air intake's primary function is to supply cold air to your car’s internal combustion engine. Cold air is denser than warm air and contains a much richer supply of oxygen per unit volume. This colder air supplies more oxygen into your fuel mix which results in a cleaner and more energetic fuel burning experience.

The addition of a cold air intake to a car’s engine system is predominantly for the purpose of increasing your horsepower. A cold air intake also adds a substantial depth to the sound of your engine and can be bought in many colours to enhance the look under your hood. According to Auto Anything Engineers a cold air intake can improve your fuel economy by 1-2 Miles per gallon, even larger savings are reported by other sources (3-8 MPG).

Scams: Don't be fooled by tips you don't understand

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Chances are if you found this site you're interested in saving money on petrol and getting the most out of your vehicle.

It's extremely important you don't go backwards before you go forwards. There are many claims out there, especially on the net, that you can double your mileage with small low cost kits.

All these techniques use some kind of 'Fantastic new technology' that you don't understand. I like to use the logic: "Never buy a sandwich unless you know what's in it".

Below are a few products to steer clear of no matter what:

Get around on a scooter

Photo from freeimages.co.uk

A scooter may not be the best investment for a builder and his tools, a dentist and his drill or a musician and his cello but for those of us who have everything we need permanently in the office the scooter can save us time and money. A typical 50cc scooter or Moped can cost anywhere from $500 USD to $2000 USD (Or buy a Vespa and pay as much as you have). A second-hand Nifty50 will also do the trick if you're really keen to be one with the road.

Convert your car to LPG

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LPG is a parallel product produced with petrol and was considered to be a waste product for many years; it was even burnt in waste removal furnaces in some petroleum factories.

Running your car on LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) is so much more eco-friendly than running petrol or diesel; with over 70% less carbon monoxide released and over 80% less hydrocarbons produced its a wise choice for any environment conscious individual.