Posted on August 5, 2022 in Featured by

Spruce Grove mechanic has a few simple tips for making that liquid gold last a little bit longer. (PART 2)

This post is part two of a 5 part series dedicated to saving you money in gas mileage. Click the previous post in the list below to view the last article. Ready to get an oil change in Spruce Grove? click here for directions.

• 1. MAKE SURE YOUR TIRES ARE PROPERLY INFLATED
• 2. CLEAN YOUR ENGINE AIR FILTER
• 3. USE CLEAN, QUALITY FLUIDS
• 4. USE YOUR A/C AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE
• 5. STAY ON TOP OF VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS
• 
  This post is going to touch on how one part of the EconoLube process can benefit your mileage when you get an oil change in Spruce Grove
  
  Take a minute and think back to that hot summer day when you grabbed yourself a Slurpee on your way home from work. You’re driving along, sipping your refreshing bucket of half frozen sugar water when a large chunk of ice blocked, or at least limited, the flow of that sweet summer sludge.
  Another (maybe better) example is that time when you were four years old and you were playing hide and seek. You slyly snuck under a pile of blankets and pillows only to realize that breathing through six layers of gramma’s old quilts was harder than you expected.

The Point:

Whether you’re sucking back a Slurpee or simply trying to breathe- the amount of effort required is directly related to the amount of resistance within the pathway of the substance you are trying to move. Which is no different when thinking about your vehicle’s ability to take in the air it needs for vital functions. When you get an oil change in Spruce Grove, and you choose EconoLube (of course) we inspect your engine air filter to make sure it is free of regular or irregular buildup of dirt, dust, and debris. We also check to make sure your air filter isn’t damaged in any way. If we see that your filter is damaged or if it is in good repair but dirty to the point of failure and therefore blocking airflow (like grammas quilts in that epic 4 year old hide-and-seek showdown) we will suggest replacing it so that your engine can breathe easy.

How does this impact mileage?

Just like vacuuming ice chunks through that Slurpee straw, sucking air though a clogged filter takes more work. More work can translate to lower gas mileage. How much lower? Well it depends on your vehicle’s age and the style of engine. For a lot of newer vehicles the state of the air filter will only negligibly affect gas mileage, however, according to this study, “for older, open-loop, carbureted vehicles, a clogged air filter can affect the fuel economy. For the vehicle tested, the fuel economy with a new air filter improved as much as 14% over that with a severely clogged filter (in which the filter was so clogged that drivability was impacted). Under a more typical state of clog, the improvement with a new filter ranged from 2 to 6%.”

No matter the percentage, a little improvement maintained over a lifetime adds up to a lot.

Next time you get an oil change in Spruce Grove, choose EconoLube. We are invested in giving you the best service in the Parkland County Area.