Get Better Gas Mileage,Reduced Fuel Consumption-More Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Americans have pumped less gas every week for the past year. During those 52 weeks, gasoline consumption dropped by 4.2 billion gallons, or 3 percent, according to MasterCard Spending Pulse. The decline is longer than a 51-week slide during the recession. The main reason: higher gas prices. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.89, the highest ever for this time of year, and experts say it could be $4.25 by late April. As a result, Americans are taking fewer trips to restaurants and shopping malls. When they take a vacation, they’re staying closer to home. But the decline in gas consumption is also a sign that efforts to push carmakers to produce vehicles with better gas mileage are paying off. The average new car now gets nearly 24 miles to the gallon, compared with about 20 mpg just four years ago, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. “I’d expect to see lower gasoline consumption for several years to come,” Rice University energy expert Ken Medlock says. Americans have cut back on fill-ups for extended periods before. In 2008, gas spiked from $3.04 to $4.11 per gallon in seven months. It wasn’t until January 2009, when the national average for gas had dropped to $1.86 that consumption increased. Drivers bought more gasoline for 23 weeks in a row. “The spike in 2008 was a real shock to the system,” Medlock says. “There’s still a residual impact on people’s driving behavior.” There were other stretches of reduced gas use, notably two into the 1970’s and one in the early 1980’s. But in those cases, Americans eventually went back to driving big cars and trucks that guzzled gas. This time may be different. Medlock thinks economic growth will be too modest and gas prices will stay too high for Americans to start driving more anytime soon. Economists expect the U.S. economy to grow 2.5 percent in 2012. The government estimates that gas will average a record $3.79 per gallon for the year. John Gamel, who oversees MasterCard Spending Pulse’s weekly consumption report, points to rising sales of fuel-efficient vehicles. “People have gotten used to elevated prices and they’ve made their long term purchases,” Gamel says. “They’re going to be using less fuel.” Consumers now care more if a car gets good gas mileage than if it’s reliable, stylish or comes with a great deal, according to a survey of more than 24,000 new-vehicle owners taken last summer and fall by J.D. Power and Associates. That wasn’t the case in the nine previous years that J.D. Power conducted the survey. Automakers have listened to consumers, and responded to stricter government fuel economy requirements. They’ve improved engines and transmissions so cars burn less fuel. They’ve also made cars more aerodynamic, boosting mileage by cutting wind drag. The government is gradually increasing gas mileage requirements so that by 2025, cars and trucks will have to average 54.5 mpg. Between February 2011 and February 2012, the combined city-highway mileage of a new vehicle sold in the U.S rose to 23.7 mpg from 22.7. Better gas mileage has a huge impact on the overall economy. At $3.86 per gallon, U.S. drivers would save $35.8 billion per year with a 1 mpg improvement for the entire fleet of cars, trucks and buses, according to Michael Sivak, a research professor with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Consumers would appreciate the help. The rise in gas prices has been so steep that they’re still spending more on gas than a year ago despite using less. Gasoline prices rose by 24 percent in the last 52 weeks, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. MasterCard, which collects purchase receipts from more than 100,000 service stations around the country, said spending on gas rose by 20 percent during that period.Get Better Gas Mileage

Improved Fuel Economy, Increased Engine Performance-At What Cost?

IT’S quite amazing how far the human mind will travel to avoid reality, especially if that reality is stark and unrelenting. Faced with a need to make change, hard decisions or sacrifice, we will almost always procrastinate, or rationalize, or equivocate. If the news is particularly desperate, we’ll seek the sanctuary of any evangelist/shaman/sidewalk fortune-teller willing to convince us, however briefly, that everything will be all right. Indeed, I suspect the old adage that “statistics don’t lie but liars use statistics” is more a reflection of our desperation to believe untruths rather than the deceiver’s desire to perpetrate them. And, Lordy, do statistics lie. My favorites, being the petrol-dipped gear head that I am, are official fuel economy standards, the numbers trumpeted whenever someone wants to a) brag about some supposedly planet-saving technology, or b) convince us that he or she really is doing something about it. Oh, we north of the 49th-ers can take some small solace in the fact that our regulatory books are a little less cooked than those of our American cousins. But the fuel-economy numbers on the window-sticker tags in our showrooms are still built of the same fantasy that promises balanced Greek budgets. Of course, everyone — at least everyone save the dedicated high-miler— realizes that the boasted numbers are pure flights of fancy. But, goes the rationalization, they at least give us a relative basis of comparison. Even if the numbers are 10-per-cent, 20-per-cent or even 30-per-cent optimistic, they’re equally skewed, so we at least know that car A or technology B is more frugal than that other gas hog we’re considering. On a limited basis, that’s probably true. Compare a Toyota Yaris with a Hyundai Accent and, since both feature small gasoline-fuelled engines with manual transmissions, the correlation, if not absolute, is at least valid. Where this convenient yardstick starts falling apart is when you start comparing new technologies to conventional ones using either the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s or Transport Canada’s official figures. After all, the reasoning behind the mass switch to turbo charging (such as with the Ford EcoBoost engine or in BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG models) and hybrids is that these higher-tech alternatives are less wasteful than what we currently drive. And, indeed, they are — at least according to official figures. Ford’s EcoBoost V6 F-150, for instance, is touted as getting eight-percent better fuel economy than the V8 it supplants. Making the argument more persuasive is that the theory makes sense as well: Make the engine smaller so it sips fuel under a lighter load, and then turbo charge it so it doesn’t sacrifice performance when we need it. Out on the open road, it’s not quite so simple. Yes, there can be some fuel economies, but only if you never use all that horsepower at hand. Dip into all those turbocharged ponies and the mileage you get is seldom superior to that of the gas-guzzler it’s supposed to supplant. While I always enjoy this new spate of turbocharged engines (they are way powerful), I almost never see an improvement in fuel economy. I’m not alone. Consumer Reports, hardly a bastion of wastrels, recently found that the 3.7-litre EcoBoost V6 in the aforementioned F-150 pickup did not increase real-world fuel economy over the 5.0L V8 it’s supposed to supplant (it does tow better, however, which explains its popularity). The same principle applies — or, more accurately, is applied — to the first few generations of (non-plug-in) hybrids. Essentially, their electrical “boost” works in the same manner: having the electric motor there to supplant the gasoline engine means displacement and fuel consumption can be reduced. The same presuppositions hold, however; you have to dramatically alter your driving habits to capitalize on their potential frugality. One high-miler website, for instance, recommends that you keep the throttle pedal in the exact same position, even when driving up and down steep hills. Yes, it saves precious drops of fuel, but it does turn you into that jerk that we all curse for puttering up hills in the fast lane at 75 miles per hour, and then speeding like a demon down the other side. The issue we’re all trying to avoid is that with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions will come some sacrifice. As much as they force us to face that dreaded reality, it behooves us to understand the fantasies we’re being fed. Environmentalists want us to completely change the way we live. EV proponents expect you to abandon the freedom automobiles have promised for more than a century — namely, to go where you want when you want. Hybrid manufacturers need you to dramatically alter the way you drive if their wares are to be optimized. Those who tout turbo charging as a panacea for profligacy merely want you to suspend reality. And we the consumer? Well, we don’t want to change a damned thing.

Improved Fuel Economy, Increased Engine Performance, Reduced Exhaust Emissions-Fiat MultiAir

FIAT may not be common right now to North America, but they do have a big presence in other parts of the world. Now, with their investment in Chrysler, we are going to see some of their technology come to our shores and one of the interesting ones is called MultiAir. MultiAir is an innovative method of engine control that can regulate the air entering a cylinder with the engine valve opening to control Everything from engine idle to exhaust emissions. Other companies have tried this concept in the past but using different designs. One of the more successful is BMW’s Valvetronic system, which uses electric motors to move eccentrics that will vary valve lift. This is a complex system that works well but Fiat’s MultiAir takes the concept further and does it in a simpler manner. We will likely see the MultiAir system first on the 1.4-litre engine in the Fiat 500. The technology is currently only applied to the intake valves but the mechanisms could be incorporated on exhaust valves in the future to meet tighter fuel economy and emission standards. It starts with the camshaft— a long shaft with eccentric bumps or lobes on it that moves the valves. A conventional camshaft must open the valves for a short time that will enable the engine to run smooth at idle yet open long enough to allow adequate airflow at high engine speeds to develop maximum power. This is an impossible task, so a conventional camshaft is a compromise. Different methods have been used to overcome these limitations. For example, Honda’s VTEC uses camshafts with two different lobe shapes. One shape opens the valves at lower rpm. while the other shape opens the valves more at higher rpm. The engine computer commands the switching between the two lobe designs. On Fiat’s MultiAir, only one camshaft lobe design is used and it is a very aggressive design. By aggressive, I mean it would open the valve for a long time and lift it high to allow maximum airflow. This is great for high rpm. power but the engine wouldn’t idle unless something was done to modify the valve opening and lift. The MultiAir system does this. When the camshaft lobe rotates, it moves a rocker arm or follower. This follower pushes on a small piston inside a cylinder. Trapped inside the cylinder is engine oil, which pushes on another small piston to open the valve. Oil can’t be compressed, so any movement of the cam lobe is transferred to the valve to open it. However, there is also an electric solenoid on each cylinder that can control the oil inside the MultiAir chamber. When the cam lobe starts to move the follower and piston, the solenoid can allow oil to escape the chamber and the valve doesn’t open. When the solenoid blocks the release of oil, the valve then starts to open, but for a shorter time and lift. By operating the solenoid on and off rapidly during each intake valve opening cycle, the intake valve rate of opening and lift can be tailored to each driving condition. For example, the valve could lift rapidly initially but then slow its lift rate momentarily, only to lift faster again near the end of the cycle. Ford has used a similar concept of solenoid control to regulate oil flow in the fuel injectors of their earlier PowerStroke diesels, but now the MultiAir design uses oil regulation to control the operation of each intake valve independently. Better fuel economy, increased engine performance at any engine speed and lower emissions are all advantages of the MultiAir system. Fiat claims a 10 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, 10 per cent engine power increase and a 15 per cent increase in torque, along with improved fuel economy. Now that’s performance! Fiat MultiAir

Improved Fuel Economy, Enhanced Engine Performance, Increased Fuel Effieciency, Reduced Maintenance Cost.-The Essentials

THEY say gasoline may hit a buck-fifty a litre by summer. Well, summer is very near and with the price of fuel at my local pump at $1.359, both are very close. Many people are rethinking travel plans, staying closer to home or not going at all. Vehicle fuel costs have now become a significant part of any travel plans, so now is the time to maximize your fuel economy and spend the savings enjoying the variety Canada offers. Buying a smaller vehicle is the easiest way of improving fuel economy. It’s a simple fact — smaller vehicles get better fuel economy. They have less weight to move, have a smaller frontal area so they have less wind to push, and they usually have smaller engines that use less fuel. For example, if you are driving an average 20,000 kilometres a year and have a pickup truck or larger SUV that averages 16 L/100 km, you would pay $4,352 annually for fuel at current fuel prices. Drive a compact to mid-size car instead that uses 8.5 L/100 km and it would cost $2,312 to drive the same distance. Even better, drive an economy car or hybrid that gets 6 L/100 km and fuel would cost only $1,632 a year. That’s about $2,700 annual savings over a large SUV and would go a long way towards car payments. In a little over six and a half years, the fuel savings would buy you a new $18,000 compact car. If fuel goes to $1.50 a litre, you could pay for the vehicle in six years. Interest costs would increase the amount of time it takes to pay for the vehicle, but there are some very low interest car loans available. Also, a new vehicle is covered under warranty, so maintenance costs are minimal compared to older vehicles —another saving to help defray the costs of buying new. Perhaps you need to drive a larger vehicle. There are still advantages to buying new. Features such as variable camshaft timing, variable engine displacement (a term describing turning off some of the cylinders under light loads) and direct fuel injection are all technologies that enhance both power and fuel economy. Many new vehicles are also equipped with five or six-speed transmissions. This feature alone can improve fuel economy five per cent. Improved aerodynamics is another advantage of newer vehicles. Engineers use computer simulation to determine the best streamlined shapes for a vehicle. Sometimes seemingly insignificant changes can reduce drag. That little plastic lip on the tailgate of a truck, the slight change in windshield angle or the placement of a small and usually unseen spoiler under the front of a vehicle all add up to make the vehicle slide through the air easier and uses less fuel. As much as technology has advanced, the engineers still admit aerodynamics is part magic and guesswork. Just because the shape of a mirror on one vehicle reduces drag doesn’t mean that the same shape works on all vehicles. Every body shape has to be looked at as a total package. Fortunately, the manufacturers are very conscious of this and work hard to make their vehicles slippery yet stylish. Low rolling resistance tires have been used on hybrid vehicles in the past and these tires are now starting to be used in non-hybrid applications. Individually, each of the improvements on a new vehicle may not look that impressive, but when you start adding them all together, you may be looking at 20 to 25 per cent improved fuel economy over your existing older vehicle. For any given size of vehicle, a hybrid will likely give 15 to 25 per cent improvement in fuel economy compared to the same non-hybrid vehicle. Hybrids do cost more, but depending on the model, it can pay for itself in a few years and you have the pleasure of knowing you are helping the environment too. Diesel engine technology has enabled diesels to perform as well as gasoline engines and with even better economy, but that subject is too involved to be covered in the space remaining, so it will have to wait for a future column. I predict that future households will actually have more vehicles rather than less: a truck for when you need to haul loads, a mid-size car to transport the family and likely a very small economy car for running errands and daily commutes. Rather than make one vehicle fit all purposes, we will use a vehicle suited for the application, and save money at the fuel pumps doing it.

Improved Fuel Economy

Honda's redesigned 2012 Civic comes to market this spring, a long awaited Tune up of the iconic compact line that include sedan and coupe versions, along with two alternative-fuel vehicles: gasoline-electric hybrid and natural-gas-powered sedans. While the natural-gas model will have limited availability and is intended mostly for fleets, the hybrid is a consumer vehicle that anyone can buy. With the remake, the hybrid gets its first lithium-ion battery pack, an upgrade from the nickel-metal-hydride battery that has been used. The new hybrid comes with a larger gasoline engine — a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder — but also boasts improved fuel economy, Honda says. The EPA estimated combined city/highway rating will be 45 mpg, which is up 4 mpg from the previous generation. There's also a new high fuel-efficiency gasoline-only model, the HF sedan, which Honda says will have highway mileage of up to 41 mpg. Under the hood will be a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine with 140 horsepower, connected to a five-speed automatic transmission. It will be the most fuel-efficient model in the gasoline-only lineup, and it will come with the same aerodynamic Exterior body design 'that Honda uses on the new Civic hybrid, designed to reduce wind drag. The HF also will have Honda's ECO Assist technology, designed to provide feedback to the driver to encourage a more efficient driving style. In other words, it lets you know if you're driving economically or in a way that uses more fuel, such as punching the accelerator for jackrabbit starts. Regular sedan and coupe models will have the same 1.8-liter engine, but highway fuel economy of 39 mpg. That's still pretty good for a car running on gasoline. The compact segment recently has been getting a spate of new models that can get 40 mpg or better on gasoline only, such as the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2012 Ford Focus. The 40-mpg mark seems to be the new standard for this class. Also in the 2012 Civic lineup will be two performance variants — the Si sedan and coupe. These models trade fuel economy for power and come with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 200 horsepower and 170 foot-pounds of torque. Standard is a six-speed manual transmission, The Si models are the continuation of a line of Civics popular with the "tuner" crowd, consumers who enjoy spirited driving and who also like to modify their vehicles to suit their personalities and driving styles. With the new Civic Si models, there is a 22 percent increase in torque over the current generation's 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, which has 197 horsepower and 139 foot-pounds of torque. Even with the power boost, though, the new Si models have better fuel economy, Honda says. The EPA highway rating will be 31 mpg, up from 29 for the 2011 models, which have a city rating of 21 mpg. Honda has not released the city mile Civic HF, Sedan, Coupe and Natural Gas • 140 horsepower, 1.8-nter four cylinder engine. • Five-speed automatic transmission. • ECO Assist technology • EPA-estimated HF highway fuel economy: 41 mpg. • EPA-estimated sedan and coupe highway fuel economy: 39 mpg. Civic Hybrid • 110 horsepower, 1.5-:liter four cylinder engine (combined gasoline and electric). • Continuously Variable Transmission. • Lithium-ion battery. • ECO. Assist technology. • EPA-estimated Civic Hybrid city/highway combined fuel economy: 45 mpg. Civic Si 200 horsepower and 170 Ib.-ft., 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. • Six-speed manual transmission. • EPA-estimated highway fuel economy: 31 mpg. The new Civic hybrid model will have 110 horsepower and a continuously variable automatic transmission. No prices have been announced yet for the new Civic lineup. But the 2011 gasoline models range from $15,605 to $25,490 (plus $750 freight) and the hybrid version from$23,950 to $27,150 Improved Fuel Efficiency

Drive More Efficiently and Improve Fuel Economy

Driving More Efficiently Drive Sensibly Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. Fuel Economy Benefit: 5–33% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.17–$1.11/gallon Observe the Speed Limit (New Information) While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer. Fuel Economy Benefit: 7–14% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.24–$0.47/gallon Remove Excess Weight Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones. Fuel Economy Benefit: 1–2%/100 lbs Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.03–$0.07/gallon Avoid Excessive Idling Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner (AC) use. Turn off your engine when your vehicle is parked. It only takes a few seconds worth of fuel to restart your vehicle. Turning your engine on and off excessively, however, may increase starter wear. Fuel Cost Savings: $0.01–$0.02/min. (AC off) $0.02–$0.03/min. (AC on) Use Cruise Control Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas. Use Overdrive Gears When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.36/gallon.

Keeping Your Car in Shape Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent. Fuel Economy Benefit: 4% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.13/gallon Keep Tires Properly Inflated You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner's manual. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. Fuel Economy Benefit: Up to 3% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: Up to $0.10/gallon Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil You can improve your gas mileage by 1–2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1–2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1–1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives. Fuel Economy Benefit: 1–2% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.03–$0.07/gallon NEW INFORMATION: Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG A new study shows that replacing a clogged air filter on cars with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines does not improve fuel economy but it can improve acceleration time by around 6 to 11 percent. This kind of engine is prevalent on most gasoline cars manufactured from the early 1980s onward. Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine may improve fuel economy 2 to 6 percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects drivability. The effect of a clogged air filter on diesel vehicles will be tested in the near future. Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.36/gallon.