Menu

Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

About Me

Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

In a troubled economy, many people look for ways to cut costs by doing household tasks themselves. Some automotive jobs can be done fairly easily at home, particularly if you know something about cars. However, taking on the wrong job on your own will only cost you more time, stress and money in the long run. My name is Jill, and I want to tell you about which car maintenance tasks you can safely tackle on your own and which really do require some help from a pro. I'll break down the needs of a typical car and tell you exactly why you might need to ask for help sometimes.

Step On It! Ways To Improve Your Truck's Gas Mileage

2 February 2016
 Categories: Automotive, Blog

You probably purchased your truck without being under the impression that it's a real gas guzzler. That's alright: most trucks have to use an ample amount of gas in order to haul items or, in some cases, simply get from point A to point B. There are a variety of ways you can enhance your truck's gas mileage, though, from using custom truck parts to simply following the rules of aerodynamics.

Cold Air Intake

A cold air intake is an aftermarket, custom part, purchased from a place like Pacesetter Truck Caps & Accessories Inc, that is considered a "bolt on" accessory, which is to say, it's easy to install. What does a cold air intake do for your truck? Essentially, your engine needs air to run efficiently. Air will naturally cool the gas in your tank, and the more air, the more efficient your vehicle will be. In other words, your truck will have to burn less gas to get from point A to point B.

However, too much air added to your engine can add a stressful effect: you're going to hear a good amount of this air reaching your fuel intake. This means that the engineers of your vehicle have found a sort of sweet spot, in between making your truck fuel efficient as possible without you having to hear this – as some would call it – grating sound. For those of you who don't mind such noises, a cold air intake unit will add even more air to your fuel intake, allowing you to burn less gas.

Good Aerodynamics

Against the force of the wind, your truck is going to have to burn more gas to simply work as hard as it would in normal conditions. There are ways to make your truck more aerodynamic, which means that it won't have to work quite as hard. One common example of how to make your truck more aerodynamic is to use a bed cover. Air will then flow flatly across the bed cover, rather than enter the bed of the truck and then meet force against the tailgate.

Don't Idle

Although it is not recommended to turn off your truck during stop lights and the such, if truck is going to idle for 5 minutes or longer, it is recommended that you turn your vehicle off in order to save gas. Even when not in motion, your truck is using gas in order to power other facets of the vehicle, like its electronics and air conditioner.

If you are finding that your truck is using a bit more gas than you think it should, try out these quick tips in order to save yourself a bit of money, as well as some wear and tear on your truck.