Super Gas Saver

Porsche is Now the World’s Largest Car Company

0 | January 6th, 2009 | Posted in Automotive Business

With the news this morning that Porsche A.G. increased their stake in VW to a majority, that old saw you always heard that “a Porsche is really just a VW” is ass-backwards. A VW is now a Porsche! So, all you GTI owners that really wanted a 911 are that much closer to your car ownership dream, aren’t you.

The announcement that Porsche has increased their ownership stake in VW from 42% to a majority of 50.76% also means that Porsche is now the world’s largest automaker. You thought GM was the largest? After all, GM produces a hell of alot more Silverado pickups (almost 500,000 annually) than Porsche makes 911s, Boxters, and Caymans combined.

Actually, if you look at the valuation of the two companies, VW was the largest. GM’s market cap as of this writing is $2.32 billion, whereas VW is worth 103.5 billion Euros. That means VW is worth 50 times what GM is worth. So, hop in your Rabbit and pretend it’s a new 911 on your way in this morning.

Tagged in: GM, largest car company, porsche, VW

Obama Car Czar to Kill Performance Cars?

1 | December 9th, 2008 | Posted in Government & Vehicles

As a condition of grazing at the public trough, Congress will be appointing a “Car Czar” to oversee the U.S. auto industry. As with many projects undertaken by Congress, there is a great chance the effort will be misguided and the execution flawed.

Will the incoming Czar know anything about the auto industry they’ll be entrusted to repair? Given they’ll have the reported authority to veto any expenses over $25 million, they will effectively control what vehicles the automakers will produce in the future. In this day and age, it’s pretty difficult to launch any vehicle development program for less than $25 million.

Performance vehicles don’t really fit well with the targets of the administration to reduce “man-made global climate change”. The fact that tens of thousands of climatologists, physicists, and other qualified scientists still say there is no clear indication that climate change is man made seems to play no part in the decision. See this for more information on the debate, and yes, it’s still far from closed, despite what so many would have you believe.

The incoming Obama administration is reportedly mulling over creating an entirely new Federal bureaucracy, dealing directly with climate change and energy policy. The Car Czar will no doubt be in constant communication with this new federal agency (if it ever comes to pass), the EPA, and the Energy Department to ensure the newly designed vehicles don’t step out of line.

Will all of this collaboration and oversight produce vehicles that people actually want to buy? Are performance vehicles even profitable for the automakers to produce in the first place? Because a high performance vehicle by its’ very nature is going to use more resources that one that gives tepid performance.

Or is it? Actually, this could force our automakers to start producing high performance vehicles that are much more “green” than their predecessors. It’s all in how they’re designed. One thing about electric vehicles is that they tend to develop prodigious torque at a very low RPM; 0 RPM to be precise. It’s due to the way electric motors function.

Since the majority of driving in American cities includes a large amount of stop and go situations, this gives electric and hybrid powered vehicles ample time to put their low RPM torque characteristics to good use. What if the high performance vehicle of the future is a diesel-electric hybrid? It’s recently been proven by Audi and Peugeot that diesels don’t have to be slow. In fact, they can be fairly fleet of foot. Audi has used their V-10 TDI power plant to great effect at LeMans.

BMW has just introduced a new, diesel powered 3 series, the 335d. It gives about 35mpg on the highway and can do a 0-60 sprint in 6.1 seconds. Combine a small, turbo diesel that uses modern high pressure injection and fuel management electronics, (like the new BMW) and a high efficiency electric motor(s) and you could be talking real performance with a minimum of environmental impact.

Toyota has been talking about reintroducing the Supra with a V-6 gas / electric hybrid power train. It would definitely be performance oriented, but give decent gas mileage.

Of course there will always be those that contest the need for anything high performance on the grounds that standard performance is all anyone really needs. Take that mindset to extremes and you’ll be walking or taking the bus to work. After all, does anyone really “need” personal transportation?

With new CAFÉ standards, an incoming environmentally friendly administration, and a possible governmental bailout then control of the automotive industry looming, are drivers witnessing the swan song of the performance automobile? Will there ever be another Cadillac CTS-V, Corvette ZR1, Porsche Turbo, or even Charger SRT-8?

Are we to behold a drab and boring future, devoid of automotive excitement? Is it the ‘80’s all over again? Remember the frighteningly tepid vehicles, with dubious quality, and lackluster design we were forced to endure in the dark days of the automobile? Does anyone not see how producing such vehicles pushed the Detroit automakers over a precipice from which they never extricated themselves?

If a “Car Czar” again forces our automakers to produce such rolling trash heaps, we may as well just shut the doors now. Maybe then the UAW would give some union concessions. By the way, how can I get paid $35 an hour to play cards?

Tagged in: automobile, Car Czar, cars, high performance, Obama administration

New Car Incentives - You Can Really Save Some Money on Your Next Car

0 | December 8th, 2008 | Posted in Saving Money on Cars

As Automakers are struggling to stem their cash burn rate and stay in business, they are offering some truly fantastic incentives to get conusmers into new vehicles. 2 for 1 cars anyone?? Not yet, but there are some fantastic buys available. Most dealers say that, despite the well publicised financing problems, there is financing to be had for these vehicles. In fact in many cases 0% or very attractive interest rates are part of the incentives.

Here are some of the latest new car purchase and lease incentives:

GM to Ditch Saturn, Saab, Pontiac, and Hummer?

0 | December 3rd, 2008 | Posted in Automotive Business

Many reports are circulating that General Motors is strongly considering “shedding” 4 of their brands; Saab, Saturn, Hummer, and Pontiac, in an attempt to return to profitability. They’ve been trying to rid themselves of Hummer for quite some time. If there were no takers when gas was expensive, one may step up now that it’s not so expensive. However, when the economy is in the tank, an SUV company whose product line starts at $30K, and screams “conspicuous consumption” is probably not a good bet to make.

It seems ironic that as they have been on Capitol Hill being told they should produce more futuristic, fuel efficient vehicles, they would consider dropping their 3 lines that are most skewed toward the small and fuel efficient. Saab makes no large vehicles. Pontiac makes a couple of larger sedans, but on the whole it tends toward small and mid sized cars. Saturn produces mostly smaller vehicles, with the 8 passenger Outlook SUV thrown in. Starting at less than $30,000, the outlook is a more value oriented alternative for those needing such a large vehicle. You’d think value would appeal to people in such restricted economic times.

A few years ago The General axed Oldsmobile and kept Buick. Once again, it seems Buick has survived corporate scrutiny, at least in the short term. As a car company that makes mostly larger cars and SUVs, you’d think Buick would be one of those GM looked to dump. After all, they’ve already dumped Tiger Woods, their spokesman aimed at shifting Buick’s image a few decades younger. Tiger was informed earlier this week that his lucrative endorsement contract would no longer be needed.

Until next time…………..

Tagged in: automotive, Buick, cars, fuel efficient, General Motors, GM, irony

Higher Federal Fuel Taxes for All

5 | December 2nd, 2008 | Posted in Government & Vehicles

Today is the day executives from the Big 3 Detroit automakers; Ford, GM and Chrylser go to see Congress, hat in hand, to ask for more money. In exchange for this largess, they’ll be told what kind of cars they need focus on in the future.

What do members of Congress know about the auto business? Well, nada, of course. What qualifies them to dictate to those who presumably have expertise in the business what kind of products will return them to profitably? As with many things Congress meddles in, they have no expertise. Of course, that hasn’t stopped them from meddling in the past, and I seriously doubt it will in the future.

One of the things that has been reported in various locations is that they’ll be strongly encouraged to produce new fuel efficient vehicles. The problem here is that car makers must produce what people actually want to buy. That’s one of the ways Detroit got into so much trouble in the first place. For about 30 years, until relatively recently, they made a fairly inferior product.

Oh, sure, there were exceptions, but on the whole, Detroit was soundly trounced in the product arena by offerings from overseas, such as the fine vehicles from Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. Americans responded as consumers always do, by voting with their checkbooks. The votes weren’t kind to Ford, GM, and Chrysler.

In the last decade they began to turn things around. Recently some pretty darned good vehicles have come from Detroit. World class, even. The new Cadillac CTS springs to mind. Other recent offerings from the Big 3 that bear mention in a positive light are the Silverado Pickup, the Corvette, Mustang, Chrysler 300, Pontiac G8, Ford Flex, and Chevy Impala. There’s also the upcoming Chevy Volt to consider, as a cutting-edge, new vehicle.

The problem now is that Congress wants the big three to produce the new, smaller, fuel efficient vehicle of the future. That sounds just great. Why is that a problem? It’s a problem because Americans are loathe to actually buy vehicles like that.

We want larger vehicles for larger families (and many times, smaller ones too), and American drivers have always had a love affair with power. As fuel prices recede from their record breaking spike of the summer, the chance of American drivers demanding cars like the Honda Fit in any kind of quantity will recede along with them. The fact is that the demand for these cars is almost purely economic. When people’s personal economies are impacted by high fuel prices, they turn to relatively fuel efficient vehicles.

Why would any of the big 3 auto makers want to produce smaller, more fuel efficient cars when the car buying public would rather be driving larger, less fuel efficient vehicles? Well the answer is, they wouldn’t.

They wouldn’t unless they could be guaranteed that there would be a demand for higher efficiency vehicles. Who could provide that demand? Why the meddlers we elected to Congress, of course. As incoming White House Chief of Staff Rohm Emanuel stated a couple of weeks ago, a crisis lets you do things you couldn’t get away with otherwise.

Many politicians and others would love to see higher fuel taxes. That would raise fuel prices, and that, in turn, would force American drivers to turn to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. Driving smaller vehicles that would consume something closer to “our fair share” of the world’s resources would make some tickled pink. That group would not include the majority of American drivers.

A bit of a back room deal would let so many groups be happy. The politicians would be saving the Big 3 and the environment at the same time. In addition, they can raise taxes on something with a fairly inelastic demand, so revenue will rise even as prices increase. You know they have to finance all these bailouts somehow.

The environmentalists would be thrilled that our resource consumption would be reduced. And the big three would be overjoyed to get their latest handout and the promise of some demand for their new products.

Over the long haul, more fuel efficient vehicles will have to be produced, as at some point in the future, prices will increase. The problem is that the development horizon, especially for advanced technology vehicles, is exceedingly long. That means that there will be a lag between when there is actually enough demand for these vehicles and when they begin rolling off the assembly lines.

There is also the question of cost. Such vehicles are very expensive, as new technologies always are. Does anyone remember the $4,000 PC? 15 years ago they were fairly common, but try to find one today that’s not a hot rodded, customized gaming rig. So it will be with new technology vehicles.

The problem for the average driver and taxpayer is that few drivers want to spring for the additional money it takes to purchase one of these cars. The new Chevy Volt will be about $37,000. That’s pretty steep for a 5 passenger sedan, when equivalents from Chevy, Honda and Toyota can be had for about 30% less than that. Toyota is still losing a bundle on every Prius they sell, even after almost a decade of production.

Why is this a problem for the taxpayer? Because you’ll be helping to pay for every one of these new vehicles that your neighbor parks in their garage, that’s why. There are hefty subsidies, in the form of income tax credits, to encourage their purchase by bringing their cost more in line with traditional vehicles. So, you’ll pay higher taxes to fund the industry bailout, the advanced technology vehicle subsidies, and the sure-to-be-on-the-horizon Federal fuel taxes. Make no mistake, driving will get expensive, even as fuel prices are dropping.

Who gets left out in all of this? Why the average, American driver, of course. Who kissers their ass in all this? Not those who they sent to Congress with their votes. Not the Big 3 execs, who will be glad to escape with a few billion and the promise of economic conditions that will favor the vehicles they’ve been directed to produce. Would someone please look out for the average driver?

Tagged in: bailout, big 3, cars, gas, taxes

How Will President Barack Obama Change What You Drive?

1 | November 8th, 2008 | Posted in Blog Carnivals, Car Buying Secrets, New Hybrid Cars

America has a new President, Barack Obama, who has a very different set of ideals and views than those that have come before him. Weather you agree or disagree with him, he is our President, and as was his mantra throughout his election, change is on his agenda.

That change may extend into all facets of your life, including what you drive. President elect Obama has some very ambitious targets. His programs are, to date, a bit short on specifics, yet long on promise. One thing is for sure, the old wheels will undergo a bit of transformation in the coming 4 years if our new President has his way. Just how will those changes affect what you drive to work every day?

A brief glimpse at his agenda sheds some light on the subject (President Obama’s proposals in bold)–

• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.

Questions - Fuel economy standards are already set to increase substantially in the next revision of the CAFÉ standards that are due to phase in completely by 2020. The revised CAFÉ standards provide for an increase from the current 27.5 mpg to 35mpg. Is Obama proposing an acceleration, a further increase, or is he just referencing those standards already set to take affect?

Development lead times on vehicles currently 2 – 5 years. That is for vehicles using current technologies. A radical revision of fuel economy standards would require advanced technologies, and subsequently longer development times for vehicles using them.

Americans have shown a propensity to desire larger, safer, more practical (until you have to park them) vehicles. They have also demonstrated a willingness to pay the extra in fuel costs is takes to drive them up to a point. The point was exceeded about late June of this year as drivers fled large SUVs and pickups like voters running away from the Republican Party in November.

This increase in fuel economy will have a negative effect on tax revenue, as I discuss further below.

• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.

This is an extremely ambitious target, especially given the current state of the automotive landscape. The first plug in hybrid on the horizon is the Chevy Volt, set to debut in 12 – 18 months. This should be followed in short order by the Toyota Prius plug in. If you’ve looked at these vehicles, you’ve found they are not inexpensive.

The Volt in particular is far out of reach of the average car buyer, who stands to never recover the $18,000 difference between that and the 4-cylinder Chevy Malibu (by most accounts a pretty nice car). The Malibu gets 25 mpg, so it isn’t really a gas guzzler for a car that comfortably seats 5 adults.

One will note that vehicles rushed through the engineering stage tend to exhibit more flaws, technological glitches and malfunctions than those that have a longer technological gestation period. That’s something to think about when having a target of 1 million such vehicles on the road in only 6 years.

• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.

This would doubtlessly offset some of the budget crunch Americans will feel when purchasing the much more expensive advanced technology vehicles. It also brings up another question, to whit - where is the money for this going to come from? There are currently generous tax incentives for such purchases put into place by President Bush. These new ones proposed by Obama are about 90% higher that the existing tax credits. This will cost taxpayers quite a sum of money.

It will assist the development of some new technologies by increasing consumer demand, but at what cost? You could watch for a healthy Federal gas tax increase to both make advanced technology vehicles more attractive to drivers by increasing the price of fuel, and help fund the tax credits. Fuel has a relatively inelastic demand, so revenue tends to rise as tax levels increase.

Hybrid and other advanced, fuel efficient cars will also drain from the nations coffers in another way. Currently, roads are largely financed by users in the form of motor vehicle fuel taxes. That is basically fair. The more you drive, the more you pay, and the heavier and harder on the road your vehicle, the lower its fuel economy, and the more you pay.

President Obama will probably have to push for Congress to increase the Federal fuel tax rate in order to avoid a drop in aggregate motor fuel tax revenues. Many politicians are loathe to do this, especially after the high fuel prices the nation endured this summer. No matter how they feel, the politically astute among them are well aware how raising gas taxes looks when the next election rolls around.

High motor fuel taxes are not conducive to rebuilding the economy, as it costs businesses, and thus consumers, dearly. It will also cost jobs, because when they are confronted by price increases in one area, businesses look to cut costs in others. The largest cost component of almost every business is labor. That means it is also the most likely to be cut when other costs increase.

• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

The extent of which this occurs will go a long way to determining three things; maintaining low fuel prices, national security due to increased supply reliability, and the reduction of our dependence on foreign oil.

In addition, does anyone think other areas of the world are actually more environmentally conscious than we are in the US when exploring for and extracting oil? That would mean that the more oil we pull out of the ground here at home, the better off the world is environmentally. In addition to the lower environmental cost of production, there is a lower environmental cost of transporting locally produced oil.

One more thing to examine is the tremendous number of different environmentally required gasoline blends currently in use throughout different areas of the United States. That incurs increased transportation costs, poses a greater environmental impact, and lowers delivery efficiency. It also drives up fuel prices and causes localized availability problems. This is one area that stands to be looked at and in the spirit of the new Obama administration, changed.

So, how will President Obama change what you drive? Who can tell for sure, but here’s what it could be like:

It will get much better fuel economy, possibly through much more advanced hybrid technology.

Power plant for the Obama car – A very small, algae-biodiesel fueled (this would help meet his targets for lower carbon emissions) turbo diesel that would run constantly at its most efficient RPM and be used only to charge batteries. In many cases it wouldn’t run at all and the car would be driven solely by its advanced electric motors. They would be used for greater efficiency and lower weight. Advanced technology batteries could be charged from a standard 220 or 110 volt wall socket if needed.

Weight is the enemy of fuel economy so look for advanced materials in everything from power window motors (rare earth magnets) to body panels (fiber composites). In addition, you’ll be leaving your boat at home, since vehicles large enough to tow them may be levied a special tax in order to help consumers decide not to drive them. Such a tax exists now, but isn’t applied to trucks and SUVs, only cars. This policy could change.

Look for tires and wheels to get lighter in an attempt to reduce rolling resistance and rotational inertia. This will help increase fuel economy, vehicle performance, and ride quality.

Cars will get smaller, but safety targets won’t, so look for advanced safety technologies to be used, as long they don’t substantially increase the weight of the vehicle. Radar and Lidar proximity sensors will be coupled with stability control, inertial sensors, and GPS systems to help avoid crashes.

Advanced materials will be required to maintain the structural integrity of the passenger safety cage, while reducing the size of heavy, energy absorbing crumple zones. The crash energy will still have to absorbed and dissipated before reaching the hapless passengers trapped inside the vehicle, or deaths and injuries will rise.

The light weight vehicles and high torque electric motors could give us greatly enhanced fuel economy with pretty spritely 0-40 times. This will be great fun around town, but it’s possible that the heavy hand of government knowing what’s good for us may step in to limit our fun - in the name of fuel economy, environmental responsibility, and safety, of course.

We will drive some advanced vehicles, but we’ll probably live in interesting times.

Tagged in: Barack Obama, cars, fuel economy, hybrid cars, new presidential agenda, president, taxes

Why is Diesel More Expensive Than Gas?

2 | October 8th, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

Why is diesel more expensive than gas? If you’ve priced diesel fuel recently, you’re well aware of the reason why, while the fuel mileage of diesel vehicles may kick the crap out of a gasoline powered vehicle in most cases, the overall fuel economy, once the higher price of diesel fuel is taken into account, may not. That’s because the price of diesel fuel is only slightly less than that of Grey Goose vodka. You can expect to pay north of $4.50 a gallon in for this refined black gold.

There are a few reasons that diesel fuel is considerably more expensive than gasoline in the U.S., although as kids we remember it being cheaper, and it’s easier to refine. If you run a fleet of vehicles that burn diesel, I wish I had some good news for you, but unfortunately you can expect the situation to remain the same for some time. Here are 5 key reasons why diesel costs you more per gallon than gasoline, even though many people expect the opposite should be true.

Reason Number 1 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
The US government mandated ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) to replace conventional diesel fuel in 2007. This transition began in 2006. The new variety of diesel fuel contains 97% less sulfur than conventional diesel—sulfur is reduced from 500 parts per million (ppm) to 15 ppm. While a boon to air quality in the Untied States, this stuff is more expensive to manufacture. It does have the advantage of allowing the clean burning diesel technology that’s available in Europe to come over here. Without the ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, diesel power plants could no longer meet U.S. emissions regulations.

Reason Number 2 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
U.S. oil refineries are normally optimized to produce about 20% diesel fuel, while those producing fuel for the European market are optimized to turn out more than twice that proportion. This means that as the demand for diesel fuel grows, thanks the recent tremendous improvement in diesel engines that has led it’s adoption for SUVs and many more pickups, U.S. refineries can’t keep pace with the growing demand.

Reason Number 3 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
Your federal government in action - the Federal excise tax on diesel fuel is 6 cents higher per gallon (24.4 cents per gallon) than the tax on gasoline. Viola! An instant 6 cent per gallon price disadvantage for diesel. I’m sure the nation’s truckers, farmers, and ranchers appreciate that.

Reason Number 4 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
Growing demand for diesel fuel, especially in the growing economies of Asia, such as India and China. Economies are built with diesel burning machines, from road graders and trucks, to railroad locomotives and heavy lifting cranes. As economies in former 3rd world countries emerge from the psuedo-dark ages from whence they’ve come, their appetite for diesel will only continue to increase, even if they slow down once in a while to curb pollution for athletic events.

Reason Number 5 for Diesel Being More Expensive Than Gasoline -
An increased quantity demanded of anything tends to exert upward pressure on prices, and another factor causing more and more gallons of diesel fuel to be demanded is the European drivers wholesale change to diesel powered vehicles (NOTE: This is another effect of increased fuel taxes in Europe, a partial side effect of the Kyoto Treaty, that aims to reduce carbon emissions, which a change to higher fuel economy diesels will help accomplish. Ironically, although much cleaner than in the past, diesels actually emit more air pollution, especially particulate matter, than the latest gasoline engines, which are incredibly clean burning. Be careful what you wish for….. ). According to the 2007 EU Economic report, the percentage of diesel powered cars registered in 2007 is more than 400% higher than it was in 1990. In addition, there are more total cars registered in Europe, so the demand for diesel at European filling stations has skyrocketed.

As you’ve doubtlessly noticed, most of the reasons for the increase are actually behind the real reason; increased demand for diesel fuel. If the demand is increased, the quantity demanded will also increase at every price point. This is a boon for refiners, as their percentage profit on diesel is usually greater than for equivalent quantities of gasoline. For U.S. diesel consumers this is especially troubling, because usually this situation would lead to increased production, eventually causing prices to fall. As mentioned above however, there’s an imbalance between US and overseas production. In the U.S. however more refineries use a gasoline production oriented catalytic cracking process, where European refineries tend to rely more on a process known as hydorcracking and produce a greater percentage of diesel fuel. It is extremely expensive to retask a refinery to significantly change it’s output to favor more of one fuel versus the other, so the refiners are kind of stuck.

That’s why the price of diesel is more expensive than gas, and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Until next time……

Tagged in: autos, cars, diesel, gas, money, trucks

Why Does a Diesel Engine Get Better Fuel Economy than a Gas Engine?

0 | October 7th, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

Just why does a Diesel engine get better fuel economy than a gas engine? Well, they work differently and burn different fuel, for starters. A gasoline engine uses a spark ignition system and a Diesel engine uses the heat created by a very high compression ratio to ignite the fuel. There is actually work underway, by Mercedes Benz and others, to operate a gas engine using diesel-like compression ignition, for at least a portion of the time.

There are a few reasons for the increased of most diesel engines when compared to gas engines. One reason for the lower fuel consumption is that diesel fuel has a higher energy density than does gasoline. For example, standard diesel fuel has an energy density of approximately 139K BTU per gallon. On the other hand, gasoline has fractionally less energy, about 125,000 BTU per gallon. As a way of comparison, much touted ethanol is far below either of these two, at about 85K BTU / gallon. That means that a gallon of diesel there has a greater ability to provide propulsive energy, if the efficiency of combustion is equal.

There is another primary reason that diesel engines tend to get better fuel economy than a gasoline power plant. This reason is due to the fuel delivery system of diesel engines; direct injection. Direct injection is more conducive to ensuring all the fuel atomized and is burned. Obviously more complete combustion leads to greater efficiency and lower fuel consumption. The same reasons have led to direct fuel injection systems being adopted for gasoline engines from various auto makers, including Cadillac, Saturn, Audi, and Pontiac. Expect to see wider adoption of this technology on gasoline engines in the near future as a way to decrease emissions and save fuel.

Differences in Power Delivery Between Gasoline and Diesel Engines

A diesel engine tends to develop power lower in the RPM range than an a comparable gas engine. In addition, the diesel will usually develop more maximum torque but less horsepower than a gasoline engine. This means that depending upon the use, the actual fuel economy figures from both gas and diesel engines can be very different indeed. Diesels are typically excel at lower, more constant speed operation while pulling heaver vehicles, while gasoline engines are better suited to lighter vehicles, variable speeds and rapid acceleration.

That partially explains the widespread use of diesel power plants in trucks. They will deliver much higher fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine when towing heavy loads, and more easily climb steep hills when doing so. There are also durability advantages to diesel engines, especially in heavy duty applications. The operational differences between diesel and gas engines also helps explain the really high highway fuel economy figures returned by passenger cars with small, turbo diesel engines, such as the TDI powered VW Jetta (41 EPA Hwy MPG).

That’s why a diesel engine get better fuel economy than a gas engine.

Until next time………

Tagged in: automotive, cars, diesel, engines, gas mileage, trucks

Barak Obama - Separated at Birth

2 | October 6th, 2008 | Posted in Humor

Separated at Birth?

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama ……… Does he go fast on weekends?

F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton

Or Maybe outspoken GM Exec Bob Lutz could be…..

GM Exec Bob Lutz

Related to…………….

John Hurley - (Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld)

John O'Hurley - (Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld)

And, is it possible that F1 driver Robert Kubica is actually……….

BMW F1 Driver Robert Kubica

The secret identity of …………

Rap Star Eminem

Who knows?

Until next time…………………

Tagged in: barak obama, Bob Lutz, eminem, F1 drivers, GM, Lewis Hamilton, separated at birth

Do You Believe the Gas Mileage Claims in Advertising? The Case of Splitfire Spark Plugs (and more)

0 | October 1st, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

The Splitfire spark plugs are still being made and sold by Old World Industries, Inc., Northbrook, IL. They rose to prominence because of their unique center electrode, which did its forked, snake-tongue impression. The thinking was that electrode design would lead to more complete combustion. When you visit their site today however, you’ll notice that their current line of plugs looks suspiciously like almost any other quality spark plug on the market.

Why is their site devoid of the original Splitfire plug from whence they derived their name? Why, indeed! It appears that in 1997 Splitfire’s advertising was making fuel economy and gas saving claims that went something like this:

A -“Of all users (regardless of vehicle type, age, condition, and use) responding:

70% reported a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.””

And

Consumer Endorser: “Yeah, I went from probably 300 miles on a full tank to almost 400.”

Consumer Endorser: “I probably was getting, I would say about 20 miles more per tankful, and that’s a lot for me!”

Consumer Endorser: “And when you’re driving a four-wheel drive vehicle, you need all the extra gas mileage you can get.”

The problem is that they couldn’t actually back up any of these claims to the Federal Trade Commission’s satisfaction. In 1997 they were hauled into federal proceedings by the FTC to substantiate their claims of increased fuel economy provided by their (at the time) $6 spark plug. Now not only was that about 5 times what a traditional plug cost at the time, some consumers had suspicions about the efficacy of the product. This resulted in complaints to the FTC, and well, you know what happened next.

From the FTC case report –

“In truth and in fact, respondent did not possess and rely upon a reasonable basis that substantiated the representations set forth in Paragraph 5, at the time the representations were made. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 6 was, and is, false or misleading.

Through the means described in Paragraph 4, respondent has represented, expressly or by implication, that competent and reliable studies or surveys show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.

In truth and in fact, competent and reliable studies or surveys do not show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 8 was, and is, false or misleading.

The acts and practices of respondent as alleged in this complaint constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.”

And I suspect that was the beginning of the end for the forked tongued devil. It just goes to show that while certain things have been shown to definitely increase your fuel mileage and save you a few dollars here and there, others can’t quite measure up, so do your research carefully, as there are many other devices out there with dubious records of saving gas. *Take note that bad, old, or fouled spark plugs can certainly cost you gas mileage, as can other worn out and/or dirty parts such as O2 sensors and air or fuel filters.

Actually, “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage. In fact, some “gas-saving” products may damage a car’s engine or cause substantial increases in exhaust emissions.” So much for magnets! As for anecdotal reports, you can’t trust any test that wasn’t done in a double blind fashion, under controlled conditions. There are actual performance parts that increase the engine’s efficiency and deliver better gas mileage, but usually the “gadget” type of product isn’t among them.

Until next time…………

Tagged in: advertising, automobiles, cars, FTC, gas mileage, spark plugs

Porsche is Now the World’s Largest Car Company

Obama Car Czar to Kill Performance Cars?

New Car Incentives - You Can Really Save Some Money on Your Next Car

GM to Ditch Saturn, Saab, Pontiac, and Hummer?

Higher Federal Fuel Taxes for All

How Will President Barack Obama Change What You Drive?

Why is Diesel More Expensive Than Gas?

Why Does a Diesel Engine Get Better Fuel Economy than a Gas Engine?

Barak Obama - Separated at Birth

Do You Believe the Gas Mileage Claims in Advertising? The Case of Splitfire Spark Plugs (and more)

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