I know there are some obvious ways of cutting down on gas consumption: drive slower, don't use AC, etc...

But I have heard that there things you could do to your car that save gas, something to do with air filters perhaps?

Anyone know what those things are?

Thanks

Automobile Maintenance:
Keeping your car tuned can increase fuel efficiency by up to 4%. Replacing clogged air filters improves gas mileage by up to 10%. Air filters also protect your engines by keeping impurities from damaging the engine

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

Properly Inflated Tires:
Under-inflated tires causes car engines to work harder, using more gas.This can improve gas mileage by up to 3%. You can find the recommended tire pressure on a tag in your car or in the owner’s manual

Reduce the Weight in Your Car:
Although there are certain items you should carry in your car, such as a spare tire, any extra weight in your car decreases your fuel efficiency. An extra 100 pounds in your car could increase your fuel needs by 2%. Keep in mind this affects smaller cars more than larger ones and the percentage of extra weight is relative to your vehicle’s weight.

well the tricks i have learned to safe fuel are:
- well keep the total weight down, so keep your truck as emty as possible. Toss the junk.
- don't stick and flags and stuff on the outside. It adds drag.
- change gears in time (well if you have a stickshift).
- Keep your tires on the right pressure. low pressure means more drag.
- keep your car well maintained and well oiled.

No idea what the airfilter will do to safe fuel. But having a clean filter will let the enige "breath" more easily.

Ofcorse not driving the most fuel economical methode.

hmm... i just converted the cost of regular unleaded gasoline in the netherlands, to gallons and dollars. It's 9,86 dollars a gallon now.

us gallon is 3.78 litres making it $8.82 a gallon at UK prices

I think its time for a mythbusters episode on this idea that clogged air filter reduces efficiency on a gasoline engine.

Your air intake already has a very large restriction in it called the THROTTLE. A partially clogged filter will limit the maximum output of the engine but unless you are flooring it all the time it won't change anything significant.

That being said, change your air filter on time anyway to help keep your engine clean!

Hey Red Flare, if you're really serious about doing all you can to reduce your gas consumption, do a google search for "Hypermiling".

Some of the techniques that hypermilers use are a little over the top in my opinion, but there's also some that are easy to implement.

There are 2 ways to dramatically increase your fuel efficiency:

1) Drive slower
2) Accelerate with a lighter foot.

Driving habits: I have done some experimenting, and I can increase fuel efficiency in any vehicle by 20% or more by going easy on acceleration and braking, and especially by dropping my speed to 60 mph / 95 kph when it's safe to do so. I hardly notice a difference in travelling time.

Tires: I switch from soft and grippy ice tires to harder-compound summer tires every year, and there's a noticeable change in mileage. If I was driving a truck/SUV as a commuter vehicle, I'd ditch the knobby off-road tires for efficient ones and throw a light set of chains in the back.

Regarding clogged filters: I think a badly clogged filter would give an excessively rich mixture, which would blow unburned hydrocarbon out the tailpipe. This would be worse with a carburated engine, since the mixture is fixed. A modern fuel-injected vehicle with an oxygen sensor and computerized mixture control should be able to compensate to some degree.

Don't believe the hype, Redflare. There's really not much you can do mechanically to improve your vehicle's gas mileage besides keeping it properly maintained. Personally, the single thing I have noticed that makes a big difference in my own gas mileage is to drive smoothly and without hard acceleration. The difference in your gas bill at the end of a week of driving aggressively and driving smoothly is substantial.

I see it all the time--I'm cruising down the street and a car pulls up close behind me, changes lanes to accelerate around me...and a minute later, I catch up to the guy stopped at a red light. As soon as the light turns green, they zoom away again. So many people drive that way, and they complain about the price of fuel?

They revisited that one. It wasn't A/C vs not it was A/C vs windows down.

They determined in the end that it all depends on how fast you're going as the first and second episode tests had opposite results.