Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Gas Mileage - Is it improved with Acetone in Gas?

A friend of mine just sent me an email with an idea for improving gas mileage that really seems to good to be true...adding Acetone in Gas! Now I'm not going to claim to be an expert on this, but I did take organic chemistry in college. The idea is that acetone increases the volatility of gas, creating finer vapor particles and resulting in improved gas mileage.

Critics claim that adding acetone will damage your engine's parts, including seals and gaskets, but proponents state that the actual amount of acetone added is so small that it will have no ill effects. I don't know the right answer to whether or not acetone in gas will damage your engine, but I do know that improving your gas mileage dramatically is an awfully attractive benefit of trying it!

I found this neat gadget that you could use if you decide to add acetone in gas to your car. It plugs into the computer diagnostics port of most cars made since 1996. You can see your actual gas mileage at every instant of driving, which will certainly help you improve your gas mileage by itself.


But if you decided that acetone in gas is something you want to experiment with, this little device will let you see your real time gas mileage.

If you've tried this, please leave me a comment as I really want to know if it works and if it's safe. The acetone that is. I'm sure the Scan Guage is safe!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Easy Gas Mileage Calculator in Excel

What if I told you that the best gas mileage calculator is likely the cheapest one around? A simple notebook and pencil kept in the drivers side door is one of the simplest ways to track your gas mileage, even in this world of high-tech, solid state electronics.

With each gas fill up, simply record the date, the number of gallons used to fill the tank, the current odometer reading, and optionally the cost of the gas (either per gallon or for the entire tank)

The only "rule" when keeping track of gas mileage with this method is that you must fill the tank every time you stop to get gas. Why is it important to fill the tank? Practical reasons would tell you that you'll be able to drive further without having to refill! But when using your paper & pencil gas mileage calculator, the only way you can tell how many miles were traveled per gallon of gas is to know how many gallons of gas were used since you last topped off the gas tank.

If you start with a tank that is not quite full, drive around for 100 miles and then try to fill the tank again, how many gallons were used to drive that 100 miles? You'd never know unless you started the trip with a full tank, and ended the trip with a full tank. Then you know exactly how many gallons were used. Hint: it's the number of gallons needed to fill up the tank after the trip.

Once you've been keeping track of your fill ups this way, simply take your handy laptop and notebook into a coffee shop (that sells fair-trade coffee, of course) and enter your numbers into an excell spreadsheet.

Your column headings would start this way:
A Date
B Gallons (used to fill tank)
C Odometer Reading

You'll need at least two rows of information to calculate your gas mileage. but if you transfer your data monthly, you'll have plenty of information to let Excel cruch.

You'll need to set up some calculated fields like this:
D Miles per tank = Odometer Reading (current minus previous)
E Mileage (Miles per Gallon) = D (miles per tank) divided by B (Gallons per tank)

When you dived miles per tank by gallons per tank, the "tank" units cancel out,and you are left with miles per gallon, which is your gas mileage.

It's pretty simple math, and tracking your gas mileage can help you know when your car needs serviced or a tune-up.

Five Easy ways to Improve your Gas Mileage

Tip #1) Check your tire pressure regularly.

Get into the habit of checking your tire pressure on a regular basis...with each fill up of the tank, or at least once a month. Always check the tire pressure before any long trip. It is best to drive a few miles to a service station and let the tires heat up a little as the heat will expand the air inside the tires, increasing the pressure.

Filling tire pressure on cold tires and then driving could result in pressure that is too high after the tire heats up.

Tip #2) Drive smoothly

Rapid and irregular accelerations and braking can reduce your gas mileage. Not to mention make other passengers in the car just a little bit car sick and cause them to criticize your driving habits. Alwas accelerate smoothly from a stop, and never "gun the engine" especially when idling.

Tip #3) Don't idle for extended time periods

If you are sitting still for 30-60 seconds or longer, turning off the car engine improves gas mileage. How many situations can you think of that this would apply to? Waiting for your child after school. Waiting for a construction worker to let your lane of traffic through a single lane closure. Dropping off a friend to run into a store "just for a second". Returning home because you forgot something you needed for work. Can you think of any other situations?

Tip #4) Reduce the weight of your car


The more your car weighs, the harder it is for your car's engine to accelerate and maintain momentum of your car while traveling down the road. How can you reduce the weight of the car? You can always drive with half a tank of gas or less (a gallon of gas weighs 8 pounds or so. A 15 gallon tank full of gas weighs nearly as much as an additonal person! If you are always within 30 minutes of a service station and have a cell phone with good coverage, you could take your spare tire and pump out of the car. Remove winter "sandbags" that you might be using for traction, and invest in a set of winter tires instead.

Tip #5) Reduce Drag!

Remove roof racks and carry bikes, luggage and any other items inside the car if at all possible. A rear bike carrier will also be more aerodynamic than a roof top bike carrier. Any increase in the frontal cross section of your car increases wind resistance which increases the energy required by your engine to overcome the wind! Be kind to your engine and reduce drag wherever you can.

What techniques have you used to improve your gas mileage?