Save On Gas

It comes as no surprise that everyone is feeling the pinch at the gas pump. When gas prices go up, people need to start looking for ways to reduce their out of pocket expense at the pump.

The US Department of Energy has found that only 15 percent of the energy in gas is actually used to power our vehicle. Majority of the remainder of energy is expended by the engine and drive train’s moving parts. Easy translation 85% of your vehicle’s power is lost due to friction and friction alone.

The US Department of Energy states that a 5% reduction in fuel economy would cut fuel consumption by 100 million barrels of fuel annually. Purchase a Car Kit and help our country reduce it’s dependency on foreign oil, at the same time put more money in your pocket by increasing your vehicles fuel economy.

Only about 15% of the energy in the fuel that you put in your gas tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories like air conditioning or power steering. The rest of the energy is lost. Because of this, the potential to improve fuel economy with advanced technologies is vast.”

Motor vehicles need to accelerate (overcome inertia), to push the air out of their way (aerodynamic drag), and to overcome the friction from tires, wheels and axles (rolling resistance). Fuel provides the needed energy in the form of chemicals that can be combusted (oxidized) to release heat. Engines transform heat released in combustion into useful work that ultimately turns the vehicle’s wheels propelling it down the road.

Even modern internal combustion engines convert only one third of the energy in fuel into useful work. The rest is lost to waste heat, the friction of moving engine parts, or to pumping air into and out of the engine. All of the steps at which energy is wasted are opportunities for advanced technologies to increase fuel economy.

The figure above illustrates the paths of energy through a typical gasoline-powered vehicle in city driving. Of the energy content in a gallon of gasoline, 62% is lost to engine friction, engine-pumping losses, and to waste heat. In urban driving, another 17% is lost to idling at stoplights or in traffic. Accessories necessary for the vehicle’s operation (e.g., waterpump) or for passenger comfort (e.g., air conditioning) take another 2%.

Just over 18% of the energy in gasoline makes it to the transmission. Losses in the drive train to friction and slippage claim more than 5%, leaving a bit less than 13% to actually move the vehicle down the road. The laws of physics will not permit all of these losses to be entirely eliminated. But improvements are possible at every step.

The 12.6% of original fuel energy that makes it to the wheels must provide acceleration (5.8%) and overcome aerodynamic drag (2.6%) and rolling resistance. In stop and go city driving, it is not surprising that acceleration is the biggest need, rolling is next, followed by aerodynamic drag. On the highway the order is reversed: aerodynamic drag, which increases at an increasing rate with speed, requires the most energy (10.9%).

Each of these final uses of energy also represents an opportunity to improve fuel economy. Substitutions of high strength lightweight materials can reduce vehicle mass and thus the energy required for acceleration. Smoother vehicle shapes have already reduced drag significantly, but further reductions of 20-30% are possible. Advanced tire designs can cut rolling resistance.

On the inside of an engine, adding Microlon changes the properties of the metal surfaces. The one-time treatment penetrates the metal surfaces, leaving behind a super-slippery film. Metal-to-metal contact is changed to Microlon-to-Microlon contact which is much more efficient, meaning less energy is used to overcome friction, and more energy makes it to your drive train.

Tips on how to save gas

•  Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, even on cold mornings.
•  Don’t start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one minute consumes the gas amount equivalent to when you start your engine.
•  Avoid “revving” the engine, especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from the inside cylinder walls, owing to loss of oil pressure.
•  Eliminate jack-rabbit starts. Accelerate slowly when starting from dead stop. Don’t push pedal down more than 1/4 of the total foot travel. This allows carburetor to function at peak efficiency.
•  Buy gasoline during the coolest time of the day – early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Keep in mind – gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel concentration. You are charged according to “volume of measurement”.
•  Choose type and brand of gasoline carefully. Certain brands provide you with greater economy because of better quality. Use the brands which “seem” most beneficial.
•  Make sure your tires are inflated properly.
•  Keep your engine properly tuned up.
•  Never exceed legal speed limit. Primarily they are set for your traveling safety. However, better gas efficiency also occurs. Traveling at 55 mph gives you up to 21% better mileage when compared to former legal speed limits of 65 mph and 70 mph.