The Main Causes of Poor Gas Mileage

[tom]

Even though you may have taken all of the steps possible to drive with gas efficiency in mind, you may still not be saving much on gas. Unfortunately, there are some vehicle characteristics that make it difficult, if not impossible to save gas. As may be expected, you will need to consider your options in these situations.

Engine Size

While you may enjoy the power and sound of a V6, there is no question that it uses an enormous amount of gas. Typically, engines are measured in liters of capacity. Therefore, the higher the liter rating, the more gas the engine will consume. As an example, a 4 cylinder engine with with a 1.6 liter engine will use more gas than one that only has a 1.4 liter capacity.

Irregardless of whether you buy a new or used car, you would have to spend extra money to get a smaller engine. In many cases, you will also find that smaller engines were not made for your vehicle, or they may not be available for some other reason. As a result, your gas saving abilities will be, to a large extent, limited by the engine that already exists in your vehicle.

Body Shape

Chances are you love the look of a sleek, curvy muscle car. Interestingly enough, the aerodynamic designs of these vehicles also makes them more fuel efficient. Unfortunately, a boxy SUV or pickup truck design creates an enormous amount of air drag. As a result, the engine has to consume more fuel in order to propel the vehicle. As with engine size, you won't be able to change the shape of your vehicle in order to make it more fuel efficient. That said, if you can afford it, you may want to look for a vehicle that has a compact, aerodynamic design.

Engine Wear

When automobile manufacturers set fleet fuel efficiency ratings, they do so with brand new cars. As you may be aware, fuel rings, pistons, cylinders, drivetrains, and transmissions all wear out. Depending on the quality of the materials used, you may find that even a new car will lose fuel efficiency within a year. At the same time, correcting these problems may cost thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is keep a constant watch on your fuel efficiency. If you find that a new vehicle consumes more gas, you may want to post your results on websites dedicated to consumers that need to know this kind of information.

Fuel Additives

Today, many people tout the addition of ethanol as cost saving additive to conventional fuels. Gallon for gallon, ethanol releases less energy than petroleum products. You will also find that a gallon of ethanol occupies twice as much space as a gallon of gasoline. As a result, you will find that fuel efficiency is markedly reduced when you use gas that includes ethanol additives.

There are many suggestions and methods available to help you save money on your gas bill. At the same time, all of these methods will be constrained by certain vehicle and fuel characteristics. That said, mitigating these issues by changing your driving habits is still a worthwhile effort.

[ice]

I always had a nice read with your articles sir! Thanks a lot for the info...

[Jeremy LA]

Engine wear is really a true casue of poor mileage. When the car is alredy wearing, the parts all have small problems in them, many losses will occur. Thus, resulting to heavy fuel consumption or poor mileage.

[dobylove]

Yes, the bigger, of course the more engine consumption will be...

[KyleMotors]

The body shape definitely is one of the hinders of poor gas mileage.

[Jeremy LA]

yes, body types and shapes really can hinder the travel of the vehicle because of the air that comes against the vehicle.