CAR TIPS: GAS MILEAGE, WINTER DRIVING, DO IT YOURSELF

Gas prices have started climbing again. It's us against them. Every mile we can squeeze out of a gallon of gas, we win. Here are some helpful tips; some you may know and others you may not.

1) TIRES. Pressure is the key word here and how it affects mileage. During spring, summer and fall, inflate your tires to 4-5 pounds BELOW the maximum recommended pressure printed on the side of each tire. Can't find that information anywhere on the tire? That's because the manufacturer doesn't want you too. Properly inflated tires last longer than improperly inflated tires. It's a no-brainer here. In the automotive world, 32 pounds of pressure is an industry standard. Every garage, tire outlet, and wheel alignment shop all set tire pressure to this number. It's a conspiracy! So, who stands to gain from this practice? The tire manufacturers AND the oil companies. How does this seemingly trivial disparity affect your gas mileage? In two big ways: First, because it is made of rubber, the more air you pump into it, the larger it's circumference grows. And second, as this happens, because it is attached to the rim, the narrower it gets in the process. So what, you may say. Geometry, I say. Those of you who went to school and who actually stayed awake during math class know that as any circular object increases in circumference, the longer it takes to make one revolution. In this case, it covers more ground. Think about it: If your tire is 52" around at 32 pounds of pressure but at 40 pounds of pressure it grows to 52 1/2" around, you cover an extra half inch with every revolution. Now, a half inch may not seem like a lot but over the course of a mile it adds up. How about an extra 50 feet per mile! So, think about how much extra ground you would cover on a 400 mile trip. This translates to more miles per gallon. In this article I mention how a tire gets narrower the more it inflates. How does this help MPG? Well, a narrower tire has less surface area as it rolls along the pavement creating less friction between the tire and road. And we all know what friction does: it slows you down. When tire friction slows you down, your engine has to work harder to keep it at speed. Using more gas. Can you feel your wallet emptying as we speak?

********************IMPORTANT WINTER TIP********************
When bad winter weather approaches and the roads become hazardous, LOWER THE AIR PRESSURE in your tires! What! Didn't I just tell you to pump them up? Yes, but in winter driving with slick and slippery roads, you need as much tire rubber making contact with the road as possible. This increases traction. No, not the traction that comes with a hospital bed, a rope and some pulleys. The traction you'll need to keep your car on the road. How much to take out? It varies from tire to tire but inflating them to just above half of what the maximum is, should do the trick. Is your gas mileage going to get worse now? Not really. You will tend to drive more slowly during these times so it should all balance out.
One more thing: Make sure your car's alignment is correct. An improperly aligned tire will create added friction and we know what that does.

2) Slow down, Mario Andretti! Would you like to see a SIGNIFICANT increase in your gas mileage? Would you like to see me pull a rabbit out of a hat? I never COULD master that trick, but I can tell you how to do the first one. While you are driving, unless you are merging onto a highway, pulling a heavy load, or fleeing pursuing law enforcement (O.J. Simpson excluded) there is no reason to rev your engine to more than half it's rev potential. What's a rev? The actual definition is unimportant here but to say that your ENGINE'S speed is measured in revs. If your car is equipped with a TACHOMETER, that device tells you how fast your engine is going. When it comes to miles per gallon, the goal here is to keep your engine running slowly. Why? Fast engine= more gas. Slow engine= less gas. Pick the best one out of the two. How do you keep your engine slow? Short shift. If you are driving a standard shift car, and you want to accelerate from a dead stop, you DO NOT have to rev the engine all the way up until it screams. Shifting from gear to gear every time your car reaches 2000 on your tachometer will GREATLY improve your gas mileage. Granted, your right hand and arm will be moving faster than you've been accustomed to but think of the savings!!
Here's another tip: DO NOT down shift to slow your car down. The gas money you save far outweighs the cost of brake pads.

3) THE AIR FILTER. A dirty air filter restricts air flow to your engine. Your engine mixes gas and air to make it run. Less air= more gas. Replacing your car's air filter is something you, the reader, can do yourself. Hey, don't run away, come back here. It's not as hard as you think. The hard part is FINDING it. Years ago when engines had carburetors, the air filter sat inside the big black round thing that sat on top of the middle of your engine. You would unscrew a wing nut, lift off the top and 'voila', there it was. It was round and dirty. On today' s cars they could be anywhere.
Look for them to be inside a plastic box of some sort. It might be a round box (huh?) or a square box. It will have duct work (huh?) leading from the front top or bottom of the engine compartment. Look for something with large, removable metal clips that you would undo to lift out something or to separate something. If all else fails, call your brother-in-law. He's not busy anyway. When you do find it, remove it, stomp it to death for costing you so much in gas money and replace it with a new one.

4) WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU REPLACED YOUR ANTI-FREEZE? If you don't remember, you're overdue. The industry standard is about every two years. Keeping your car from over heating and freezing in the winter time is important. Why? It keeps you from walking.