When fuel prices rise, snake oil salesman start seeping into the market. They often promise everything: fuel economy and performance, in a product that’s good for the environment — all with a low price.
But real green technology takes time, energy and money to develop. You can’t just attach something to a modern car and expect to see results, because vehicles today come so finely tuned and often can already often adapt to different air and fuel qualities.
Improving on what comes from the automaker’s factory is a multi-billion-dollar industry but takes real research and development cash, time, and effort.
From mild to wild, these five areas are the most promising ways to reduce your impact on the environment while in most cases improving performance. Being green doesn’t always have to be a compromise.
Oil. Oil? Are you crazy? What’s oil going to do?
Don’t forget that oil is used to lubricate all of the things inside your engine. Although it’s a fluid, standard-weight oil isn’t often optimized to be as “slippery” as possible to reduce friction. More viscous oil, like a 15W or 20W, is good for protecting the engine but is “thicker” and not optimized for fuel economy.
New oils are being produced with fuel economy in mind, though. For instance, Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy oil, with a 0W-20 or 0W-30 rating, reduces drag and friction inside the engine while ensuring everything is protected. They say you’ll be looking at a 2 per cent improvement in fuel economy, which adds up over time in reduced fuel bills.
Oh, and consider a block heater. In winter, it reduces engine stress when starting in the cold. If your engine isn’t working as much to warm up, it means less fuel burned.
The PLX Kiwi.
The Kiwi is sort of in a category by itself, because this plug-and-play device doesn’t change how your car drives, but how you drive.
Apparently some drivers can see improvements of up to 20 per cent, because the Kiwi keeps tabs on your driving efficiency, displayed as your “Kiwi Score.”
The score reflects four aspects: smoothness, drag, acceleration and deceleration. Results at the end of your trip show you how you can on an easy-to-read display so that anyone can improve your driving.
Because it’s plugged in to your vehicle’s diagnostics port, it also keeps track of how much fuel you use, plus how much you spend on x fuel and how much you’ve saved by improving your technique.
