Tips on how to reduce the amount of fuel you use:

Everyone is feeling the financial pain from the drastic increases in fuel prices we are all experiencing. Young working families and small business operators are feeling it most as their standard of living and earning potential is seriously compromised. There is not much we can do as individuals to reduce the cost of the fuel, but there is a great deal we can all do to reduce the amount of fuel we use on a weekly basis.

Are you one of the reasons for your excessive fuel use?

	cc	Below is a selection of driving tips from different motoring organisations that have been proved to reduce your fuel use. Changing your driving habits will take time so place this page in your "Favourites" and refer back to it regularly. Adopting a few of these tips will put you in control of how much you pay for your fuel. Try to make one change a week until you are using all of them.
Excessive Idling - Avoid situations where your engine is idling for prolonged periods of time. In a "Bumper to Bumper" traffic jam, you will use 19% more fuel to travel the same distance. Accelerating Fast - This pours fuel into the carburettor and you will use much less by gradually increasing your speed. Accelerating rapidly will use anywhere up to 50 litres per 100kms, gradual speed increases will use 1/4 of the fuel and you will still get to your destination. Cruise Control - If your car is fitted with this, use it on highway driving. This maintains a constant speed for a minimum amount of fuel use and you will save between 7% & 14%. Use Discount Vouchers - Shop for your groceries where they offer fuel discount vouchers and use them. Every cent discount you get is money that remains in your pocket. Choose The Right Day To Fill Up - Monitor the daily prices at your local fuel station. In Australia our fuel is nearly 10c/ltr cheaper on Mondays & Tuesdays. Fill up only on the cheapest days in your area. Wind Resistance - Most vehicles are aerodynamically designed to minimise excessive fuel use while travelling. If your vehicle is not (eg. large flat area on most family vans), going a little slower and winding up your windows decreases drag and uses less fuel. Ride the Slipstream - On highway trips you will use considerably less fuel if you follow a truck and ride at a safe distance in its wind slipstream. Drive Under the Speed Limit - Never exceed the legal speed limit. Primarily they are set for your travelling safety, however better fuel efficiency also occurs. Travelling at 90 km/h instead of 100 km/h give you up to 12% better economy. Do Not Drive Aggressively - Slowing down or speeding up unnecessarily wastes fuel. Being a more patient driver will save you up to 30% on your fuel. Do Not Break Hard - Apart from saving money on replacing break pads, getting into the habit of gradual breaking encourages you to also start accelerating gradually and you save more fuel. Think Ahead - On approaching hills you will use 25% of the fuel needed to get over it if you accelerate before reaching it and cruise over. Alternate Roads - In suburban driving, the shortest distance between two points may NOT be a straight line. If there are many traffic lights and other cars slowing you down on the road you choose, you will use less fuel maintaining a constant speed when you go the long way round. Remove Excess Weight - Do not carry unnecessary items in your boot. For every kilo you have in your car, there is a corresponding amount of fuel needed to keep your car going forward. Plan Your Trips - Do not use your car un-necessarily. Wherever possible try to do more than one thing each time you go out (eg. dropping someone off and doing your shopping at the same time) If you have any fuel saving driving tips you would like to offer for others to use, please use the email section at the bottom of the page. Your contribution will help many, and collectively we will all be better off.

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When your car first came from the factory it was able to run at peak efficiency. As time goes by, parts wear down and need attention. Failure to do this can have a cumulative effect in decreasing vehicle efficiency and in turn decreases your vehicle's fuel economy. Adopting an "If it is not broken - do not fix it" attitude will only result in it costing you much more later to fix.

• Ignition System - Very important - If it is not working properly it will not be burning all the fuel that is pumped into the cylinder. Check for worn or cracked ignition leads. - Replace spark plugs regularly. - Check your distributor cap and rotor button for excessive wear and cracks. Your engine will provide you with sufficient spark to ignite your fuel - let the spark get through to where it will save you money.
• Air Filter - You need a mixture of fuel and air for the ignition system to work properly. If your air filter is clogged, there will be insufficient air to allow full combustion. Replace it regularly - Do not starve your engine.
• Radiator - When your engine is working properly it generates heat and it needs to be cooled down. The more heat, the more metal expansion and the more strain your motor has to work efficiently. Make sure all hoses are not leaking - Use a coolant and not water. Regularly check your coolant levels (constantly lowering levels indicates that there is a leak that needs to be fixed).
• Oil Changes - Vital - Oil does not degrade, it simply becomes contaminated by exhaust leakage and worn metal particles from your engine. When it loses its viscosity (lubricating ability), all the moving metal components in your engine have increased friction as they find it more difficult to work. Regular oil changes with oil recommended for your car will save you major engine repairs and increase fuel efficiency.
• Tyre Pressure - If your tyres are under inflated, there is more tyre on the road creating drag. All tyres are designed to be most efficient at their recommended tyre pressure. Keeping them at this pressure will also decrease your fuel use.
• Fuel Injectors - The role of the Fuel Injectors is to convert the flow of petrol into a micro-fine mist of fuel that is mixed with air ready for combustion. If your injectors are clogged, there will be large droplets of fuel fed into your cylinder that will be ignited by your spark plugs but they will continue to burn as they leave the engine through the exhaust and this is lost power. Purchase an Injector Cleaner every 3 or 4 months and add it to your fuel to keep them in good condition.
• Carbon Build-up - This will happen inside all cylinders that are not effectively burning all the fuel within the cylinder. Leaving this unchecked will allow valve seats to accumulate carbon and make it so that the power of combustion escapes before being converted to mechanical energy to make your car work. Purchase a carbon flush and add it to your fuel on a regular basis to stop this from happening. The result is you are using all created power to move your car - obviously using less fuel.

If you have any car maintenance tips you would like to offer for others to use, please use the email section at the bottom of the page. Your contribution will help many, and collectively we will all be better off.

How do you fix this?

What is needed is a catalyst that causes all the fuel to be ignited within the cylinder and not go out your exhaust unburned. This can be in the form of a product you add to your fuel, or as a gas introduced to your air intake. The purpose is to enable complete combustion of all the fuel within the cylinder. More power from the same amount of fuel equals more economy.

• Fuel Additive - Though there are probably many effective products, most that are marketed on the internet usually can not substantiate their claims as to increasing economy. Go for a walk through your local Auto Accessories store and investigate their products. Be aware of the economics - do not pay more for a product that may save you less than the cost of the product.
• Hydrogen Gas Additive - Hydrogen is a very combustable gas, and when added to the air intake of a vehicle it increases the flashpoint for the burning of the fuel within the cylinder - It makes the fuel burn faster within the cylinder eliminating unburned Hydrocarbons and exhaust emissions thus giving better economy. Visit our Hydrogen Forum HERE to find out more on Hydrogen and participate in the discussions.

More questions?

If you can not find the answers to your questions in the two links above, use the email at the bottom of this page for more information.

	cc	If you are already in business for yourself, you will appreciate the huge financial advantages in claiming all your vehicle expenses as a deduction off your taxable income. If you do not have a business, you should seriously think about starting one after you have had a discussion with your Accountant or Tax Agent.
Simple rule here is if you have a cash flow you can claim expenses against your earnings. If you are not earning income through a business, obviously you are unable to claim business expenses. See your Accountant first, but some of the deductions could be:

•  Claim part or all of your fuel expenses. If you can prove that your car is used 100% for your business you will obviously claim 100% of your fuel. This usually requires you to have a second car for the family use. If you only have one car, you will be able to claim a proportion of that car. The same rule applies to Repair Costs, Parts, Registration and Insurance.
• You could rent a room to yourself. This obviously means that you can claim a percentage of your Mortgage or Rent, Phone & Electricity, Furniture and Internet expenses etc.
• Don't forget Stationery and other "Necessary" things to make your business run.

Manufacturers are bowing to public demand due to vehicle sales dwindling and presently have alternative solutions in production.

• GM has an Electric/Petrol Hybrid that will run predominantly on batteries and is designed for low speed city driving.The small petrol engine is only used when the batteries run low.
• Honda has Hydrogen powered engines -Their assembly line is already churning out top model vehicles that are fuelled entirely by Hydrogen. This is then used entirely as the fuel source for the vehicle.
• Recycled Chip Oil ??? - No, I am not joking....With fuel in the UK around the $4 to $5 per ltr, many people and businesses are using recycled old cooking oil effectively. A young couple in the US made a movie on their "Waste Cooking Oil" fuelled car. It is worth a look on YouTube HERE.
• Water/Petrol Hybrid - There has been considerable interest on the Internet in a Water/Petrol Hybrid that converts the water into it's basic components of Hydrogen and Oxygen. The Hydrogen is in-turn fed into the air intake of the Carburettor and the combustion process uses the available Hydrogen to assist in burning all the fuel within the cylinder giving you more power thus allowing you to use less Petrol.
  
  This technology is over 30 years old and has many reports you will find in search engines and YouTube.

  There is a huge growing international community exploring this as a fuel use solution and countless thousands of people have hydrogen generators in their cars and swear by them. You can either build your own Generator or purchase one ready made. If you would like the plans to determine the viability of the Hydrogen Generator for yourself we are happy to give them to you FREE of charge - all in the name of seeking out a solution to our fossil fuel crisis. Visit our forum HERE to download your plans and explore ready made units.

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