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C M Y K
A6 Saturday, April 24, 2010 Portsmouth Daily Times
With spring just around the
corner, that familiar anticipation
of warmer weather and
long Sunday drives with the
windows down has returned.
After a long winter of cold
temperatures and likely snowfall,
getting outside and driving
in the warm sum is a luxury
drivers across the country
have earned.
But as enjoyable as that first
Sunday drive can be, it can
also prove disastrous for vehicle
owners who don’t prepare
their cars or trucks before hitting
the open road.
An industry leader in motor
oil, offers the following tips to
drivers about to ready their
ride for that first warm weather
road trip of the season.
• Give your car a fresh
start. Many men, women and
children feel rejuvenated once
the warm air of spring finally
arrives. Vehicle owners can
give their cars and trucks a
similar fresh start with a few
simple changes to their vehicle
maintenance routine.
One way drivers can make a
profound impact on their vehicles
this season is to address
In the world of tires, “low
rolling resistance” is a lot like
health care. It’s a topic that
affects nearly all adults, but
the majority of consumers are
not very well versed about the
subject.
This is partly because tires
have long been put on the back
burner. Consumers know their
tires are round and have tread
patterns, but most don't want
to think about them until those
treads start to wear or there's a
flat.
Well, as Bob Dylan sort of
sang, “The Tires, They are a-
Changin.’” And a lot of this
metamorphosis is directly
related to environmental
issues. Nearly every hybrid
vehicle now comes equipped
with low rolling resistance
(LRR) tires, which are
designed to minimize the ener-
Though the issue has largely
stopped grabbing headlines
and has simply become a fact
of life, the cost of fuel is likely
to be on the rise again in this
year. So says the United States
Energy Information Administration
(EIA), whose Short-
Term Energy Outlook expects
the price of crude oil to substantially
increase in 2010 and
2011. Crude oil averaged $62
per barrel in 2009, a figure
While everyone wants to
conserve fuel, many drivers are
still driving in ways that make it
difficult to do. The following
are some of the common mistakes
vehicle owners make:
• Idling. Cars get zero miles
per gallon when idling, so make
sure the car isn’t motionless
when the engine is running.
• Choice of tires. Some tires
promise high performance and
deliver just that. However, such
tires can require more energy to
move on the road (which is
known as rolling resistance)
than regular tires, wasting fuel
in the process.
• Choice of fuel. If the vehicle
manual recommends using
the lubricants they use to keep
their car running strong. Unbeknownst
to many vehicle owners,
conventional motor oils
slow starting rpm while
restricting oil flow to critical
engine parts and increasing
wear on bearings and rings.
However, synthetic motor oils
provide significant performance
benefits over their conventional
counterparts thanks
in large part to their superior
resistance to varnish and
sludge development. That
superior resistance enables
engines to run cleaner with
synthetics, providing better
fuel economy for those long
Sunday drives while offering
more wear protection in the
meantime.
• Routinely check tire
pressure. Poorly inflated tires
are often a silent assassin.
While nearly everyone can
hear a clunky engine or notice
smoke coming out from
underneath a vehicle’s hood,
few people ever recognize that
their tires are poorly inflated.
That’s unfortunate, as poorly
inflated tires force the engine
to work harder, decreasing fuel
gy wasted as heat while the
tire rolls down the road. A
wide array of manufacturers
are also developing LRR tires
(in lieu of standard models) for
gas-powered cars and trucks.
The overall result: better
fuel efficiency. In fact, says
Mark Chung, director of corporate
planning and strategy
for a major tire company, studies
have shown that for a vehicle
averaging 15,000 miles a
year, fuel savings (figured at
$3 per gallon) on LRR tires
will be approximately $100
annually.
“Think of a bicycle,” says
Chung. “It takes more energy
to pedal a bike when the tires
have less air because more
rubber is hitting the road. The
same theory applies to your
car. A lot of energy is used to
overcome rolling resistance,
EIA expects to escalate to
roughly $80 and $84 per barrel
in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The escalating cost of crude
oil figures to hit the nation’s
drivers at the pump, where the
EIA predicts a substantial
increase in the price of regular
grade gasoline. While the cost
of fuel averaged $2.35 per gallon
in 2009, the average gallon
fuel could cost drivers $2.84 in
2010 and $2.96 in 2011. While
a higher octane fuel, use it.
Using lower octane fuel might
cost less at the pump, but that
lower octane fuel will often
force the engine to work harder
to achieve the same performance.
SPRING ON THE ROAD
Add length to your automobile’s life
With the economy on the rebound
after the country’s worst financial
times in decades, many a smart vehicle
owner is looking to get more bang
for their vehicle buck. In lieu of quick
trade-ins, more and more vehicle
owners are applying the lessons they
learned from the recession to their
vehicles and trying to make their purchases
last longer.
According to the automotive
experts at the non-profit National
Institute for Automotive Service
Excellence (ASE), today’s vehicles
are designed with long-lasting reliability
in mind, making it easier for
vehicle owners to get more and more
out of their vehicle purchase. To do
just that, consider the following tips
courtesy of ASE.
• Find a repair shop that suits your
needs. Motorists often cite the difficulty
in finding a reliable mechanic
they feel they can trust. A courteous
staff that’s willing to answer your
questions is a good starting point, as
Get your ride ready
for spring road trips
efficiency and taxing the
engine as a result. But keeping
tires properly inflated is a
snap. Simply consult your
vehicle manual for recommended
tire pressure, and keep
the tires at the recommended
level. Though it might not
seem like much, drivers will
instantly notice a difference in
their vehicle’s performance,
particularly when they hit the
open road and put the pedal to
the metal.
• Stick to your maintenance
schedule. Drivers tend
to drive more once the weather
starts warming up. With no
snow on the ground and warm
air to fill up the car, a road trip
is far more attractive in the
warmer months than it is when
winter is rearing its ugly head.
Vehicle owners can keep
their cars running strong this
spring by strictly adhering to
their vehicle maintenance
schedule. This has even gotten
easier in recent years, as many
vehicle manufacturers are suggesting
longer intervals
between tune-ups and oil
changes, resulting in less trips
to the mechanic.
so gas mileage suffers (and
more C02 is emitted) as a
direct result. This is the reason
properly inflated LRR tires,
which provide the least
amount of resistance against
the road, are gaining acceptance
across the U.S.”
According to Chung, manufacturers
of LRR tires adhere
to the same federal guidelines
used to control the traction,
treadwear and temperature
resistance of every other type
of tire. So for eco-conscious
and budget-conscious drivers
who truly want to maximize
their mileage, the shift to low
rolling resistance tires is a popular
upgrade.
Some manufacturers have
mastered the LLR art while
others are still learning. And
many original equipment and
replacement tires still lack
this might seem like a tough
pill to swallow, the EIA notes
these figures take the country’s
ongoing economic recovery
into consideration. So while
the higher cost of fuel might
cause some to cringe, the
economy’s recovery might just
make those costs easier to handle.
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is a shop that’s displaying the ASE
sign or logo, which indicates the shop
employs certified technicians. Also,
check the shop walls for any past
commendations, including civic,
community or customer service
awards.
It’s also a good idea to check what
vehicles the mechanics are currently
working on. If the vehicles in the
parking lot are equal in value to your
own, that’s a good sign.
• Do the small things to save fuel.
Sticking to the maintenance
schedule can also make those
Sunday drives more enjoyable.
• Give your car a good
wash. Every vehicle owner
wants their car to look good,
especially when warm weather
arrives and jaunts to the beach
become the norm. But a car
wash can not only benefit a
car’s appearance, it can also
help boost its performance.
rolling resistance labeling,
warns Chung. “Therefore,
consumers should consult
their tire dealers before making
any low rolling resistance
purchase,” he says.
Also, Chung reminds consumers
that low rolling resistance
tires are but one way
drivers can help the environment
and save money. He
offers these additional tips:
• Keep your tires properly
inflated. Once a month, when
the tires are cold (at least three
to four hours after the vehicle
has been driven), check tire
pressure with a reliable tire
gauge. Be sure that the valve
stems have a plastic or metal
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The cost of fuel is among the highest
costs associated with owning a vehicle.
But small things like ensuring
tires are properly inflated, replacing
misfiring spark plugs and even clearing
the trunk of clutter can all
increase fuel efficiency and help your
bottom line in the process.
• Give your engine a break. Cars
aren’t all that different from the
human body in that everything is
directly or indirectly connected as a
system. Just like a body can over-
Over the course of a typical
winter, salt, slush, dirt, and
grime tend to buildup the more
a vehicle navigates its way
through snow- or ice-covered
roads. A thorough car wash
can remove these unwanted
deposits, while also clearing
away break dust that can erode
wheel surface. Removing
these uninvited guests can also
help a car run more smoothly,
cap to keep dirt out and seal
against leakage.
• Replace your air filter. A
clogged air filter blocks the air
needed to burn fuel efficiently
which wastes gas.
• Keep your car tuned-up
according to the manufacturer’s
recommended schedule
and you’ll keep all systems in
good working order, which
can optimize your mileage.
• Slow down. For every five
miles per hour you go above
60 mph, you’re lowering your
gas mileage and, ultimately,
paying even more for each gallon
of gas.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
compensate in one area when another
area is injured, a car’s engine will be
forced to overcompensate when there
are deficiencies in other areas. For
example, a clogged air filter or fouled
spark plug makes combustion less
efficient, which reduces power —
and wastes fuel as well. Motorists can
give their engine a break by replacing
clogged filters, sticking to their vehicle
maintenance schedule and routinely
checking fluid levels.
Source: Metro Editorial
A few simple maintenance tips can prepare your car for the spring and summer road trip season.
Your tires can save you money: secrets of low rolling resistance
Gasoline prices on the rise this year
Common ways we waste fuel
Got news?
If you have community,
education or items of local
interest, send a news tip
to pdtnews@portsmouthdailytimes.com
or call
(740) 353-3101 today.
Metro Illustration
improving fuel efficiency and
saving drivers money along
the way.
Source: Metro Editorial
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