As a nation, Americans love to drive putting an average of 13,474 miles on the roads ever year according to Motley Fool contributor Matthew DiLallo. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration says the average American drives 13,476 miles every year. With Wyoming leading the 50 states in miles driven 22,306 per driver at an annual cost of $1,917.34 (second highest) per year. Those trips to the gas pump really do add up, so how do we keep fuel costs from taking such a large bite out of our wallet?

Trucking companies and others in the transportation industry know one of the keys to maximizing fuel efficiency is to keep the trucks in good top working condition. According to Fleet Hall of Fame inductee and Over The Road Truck blogger, Mike Antich, the 2019 forecast is filled with corporate strategies to procure the most fuel efficient and task specific vehicles to add to their fleets. Aging fleets can seriously impact the bottom line in several ways fuel consumption ranking at the top along with deprecation.

While no one can change deprecation, we can take a hint from the transportation industry. The professionals and well informed “DYI-ers” can use diagnostic tools to help pin-point the perfect ratio of oxygen to fuel, timing lights to adjust the spark plug firing, and aftermarket modifications (mods as those in the know call them), to alter the vehicles default settings. Some states have statutes limiting aftermarket changes to the fuel/oxygen ratio. Be sure you are up to date on your training and states’ emission laws before you make any modifications.

However, there are simple steps professional drivers as well as average commuters can take to improve fuel efficiency. Most of the remedies for poor fuel consumption are basic. Don’t run the A/C at full blast on every trip, cut back on auxiliary items such as navigation systems and refrigerators, ensure your gas cap seals tightly, and most importantly: slow down. Another overlooked fuel saver is the basic tune up. Keeping your vehicle in top shape can boost fuel efficiency.

You can take your car in to a professional or you can do the job yourself. Be sure you have the basic tools for the job: socket set, screwdrivers, and ratchet are items most people already have on hand. Other, not so common items you may need are a spark plug gap tool, spark plug socket, collapsible magnet, tire gauge, and tread tool (tires are a part of the tune up too). Don’t forget electrical grease and your camera. The electrical grease keeps contacts from rusting and lets the electricity flow. Use your camera to take before and after pictures to be sure you put everything back in the right place the right way. Don’t overlook your cars owners manual. It’s a great resource to guide your tune up.

Another excellent resource is YouTube. Yes, YouTube. This is a great way to brush up on your tune up skills and learn the latest in car maintenance. Try searching for videos using the term ‘Hypermiling’. Hypermiling is the latest slang term denoting all the ways to keep your fuel efficiency up and costs down. However, the same basic rules still apply: keeping it simple is the best way to improve your autos performance. Bear in mind there are plenty of fuel saving myths out there too.

Some of the myths such as buying gas when it’s cooler so you get more are theoretically correct but don’t work in practice. According to Consumer Reports, most fuel stations store fuel underground which results in only small fluctuations in temperature no matter what the temperature is on the surface. They also have found that Low Rolling Resistance tires may save a small amount on fuel, however, keeping the tires properly inflated will make up the difference. They suggest buying good, all around tires.

To truly maximize efficient fuel consumption, though, improve your driving habits. Reduce your speed, keep your vehicle tuned, and tires properly inflated. These simple steps will keep more money in your pocket without taking away your American love of the open road.

Resources:

https://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/how-to-drive-economically7.htm

https://www.hmfracing.com/tech/2014/07/how-does-the-optimizer-work

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/11/151114-can-you-hack-your-car-for-better-mileage/

https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/0627/Myth-busters-Consumer-Reports-takes-on-alleged-gas-saving-tips

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-myths-about-gas-mileage/

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/14/heres-how-much-gasoline-the-averageamerican-consu.aspx

http://time.com/5306658/gas-pricescalculator/

https://gasprices.aaa.com/q1-gas-price-report-2018/

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/01/25/the-average-american-drives-this-much-each-year-ho.aspx

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm

Cars are great, right?  Combined with the power of smartphones and satellite navigation, it’s easy to feel like you are only a few taps away from the world.  Unfortunately, ‘IRL’ has its’ own way of doing things.  It definitely pays to have a back-up plan.  That, and a bit of know-how can help you get to your destination.

A roadside emergency kit can be a pain in the neck to lug around until you need it. While you can buy one pre-packaged, creating it yourself can be more rewarding, whether it’s for an extended road trip or your daily drive.

The contents can be divided into three basic categories: Food, Clothing and Tools.

Tools to consider include jumper cables or, better yet, a jumper pack. A small set of hand tools or multi-tool is always a good idea along with a first aid kit.  A headlamp or flashlight are invaluable.  Don’t forget a working jack and spare tire.

Food should consist of calorie-dense, snacks with a long shelf life, in case you get stuck.  Bottled water is a must.  And remember any special needs of your fellow travelers when ‘planning the menu’

Pack clothing such as rain gear, a warm blanket, hats and gloves can really be helpful in a bind.

The challenge is to balance the items you’ll most likely need and the available space, while considering your distance traveled and the reliability of your car.

Safe Travels!

First Up: The 1/2” Green NASCAR® Impactool™!  This classic tool with a new paint scheme comes equipped with the reliable Twin Hammer impact mechanism, and it boasts an average air consumption of 4.2 CFM delivering 590 ft-lbs of torque.

Next:  The 1/2” Red NASCAR® Impactool™ with 1/2″ Extended Anvil!  Now, if you need a little extra anvil length…this is the tool for you!

Whether you’re a vehicle hobbyist or professional mechanic, this NASCAR® themed 231R air impact wrench from Ingersoll Rand delivers the power and performance to tackle tough jobs with ease, including tire rotation, brake jobs, crank pulley bolt removal, and more.

Do you already own one of these beasts?  If so, let me know how you like it.

Until next time…Jay

What is Ingersoll Rand saying about this new impact?  “Built on Ingersoll Rand’s 100 year legacy developing industry leading tools, you can always rely on the 35MAX. This stubby impact wrench has been rigorously tested and pushed to the limits to make sure it lasts twice as long as the competition so you can get REAL WORK done time and time again.”  We couldn’t agree more!

“What about the torque?” you ask…

“Delivering 450 ft.-lb. of max reverse torque at only 2.4 pounds, no other compact impact wrench on the market can match the combined power and light weight of the 35MAX. With less added weight, you can power through those tough stretches of work in no time.”

This impact is so new that we couldn’t even find a video of anyone using it yet…so if you have one, shoot a video and send it to us!  We’d love to upload more videos of our customers using the actual tool!

Source: www.irtools.com

To be completely honest, even the hardest working do-it-yourself-er cannot do a perfect paint job. But don’t feel bad about it, because there are even some specialty workshops that cannot do that. The great thing though, if you would see it, is that you do not have to get a paint job as perfect as the one a factory or one of those car shows on TV would. Just a few gallons of paint, and a lot of hard work, can get a car so close to perfection that no one would be able to tell the difference if you were cruising by. In fact, you can get it so close that even on close scrutiny, as long as the lighting conditions were not perfect, say on a cloudy day or late in the afternoon, most people could not tell the difference.

The secret of an excellent homemade paint job is in the quality and time you take to get the car and the painting environment ready. For one, you will need a shed or a garage of some sort that you can empty out completely and get it so clean that you could have an operation in there and not worry about infection. Next you need to get the car ready and here are the tools you will need to do that.

A Drill or a Rotary Tool

There is just one thing that ruins an existing paint job to the point where you will need to repaint the car, and that is rust. If your car is completely rust free and the paint is just faded you may want to consider simply giving the car a good polish. However, if you are dealing with rust you need to make sure that you can get rid of it all before moving on to a paint job or else you will see that rust coming back in less than 6 months; and that is if you are lucky. So you will need to use a rotary tool or a drill equipped with a wire brush and just clean up as much of the rust as you can. After that you will need to use some chemical cocktail that you can get at your local paint store, to eradicate that rust. Next you will want to use some filler to smooth out the rusted area, and then you will need to move on to the next tool.

An Oscillating Tool or an Orbital Sander

If you want to get a near perfect paint job, you will end up spending so much time with an oscillating tool in your hand that you will grow to feel naked without one. First, you will need to use the oscillating tool or the orbital sander to clean away the excess filler that you have used on the previous stage. Next you will need to use it to give the entire car a good key and you can do that by using 800 grit wet and dry sand paper. After that you will want to paint some sort of primer on the entire car, and give that a good once over with your sander tool of choice. And then, depending on how good you want to get your car to look, you will cover the car with anywhere between 2 and 5 coats of paint. After each layer, you will want to let it dry, sand it down, and add the next layer, and then sand it down, a new layer of paint, sander, and so on. Eventually, you may even want to put on a layer of clear coat, but, if you have done your job right with all that sanding, and seeing how clear coat has its own extra challenges, you may want to skip over that. And that leads us to the other important tool you have been using so far.

An Air Compressor and a Paint Gun

If you are to have any chance of actually coming close to a flawless paint job, you will need a good quality paint gun, and, since those only work with air compressors, you will need to get one of those too. You cannot really count on one of those electric spray guns because they do not have the ability to spray a thin enough layer of paint – perhaps this is where we should tell you that the paint needs to come out more like a mist than an actual layer of paint. Also, if you are planning to use paint from a spray can, you might as well just forget about every other step in the preparation process and just go for it because the end result will only be good enough for the scrap yard.