A car

A pen (or pencil) and paper

Optional:

A tire pressure gauge

Firing: the function of the spark plug--it produces a spark

Gap: an adjustment made on a spark plug that determines the correct distance between two pieces of metal that produce a spark.

Points: a part of older ignition systems that wore out, and needed to be replaced when the car was tuned. Not part of a modern car's maintenance program.

Timing: a procedure that ensures the spark plugs will ignite at the proper time. In the past this was done by hand; nowadays it's generally set with a computer.

Four-wheel-drive vehicles are all the rage right now, but their dirty little secret is gas mileage--it stinks. Unless you really spend a lot of time crawling along washboard roads, consider another type of vehicle instead. Front-wheel drive and snow tires will get you most places you want to go.

Carpooling is one of the best ways for everybody to save gas. If there's one car on the road instead of four... well, you can do the math for yourself. Carpooling arrangement services, both private and government-run, are cropping up in some areas--call around and find out what's available. If that doesn't work, make a sign asking other commuters to form a carpool with you, and put it up on the community board at a local food market, workout gym, or spiritual meeting place.

2torial #0817: Learn2 Improve Your Gas Mileage   No, you can't hook yourself to the car in front of you. Let's face it... along with a thinner waist, a faster modem, and greater tranquillity, everybody wants better gas mileage. It doesn't matter if you're driving a sparkling new Dodge pickup or a barely mobile '73 Renault, that gas gauge always goes down faster than you want it to. Although nothing short of an affordable, reliable electric vehicle will keep you completely from the gas pump, you can avoid becoming an indentured servant to your local gas station. Note: Since motorcycles, as a rule, get fantastic gas mileage, this 2torial isn't written with them in mind. If you'd like to get even better mileage from a motorcycle, the instructions below apply equally well. If you already own a car, there are several gas consumption factors which you can't control: engine size and design, vehicle weight and wind resistance, gasoline quality and formulation. There are, however, a few ways in which you are the master of your driving fate, so let's concentrate on those. All of the strategies boil down to two words: maintenance and driving habits. Maintain optimum tire pressure It sounds like a no-brainer, but when was the last time that you checked your tire pressure? It takes more effort for an engine to propel an underinflated tire than a properly inflated one--the engine uses more gas to move it along. The trickiest part of checking your tire pressure is that you actually have to check it twice: once before the vehicle has been moved that day, and again when you're at a gas station with an air hose. The first reading is from a cold tire, and it's the accurate one, while the second is from a tire that has warmed up from rolling on the pavement. The second reading will be a bit higher than the first. Here's the routine: Get a good quality tire gauge, and measure the pressure in all four tires before you move the vehicle. You'll do this by removing the plastic caps on your valve stems and pressing the gauge firmly down over the metal threads on the end of the stem. You'll hear a little hiss as a bit of air escapes, but when you press the gauge firmly down and hold it there, the noise will stop and the gauge will register the tire pressure.   Write down the measurement for each tire--this is your cold measurement. Tire companies specifications reflect cold tire pressures, and pressure is measured in PSI, or pounds per square inch.   The auto manufacturer has specified tire pressures for both front and back tires. Look for these specs on the inside edge of the driver's door, on the inside of the glove compartment door, or in the owner's manual. Use these numbers, rather than the numbers printed on the outside of the tire, to find out how much pressure should be in the tires.   Compare the cold measurements with the manufacturer's pressure recommendations. If the manufacturer recommends a different pressure (either higher or lower) than the cold measurement, you'll adjust the tire pressure accordingly.   Find a service station with an air hose. Sometimes you'll need to put a coin in to make it work, but in most places there won't be any charge. There will either be a metal handle that releases air when you squeeze it, or a simple metal fitting that releases air when it's pressed over the valve stem.   Take the tire pressure again with your own tire gauge. It'll probably be a bit higher than the cold measurement, since the tire has warmed up from rolling along the pavement. This will be the warm measurement.   If the cold measurement was lower than the manufacturer's recommendation, add the proper amount of air with the hose. How much? Use the warm measurement as your guide. Let's say you compare the cold measurement (say, 32 PSI) with the manufacturer's recommendation (35 PSI)--the tire needs three more pounds of pressure. If the warm measurement was 34 PSI, fill up the tire until the gauge reads 37 PSI. Don't worry if the final measurement is more than the manufacturer's recommendation--tomorrow morning, when the tire is cold again, the pressure will be correct.   On the other hand, if the cold measurement was higher than the manufacturer's recommendation, release the excess pressure from the tire. (This is easy to do: find the valve, and press on the metal piece in the center of the valve with your fingernail, a key, or a small stone, until your hear a hissing sound.) Again, use the warm measurement as your guide. For example, if you knew from your cold measurement that the tire had two pounds of excess pressure, and the warm measurement is 38 PSI, release pressure until the gauge reads 36 PSI.   Tires lose pressure at different rates. If you measure tire pressure every few weeks or so, you'll get a better idea of how often adjustments are necessary. Don't try to go by the tires appearance, as modern radial tires often look under inflated when they're not.   Overly inflated tires can wear unevenly, so don't try to overinflate them into balloons.   Keep it in tune Keep your engine tuned properly. Nowadays, most cars on the road have electronic ignitions that are simpler to maintain than they used to be, but there are still a few items that need attention. The air filter should be replaced when you can't easily see light through it. The timing should be properly adjusted. (See Keywords.) The spark plugs should be clean, gapped correctly and firing properly. (See Keywords.) Older cars and trucks may need the points replaced as well. Keep your exhaust system in good shape. A hole in your muffler or along your exhaust pipe will reduce your gas mileage as well as making noise and a bad smell. Change your driving habits a little In general, the faster you go, the more gas you use. The defunct "Drive 55" campaign in the U.S.A. was not only a safety measure, it was also an energy conservation measure: cars use less gas at 55 mph (90 kph) than at 65 mph (105 kph). Leave ten minutes earlier than you planned to, and drive a little slower than you normally do. As a bonus, you'll have more reaction time and may keep yourself out of an accident. Heavy acceleration and hard braking greatly reduce gas mileage. Smooth acceleration from traffic lights and gradual braking at stop signs will help more than you might think. And if you're driving through a residential area, you'll make it a safer and more pleasant place for the folks who live there. Constant speeds, rather than speeding up and slowing down, help enormously. That's why highway gas mileage estimates are always higher than the estimates for around-town driving. If you can plan your route to avoid strings of traffic lights, stop signs or children's play areas, your gas mileage will definitely improve. In most cars, the air conditioner draws power from the engine, using a belt. Every time that you turn on the air conditioner, the engine has to use more gas to keep the car moving. Although opening the windows can also reduce your gas mileage by reducing the aerodynamic efficiency, it's still better than running the air conditioner. Overloading the car makes the engine work overly hard and consume extra gas. If you can split the luggage (or building supplies) between two vehicles, then do it. This doesn't mean, however, that you ought to take two cars when one car will suffice. -end- Learn More!