Gear and Tech : July 24, 2008

It’s no secret that gas prices are gouging you at the pump. Every time I stop to fill up I half expect the attendant to blindside me with a shotgun and ask me to empty my pockets. At this rate we’ll be paying $8.00 a gallon and selling our souls for a gallon of diesel.

Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but if you’re anything like me you’re tired of paying out the nose for gas and ready to stop the bleeding. So I decided to do some research and talked with our technicians to find out how you can make your car more fuel efficient and save a buck at the pump.

1. Keep your tires properly inflated
This one seems pretty obvious but you’d be surprised how many people forget to keep their tires properly inflated. Not only will it give you better gas mileage but it’s safer and your car will handle better.

2. Change your oil
The more your oil gets heated and cooled down causes the viscosity to increase meaning the engine is having to work harder. Change your oil to alleviate unnecessary stress on your engine and your wallet.

3. Tune your car
Most cars are generically mapped. There are programmers out there that will remap your ECU to more efficient settings. A glorious byproduct of this is an increase in horsepower!

4. Install an air intake system
These systems allow for cooler air to be supplied to the engine as well as eliminates the accordian style plastic hoses with smooth metal piping. This makes it easier for the engine to breathe.

5. Install a cat-back exhaust system
These eliminate a lot of the unnecessary bends in your factory exhaust system allowing your engine to easily expel spent gas and exhaust pressure. Think about it like this: imagine you’re breathing through a tiny stirring straw and you switch to a McDonald’s milkshake straw. It’s going to be a whole lot easier to breathe, right?