Filed under: Gas Saving Tips
Whether it is a Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, or Honda Civic, your hybrid needs regular maintenance to perform as expected and last throughout the life of your loan. There are several items that you can take care of yourself and avoid a cumbersome repair bill.
The first place to start is to know what needs regular maintenance. Try looking at a repair and maintenance manual from Bentley Publishers. These manuals include step-by-step directions, real-world practical repair and maintenance procedures, along with full color technical training. Why not take the mystery out of maintenance?
One oft overlooked part is the air filter. Nothing robs fuel efficiency like a dirty air filter. K & N filters offer racing quality equipment for improved air flow. The higher airflow rate can actually boost fuel efficiency by a small percentage. These filters are also reusable. Less waste and high quality in one product.
That takes us to the spark plugs. Pulse spark plugs have been road and lab tested to demonstrate their ability to improve fuel efficiency and lower carbon dioxide output by a quarter ton per year. Enough said.
With regular maintenance, it is not unreasonable to expect your hybrid to last for at least 200,000 miles. The last place you can afford to save money is in your car’s maintenance.
December 31, 2011
2012 Toyota Prius V
Toyota listened to customer feedback and built a larger Prius. The 2012 Toyota Prius V adds room in the passenger cabin as well as the cargo area, while offering the same performance as the hybrid that you have all come to love. Just like the previous incarnations of the Toyota Prius, the ride, handling, and fuel efficiency of your Prius V can be improved with a few after market modifications.
All three: ride, handling, and fuel efficiency; can be addressed by adding sway bars to your 2012 Toyota Prius V. Front and rear sway bars are made of high carbon content steel for rigidity and longevity, then powder coated for additional weatherization. These bars add rigidity to the chassis, which reduces chassis flex and reduces body lean during turns and lane changes. The reductions in sway and chassis flex allow you to have better steering wheel response and traction. When the car is able to hold the road more easily, the engine does not work as hard, thus saving fuel.
Adding a set of front and rear sway bars to your 2012 Toyota Prius V will not boost fuel efficiency over 60 mpg or make your car handle like a Ferrari, but will give you a crisper response and could realistically add 1-2 mpg.
December 20, 2011
Given that your Toyota Prius V’s mpg is rated at 42 combined, it is hard to imagine that you can improve your car’s fuel performance by much, but it is possible. Here are a few aftermarket parts that can help you do just that.
One easy part to install is a performance air filter from K&N. The air filters allow a more direct airflow. This increases the amount of oxygen and decreases the amount of fuel fired by each piston during combustion. That translates into a cleaner, more forceful burn that requires less gasoline; therefore, improving your Toyota Prius V mpg.
The next part should be added by someone with experience repairing cars. This is an eco-tuner or throttle controller, whichever you choose to call it. This product is a replacement for the throttle chip in you car. Blitz offers a product that features four settings based on your needs. The fuel economy setting will add to you Toyota Prius V mpg, but lowers acceleration. There are other settings that will add accelerator response, but do not offer the fuel economy.
If you install both of these parts in your car, you can improve your Toyota Prius V’s mpg by as much as 10%. While an additional 4-5 mpg does not sound overwhelming, do a little math and you will see that you can save a tank of gas per month depending on the length of your commute.
November 10, 2011
Adding a wind deflector has several benefits for any kind of car. Some will be immediate and others will take time to be evident. Here are three benefits to adding a wind deflector to your car.
Improved gas mileage. At nearly $4 a gallon any additional miles per gallon are a bonus. An open window adds aerodynamic drag, which lowers fuel efficiency. A wind deflector keeps the air moving over an open window or sun roof to prevent that loss of gas mileage.
Less dust and noise. One of the chief complaints about having a car window open is the noise. Another is the dirt flying in. Window deflectors prevent both by allowing the air to flow over the opening.
Reduces sun damage to interiors. This is not a commonly thought of benefit from a wind deflector. Most deflectors are a smoky colored polycarbonate and eliminate some of the UV rays, thus helping to protect a car’s interior.
A simple wind deflector can do all of that for your car. Almost makes you rethink life, doesn’t it?
July 13, 2011
It may seem hard to believe that you can improve your Toyota Prius’ gas mileage, but you can with a few minor changes in your driving style and a couple of after market parts. Here’s how.
Keep your tires properly inflated and rotate them on a regular basis. Improperly inflated tires can rob 15% of a Toyota Prius’ gas mileage.
Constant lane changes and/or speeding up then slowing down can dramatically impact fuel efficiency. You could see as much as 10 mpg improvement by changing these driving habits.
Regularly change your air filter.
If you normally drive with your windows down and your sunroof open, add wind deflectors to each of them. An open window or sunroof adds aerodynamic drag to your car, robbing fuel efficiency. A wind deflector will reduce that drag.
It is not hard to improve your Toyota Prius gas mileage. For the most part, all you have to do is drive sensibly and perform scheduled maintenance.
July 13, 2011
Sounds like a riddle doesn’t it? Better gas mileage and improved performance from your Toyota Prius. Both can be had by adding the same parts to your car.
Air filters are one of the cheapest parts on a car and often the most neglected. A dirty air filter can rob up to 20% of a car’s fuel efficiency and an additional 15% of its horsepower. Just like a person, a car can not run well if it can not breathe well.
Lowering springs and chassis stiffeners are two parts that might not click in your mind for better mpg. They offer fuel savings through better handling performance and less aerodynamic drag.
There are at least a dozen other eco tune performance parts to consider. Adding fuel efficiency to your Toyota Prius does not have to mean sluggish acceleration if you use the right parts.
June 22, 2011
It is hard to imagine that you can improve the mpg from your Toyota Prius, but it can be done by installing eco tune performance parts. Performance parts and improving fuel efficiency do not always come to mind at the same time, but here are several parts that can do both.
Suspension parts can lower the stance of your car and improve its aerodynamic drag coefficient. Nice way to say that it will slice through the air with less resistance allowing you to use less fuel. The same parts will allow your car to handle better, with less sway, for better performance in turns. Other parts include a new air filter and throttle control assembly. Both allow for a fuel mixture that will additional fuel savings.
Adding eco tune performance parts to your Toyota Prius or any other hybrid vehicle will leave a few more dollars in your wallet at the pump. It’s your money, why not keep it?.
June 22, 2011
Pulse Spark Plug – and here’s why its technology should be in your engine. Until now, every gallon of gas you bought was ignited by a simple spark plug- an outmoded technology that has barely changed in 100 years. But now you can change to a new eco-friendly pulse plug that uses an advanced technology to make every drop of gas burn better and cleaner.
These plugs may look similar to spark plugs on the outside, but inside the technological advances of are evident. Pulse plugs feature a unique capacitor-based circuit that captures energy normally wasted by spark plugs and generates a spark with 10 times greater energy than any spark plug.
Here’s how it works: Electrical energy from the engine’s power coil is stored in the built-in capacitor. At the exact moment needed, that energy is released in an amazingly powerful and quick high-energy pulse.
Note the visibly larger spark of the Pulstar pulse plug on the right. The result: The improved combustion efficiency burns fuel sooner and more effectively, which equals improved mpg, less CO2 based emissions, and better overall drivability. Even the green get greener! For example, in this EPA US06 fuel consumption lab test, even the icon of fuel economy and eco-friendliness- the Toyota Prius- saw notable improvements in mpg.
Performance – Looking for more engine horsepower? Pulse plugs create horsepower by generating more peak power than spark plugs.
None of them treat performance at the epicenter : fuel ignition.
Pulse plugs have 10 times more peak power than spark plugs and ultimately improve the performance of your vehicle as well as the performance of all aftermarket performance products. Pulse plugs simply ignite fuel better and should be the very first step in improving your engine’s performance.
Test results:
- 4.4 more mpg
- Reduces CO2 by a quarter ton annually.
- Increased Horse Power
- Pulse plugs last 50,000 miles and/or 4 years
- Will not harm your engine or void the warranty
November 19, 2009
The Prius is a great fuel-saving vehicle, but it’s only as good as the person behind the wheel. While you probably fancy yourself a green driver, the Kiwi gas saver will save you hundreds of dollars and improve your Prius’ mileage. The Kiwi Gas Saver works almost like a game to help you avoid rapid acceleration, driving too fast, braking too heavily and frequently. The Kiwi plugs right into your vehicle’s diagnostic port (every car after 1996 has one), and will show you how much money you’re saving on gas costs compared to your last trip. Your daily goal is to earn the highest Kiwi Score possible. Just one more fancy piece of technology to an already technologically-advanced car.
November 1, 2009
You want the best bang for your buck when it comes to capitalizing your fuel usage and that is why you purchased a hybrid. But did you know that you can likely achieve even greater fuel conservation with this vehicle? Your hybrid is a complex, efficient machine. There are several ways that you can use its efficiency to your advantage. Read on for four ideas on maximizing your hybrid’s fuel usage:
1. Proper treatment and maintenance of your hybrid’s engine – This idea sounds easy enough. Heck, it is common sense that every car owner, regardless of whether it is a gas or hybrid vehicle, should follow. Besides, you can reduce pollution released in the environment by properly maintaining your car. Change the oil regularly as well as the air filters. If the oil becomes dirty, it could clog up your air filter. By the same token, if the air filter is clogged, it cannot protect your engine from contaminants. Check the spark plugs to ensure the contacts are still good and firing correctly. Consider a tune-up every so often when you feel that your vehicle is not running at 100 percent.
Don’t forget that a hybrid car has another power source to draw from. If you have an electric motor that can run from a battery, you don’t have to always rely on the gasoline engine. Turn off the gas engine every once in a while to conserve on gasoline. In fact, during those wait times in your car, whether it is in a traffic jam, stop light or railroad crossing, turn off the gasoline engine and allow the battery power to operation by itself every so often.
2. Regularly check your hybrid’s tires – First of all, many people know that tires with the proper air pressure will ensure the best mileage possible. The manual for hybrid vehicles typically lists a minimum and maximum level of air pressure for the tires. Invest in a tire gauge. By under-inflating or over-inflating the tires, you stand the risk of wear and tear on the tires, which can eat up your gas mileage. Make sure you do anything you can to keep the tires inflated properly. Check for leaks or sharp objects possibly stuck in the tire. The best rule of thumb would be to check the air pressure in your tires the same time every week.
Choose a tire that withstands the toughest of terrains. A hybrid vehicle needs a tire with great traction. And since regular gas-powered cars lose some fuel economy due to the drag that tires can produce, hybrids often need a special, stronger tire inflated to a bit more than the normal air pressure in order to provide a smoother ride which causes less drag and improves the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
3. Practice being efficient about your hybrid vehicle’s usage – Why bother with a number of short trips and errands? Plan your days and combine all of your trips together. Not only will this be a time saver for you but also a saver in gasoline as well. When you run a number of errands in as many days, you are likely starting your engine from a cold stage. This cold start eats up a lot more gasoline than if you combined all your errand-running into one day.
Take control of your air conditioning in your hybrid as well. When it is hot outside and you run the AC in your car, this uses up extra gas. The hybrid vehicle has ventilation, which allows air to flow through and circulate. Once your hybrid car cools, be sure to modify the settings and even switch off the air conditioner once the desired temperature is reached.
4. Keep your speed under control – Many people tend to have a lead foot and breeze at least five or ten miles per hour above the speed limit. It is this lead foot syndrome that can negatively impact your hybrid’s fuel consumption. It has to do with aerodynamics. Sometimes, the faster you drive a car, the more drag it has. This translates to the faster the speed; the faster your fuel is consumed. Lighten the lead foot and you will realize a bit more fuel efficiency in your hybrid.
The hybrid car is making strides in the vehicle market. However, it also takes responsible ownership and care in order to fully realize all of the benefits that a hybrid can provide its owner.
www.juicedhybrid.com
September 11, 2009
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Whether it is a Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, or Honda Civic, your hybrid needs regular maintenance to perform as expected and last throughout the life of your loan. There are several items that you can take care of yourself and avoid a cumbersome repair bill.
