How to Save Gas with Internal Combustion Engines

When it comes to internal combustion engines, especially with the rise of oil prices in the market year on year, the subject of fuel efficiency ever becomes more important.

Whether the engine is new or old does not matter. On the part of the consumer, he or she would only be willing to maintain an engine as long as there is a perceived added-value in its maintenance, like saving gas.

Fuel efficiency is defined as "the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work." In vehicle terms the measurements we use to save gas is usually in miles per gallon (MPG) or kilometers per liter (KPL) in other countries.

A rarely known fact in present-day internal combustion engines is that not all of the petrol in engines are efficiently utilized. It is surprising but in even the best-performing unmodified engines only about 20% of the energy is used to move the car. The rest is considered waste like exhaust, noise, etc.

So how to save gas and increase your engine's MPG? Here's a few tips.

- Drive gently. Yes! Your driving style accounts for up to 30% of the savings in fuel economy. How you step on the accelerator makes the difference. When approaching traffic lights or stops, take your foot off the pedal and coast to a stop from a distance. When you move from a still position, push the pedal gently and drive forward slowly to gain momentum. Gentle saves gas. Sudden starts waste petrol. Never turn off the engine unless you intend to stop for some time.

- Coast downhill. Take advantage of the terrain like Sun Tzu's and gravity like Newton. Only for long downhill roads, set the gear shift to neutral and coast again. Keep an eye out for anything. Take your foot off the gas. Never turn off the engine.

- Maintain and record regular checkups. Never miss a chance to have your car checked every three months to tighten the bolts or to fix that rattle. More importantly, have your mechanic drain and change the engine oil, fill the brake fluids, check the sparks, etc. The whole shebang.

- Check the tires regularly. Other then having a routine checkup every quarter, make sure you have the tires checked weekly. Tire inflation significantly contributes to the the wastage of petrol due to the effort the engine has to make to roll against the resistance. Make sure the tire pressure is within acceptable parameters as advised by the manufacturer to save gas. If the tires are bare, replace as soon as possible.

- Unload unnecessities. Take out of the car items which are not going to be used or useful. Extra baggage can eat up lots of petrol. It's like loading a backpack full of books and you were too busy to get them out to read because you're traveling.

- Record petrol usage. Diligently record and file your receipts and you'll be able to accurately track your petrol usage. This practice can help you maximize the savings of a tank of gas on a given period.

- Research. Join the forums and communities. They have lots more innovative suggestions on how to improve your MPG limits. Look into the viability of alternative fuels. Follow the news on the oil issue. Be informed and prepared.