Still Searching for Better Fuel Mileage?

If you're still searching for those illusive miles per gallon that the sticker on the window of your new car "SAID" that you could get... you can "rest assured" that you are not the only one that's still looking!

A claim of "High Gas Mileage" helps to sell cars and however a manufacturer can achieve that number is enough to make the average driver go nuts! Anyone who's been around the block a couple of times knows that those City and Highway fuel mileage claims on the window stickers of new cars are just "Hocus-Pocus" numbers anyway... Who in the world drives around on a chassis dyno on a regular basis anyway? And who in their right mind believes those numbers? Most of us drive on the Highway and my observations tell me that most drivers (not all... but most) drive just as fast as they think they can get away with! And if they're late to work... look out! They'll drive faster than they can safely do so...

In experiments that I have completed recently, I drove my car to work and made myself maintain my speed to within five miles per hour of the posted speed limit. I traveled in the right lane, so as to not be a hazard to others, and just cruised along. Amazingly, I could actually SEE that I was using less gasoline. And the numbers at the pump, when I filled up later that evening, backed up my visual indications of improved fuel economy.

My suggestions to the manufacturers and the government (that keeps sticking their nose in where it's not needed) would be that they take cars to locations "where they will be sold" and drive them in rush hour traffic for a week or so. Then, take the average numbers they come up with for fuel mileage and that would be more believable as a REAL mileage claim for actual highway mileage.

Then, take the cars in town and actually drive in town for a full tank of gas and observe the mileage the cars get. Whatever comes from that testing should be the numbers used... and not some fantasyland numbers from a laboratory test. We need real fuel mileage numbers because that's what we have to live with once we buy one of these vehicles.

We can all help to get better fuel mileage by driving more slowly (leave earlier if you need to), keep 5 - 10 extra pounds of air in your tires, avoid jack-rabbit-starts and for goodness sake, quit racing to the next red light in stop-and-go traffic. That wastes precious fuel, brakes, tires and often results in an accident. Chill out and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the increases in gas mileage that you will experience.

Oh yes, another BIG deal we're learning to take advantage of (for improving our fuel mileage) is to use the best lubricants in our vehicles when it's time to do those oil changes. We're swearing by Amsoil products. We use their Synthetic Oil, Oil Filters and Air filters!



See you next post!