STRETCHING GAS MILEAGE

Paul B. from Long Beach would like to share some ideas on improving gas mileage and lowering emissions. He has had excellent success with a couple of changes to his cars. Read on...

Hello friends,

I just want to pass on a few tips that considerably help reduce auto emissions and will also save you money. I am not affilliated with any products or companies mentioned below.

The first two products are both effective alone, and live up to the sales pitch. Using them together is much more beneficial. The first is a simple change of spark plugs. www.Pulstarplug.com will show you all the technical data. These hi-tech plugs are far beyond the innovate tip kind sold at automotive stores. They run about 25 dollars each so that's a $100-$200 investment depending on your cylinder count. They're rated for 50,000 miles, which is average.

The second item is a cold air intake. K&N Filters (www.knfilters.com) is the leader in this for automotive applications. On their site they are called hi-performance air intakes. There are similar ones on Ebay at less than half their price and every bit as good.

I did these two modifications on each a Toyota Tercel and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The benefits are more pronounced on the 1500cc Toyota than the 5.2L (318 for all you old timers) Jeep. That will hold true for all cars and trucks. The smaller the motor, the bigger the benefit. On the Jeep the gas mileage went from 13 city/ 19 hwy. to 16 city/23+ hwy. That's an extra 100 miles per tank on the road! When I had the vehicle smog tested my emissions were 33% lower than the previous test!

Now for the Tercel. I must tell you it's a 1988 with a one barrel carburetor. I expected the results to be good, but I was actually impressed. The mileage went from 33 city/39 hwy. to 45 city/56 hwy. I went from Long Beach, Calif. to Phoenix, Ariz. at 75mph on under 8 gallons. It hasn't been smog tested yet, but there's a very noticeable reduction of carbon residue in the tail pipe.

I am just beginning to test a third product called Ethos. It's an organic gas additive available at www.SimpleGasSolution.com. The website is a bit lengthy but well worth the read. This is NOT an alcohol or petroleum-based additive sold as an octane booster. Hopefully I can post my test results in a couple of months. Besides gaining another huge gas mileage benefit this product should cut my emissions by at least another 30% on both vehicles.

Ethos is a fuel re-formulator that uses esters to separate gas molecules for more efficient combustion. Gas is considered a heavy molecule and the molecules tend to clump together. An ester is a much smaller molecule, completely organic, and when mixed with gas, or diesel, causes a nearly 100% burning of the fuel. This is because the esters have moved the gas molecules apart thus allowing the complete burn. Most cars burn about 80% of their fuel and the remaining 20% of unburned fuel exits your tailpipe as pollution. The website above gives a decent overview and explanation of the product function.

Note: Esters can be inorganic as well as organic. For a detailed definition please visit: www.wikipedia.org.

If you are so inclined, after installing the cold air intake and plugs, you can add headers and/or a Catback exhaust. These are more costly items, do not lower emissions, and take longer to get a return on your investment.

Most everything I've mentioned above is sold as a horsepower improvement. An increase in HP equates to a more efficient motor so keep your foot out of it, reap the rewards, and reduce your vehicles footprint.

Contact Paul with questions or comments.

NEW LISTINGS ON LBGG

Check these out:

--Power Truck Mount Steam Cleaning (see "Carpet Cleaning"), LBGG "C"
--The Undershirt (see "Promotional Products"), LBGG "P"
Sells green promotional T-shirts.

LOOK WHO'S GREENING

Even Little Leaguers can get on board the eco-train!
Read how one team has made some very impressive changes in the way they feed their fans:
Press-Telegram: Greening Baseball

LBGG ANNOUNCEMENTS

1) Events
--Today, Frieda's Produce is hosting its first open-air Fresh Marketplace in Los Alamitos. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
www.friedas.com

--Restorative Yoga Workshop at FreeSpirit Yoga in Bixby Knolls
1-3 p. m.
*Click on "Schedule" then on "Workshops & Retreats"

--Lavender farms in Southern California open their sweet-scented doors to the public. See LBGG Events page (link below).


2) New Listings
--Acupuncture/Peaceful Waves Healing Center
--Rolfing/Peaceful Waves Healing Center
--Wes Harding Construction (Construction Companies/Green, Contractors/Green)

Visit LongBeachGreenGuide.com
Email LongBeachGreenGuide.com

ON THE PROWL FOR PAINT

You'd think that purchasing an eco-friendly paint would be a breeze, right? Wrong!
I've been researching and researching, trying to find the "best" paint that meets my needs for a small project. Unfortunately, the hunt resulted in some disappointing facts--though I still remain hopeful as more companies begin to offer low odor/non VOC paints.

This is what I found, locally:

--Dunn-Edwards (on Bellflower near Stearns St.)
Carries "Eco-Shield" line, but only in gallons.

-Frazee Paints (on Bellflower near Spring St.)
Sells "Envirokote" line, but doesn't have it in stock.

--Lowe's
No "eco" lines.

--Sherwin-Williams (on Willow St. at California Ave.)
Carries "Harmony" line, but only in gallons.

My problem? I needed only a quart of paint.

My dilemma? Drive to The Road Less Traveled in Santa Ana, spend the time and gas to buy one quart of AFM Safecoat, OR just buy one quart of latex paint at a nearby Lowe's. That's what I decided to do and my project is now finished.

Sometimes going green is not such an easy task and requires weighing the pros and cons of each situation.

The moral of the story? Long Beach needs at least one store that sells a few lines of "green" paints that come in different sizes.

Who will take on the challenge?