It is quite obvious car companies are working with big oil to keep America and the world dependant on fossil fuels. There have been rumors that a
viable electric engine has been around for years, but car makers bow to oil companies and refuse to introduce it.
I will take this one step further and suggest that it goes much deeper. Think about this for a moment if you will. Every time a car company adds an
options to a vehicle like more air bags (I guess I agree with that one) Bigger (heavier) processing computers, more seating, DVD / entertainment
systems and a whole lot of what not, this adds weight to vehicles. By adding more weight you actually decrease your gas mileage, making you MORE
dependant upon oil companies.
Here are a few suggestions I have to reduce the weight of your vehicle, saving you money over the long run.
- Don’t fill up with gas (6 pounds per gallon). You are hauling around extra weight.
- Take extra seats out of vans / mini vans.
- Remove hubcaps / center caps from your wheels.
- If you have a removable sunroof / hardtop leave it home.
- Take out the stereo and carry a lightweight walkman or MP3 player with earbuds (not headphones...too heavy).
- Remove the spare tire and jack and try to avoid nails in the road
- If you live in a warm / dry climate, take apart the door skin and remove windows.
- Remove one license plate (you still have another one for the police to see).
- If you drive only in daylight, remove headlights and leave home.
I am sure you folks can come up with even more ways to save weight on your vehicle, and in the process get better fuel economy and in the end we all
can stick it the (oil) man.
This car improved mileage from 29.9 to 30.1 miles per gallon over a 12 month period.
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- One Man Short
[edit on 5-11-2005 by One Man Short of Manhood]
