Tips that will make your car economical.

[wyze]

With all the threads on MPG "driving more economically" and tips like "inflate the tyres fully" I fear we are all missing one important factor which will undermine all of our efforts to save fuel.

Our manufacturers skimped when they built the cars and didn't always put the time they should have and as a result we have inefficient engines. Hopefully this will qualify for tip of the month ;)

With a few simple (and some more complex) modifications we can actually cause our cars to run more economically.

Are you getting your makers specified MPG? Few people do, so what is the problem?

First up we need to ensure it is running efficiently and is properly serviced. Most cars, especially with higher mileages are somewhat clogged up and missing the "ideal" manufacturers MPG figures. More frequent servicing will keep the car in peak condition. If you only do something get the plugs deglazed (use a wire brush) and check the oil level every 2 weeks or so.

Then using some of the tips click here (http://www.torquecars.com/tuning/tuning-mpg.php)you can start to modify the car to give better fuel economy.:T

Many of these "modifications" are little more than perfecting and finishing what our manufacturers should have done.

[blue_haddock]

I do hope your jesting with some of the things you are suggesting in that link?

I don't know why but i've got a feeling this could well be spam or at least a wind-up by someone.

[tomstickland]

I fear we are all missing one important factor which will undermine all of our efforts to save fuel.
The cars coming out of the factory will have a distribution of tolerances that will combine to make some more efficient and some less. However, all of these cars will be more efficient if driven in an efficient manner, so it doesn't "undermine" the efforts.

From that web page
"when making a car more powerful you lose fuel economy".
Not true - tuning by improving the cylinder head, fueling and valve sizes can all increase power by making the engine more efficient.

[Conor]

Have you noticed that all of these tips require spending money which would cancel out any savings made? I especially think the clutch change one is utterly stupid. Yeah, lets spend £400-£800 on a new clutch just so we can save £5 a year in petrol.

Learning to drive properly would save you a lot of money.

[tomstickland]

What about using my special "e-conor-miser" power surge brickettes? Only £20 for 10 tablets and each one gives up to 32.46% improvement in gas mileage per mile per gallon per litre or none of your money back.