Road Runner by Andrea Kelly: Behavior change, not gimmicks, saves fuel

The increase in gas prices has caused concern about scams out there, including fuel additives claiming to increase your miles per gallon for a few bucks.

It's so rampant, all I had to do was type "increase gas mileage" into an online search engine to find tips and stories, blogs and ads about strategies and additives.

They range from adding acetone, which is rumored to help the gasoline evaporate faster in the engine, to using synthetic oil, supposedly giving better miles per gallon by reducing friction. Do they work? I don't know.

I do know I'm not one for throwing some cheap, random, Internet-driven product into the tank of car designed to run on gasoline, just to save a few dollars because an anonymous blogger gives it rave reviews.

I also found a product called the Fuel OptiMiser Fuel Saver, which is supposed to use a "powerful magnetic field that pushes the (gas) molecules apart," creating better mileage.

Sure.

Besides the advice to take claims with a grain of salt and remember if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't, the best advice I've heard is to talk to a mechanic you trust before you do anything.

The Better Business Bureau here hasn't received complaints about gas additives, but other BBBs have.

The Tyler, Texas, BBB received complaints about sites claiming to help increase gas mileage with hydrogen or water. All the sites in question were registered in 2008. Though they appear to sell a product, they actually end up selling literature about the gas-saving strategies.

The Southern Arizona Better Business Bureau also recommends watching out for any product that claims to be endorsed by the federal government, said Kim States, bureau spokeswoman.

"The EPA evaluates claims, but on emissions, not on fuel savings," States said.

Though the Environmental Protection Agency requires a company to prove its product doesn't harm your engine or increase air pollutants, it does not validate claims about gas mileage, she said.

I also checked with a local mechanic, figuring those guys know more about cars and what goes in them than some of the rest of us.

"I haven't found a valid chemical that we can put into the fuel system and give them better mileage," said Joe Johnson, owner of Primarily Japanese, a car shop.

People have been asking about these products, he said, even more since prices have been on the rise.

"I tell them no, just the normal 87-octane fuel and change the oil and change the air filter and stay up on maintenance," Johnson said.

Adding who-knows-what to your gas tank can throw your car's computer into a tizzy, resulting in a check-engine light, or it can put the engine into a "fail-safe mode," which actually causes you to use more fuel, Johnson said.

Yikes. I'll stick with the old-fashioned strategies: try to drive less, take care of my car, make sure the tires are properly inflated and not take off from the stop like a drag racer.

You know — all those things they always tell you to do.

Road Q

Question: "I work at night and live in Catalina. I leave for work between 1 and 4 a.m. I ride a motorcycle, a big Harley Road King. Here's the problem: When you come up to a light and I'm in a left-turn lane, a sensor in the pavement (magnetic) is supposed to activate the left-turn arrow. At the intersection of Oracle and Golder Ranch, it never changes. I either have to wait until a car comes (it's big enough to activate the sensor) or run the light. Usually, there is absolutely no traffic. This light needs to be adjusted so I can legally turn left," Rich Okerblom wrote.

Answer: The Arizona Department of Transportation sent a crew to check out the signal last week, said Linda Ritter, department spokeswoman. Crews adjusted the loop detector in the roadway last Monday to make it more sensitive. It should now work for motorcycles, she said.