How to Improve a Vehicle's Fuel Efficiency Without Causing Damage
Robert C. Beiro
There are many fuel saving devices available nowadays, and some of them not only don't work, but can also cause damage to your car.
The Environmental Protection Agency did tests on over 100 fuel saving devices and found that most did not improve efficiency at all and the rest didn't improve it by that much.
Fuel efficiency products come under a few different categories. Some of these categories are: vapour bleed devices, fuel line devices, mixture enhancers, ignition devices, engine modification devices, fuel and oil additives and driving habit modifiers.
The EPA's test were designed to evaluate whether the devices had any significant impact on a vehicle fuel economy. What they could not test for was whether the devices would have any adverse effects on a cars performance over time.
An example of how one of these devices can do harm is in the case of the air bleed device. It is designed to add large amounts of air to the engine via the carburettor. Now this could likely cause misfireing which can damage the engine, especially on vehicles manufactured from 1974 -82, because the carburettors are factory set for a maximum air to fuel mix. And this device is unlikely to even work on post 1982 vehicles due to their carburettor having an automatic air fuel adjustment which effectively make the device usless.
There are too many factors that affect fuel consumption such as driver's habits, condition of the vehicle. Because of this it is hard to believe the claims many of these product manufacturers make.
In one testimonial, a consumer gave high praise to a fuel saving device. What they failed to mention was that the car had also had a service at the time the device was put in.
There are claims in some advertisments that a product is endorsed or approved by a government agency. This is a falacy. Government agencies will never endorse a product of this type. It may have been tested by the EPA and if so, you will be able to request a copy of the test results.
You may have already bought one of these devices. If you are not happy then you are well within your right to ask for a refund. Any honest company will offer a money back guarantee. If they do not, you can file a complaint with the state consumer protection agency.
Regular maintenance and servicing is one of the best way to ensure that your vehicle is running at it's maximum fuel efficeincy. You can find out service intervals by looking in the vehicle manual.
Three simple steps that will help improve gas mileage in all vehicles:
Get your engine tuned properly.
Checking tire pressure.
Take out any unnecessary objects from your trunk to rid your vehicle of excess weight.
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