So here’s the links, converter for liters to gallons and converter for gallons to liters. Both are add supported like the other calculators, have to keep the money flowing to keep the site running.

As of now there’s no converter for imperial gallons, but then again I’m not sure if anyone needs that. Please leave a comment if you have a need for imperial gallons.

By splitting the gallon vs liters converters into separate pages I hope that more people will find them through the search engines. It was not easy for the search engines to find them while hidden inside another page.

Christened SkyActive on the lines of earlier Mazda models Sky-G gasoline and Sky-D diesel engines, Mazda CEO unveiled the company’s plans with much gusto stating that the technologies would include better and lighter chassis and vehicle body designs, direct injection diesel and gasoline engines and transmissions.

The move is Mazda’s attempt to keep up with competitors such as Toyota and Nissan who have considerably higher RD budgets. Mazda is trying to cash in on the improvement of tried and tested methods instead of investing in the development of new technologies.

A spokesperson for the company said that the newly rechristened SkyActiv-G gasoline engine may be available in some Mazda models as early as next years. In a bold move, Mazda also revealed that consumers can expect fuel consumption of 70 mpg in the Mazda 2 which puts it at par with the hybrid engine models available from competitors such as Honda.

The company has achieved the fuel efficiency through the use of the direct injection technology. Because fuel is directly injected into the combustion chamber in such engines, greater fuel economy and performance can be achieved as opposed to regular engines where the fuel is injected upstream in the intake port.

This transmission adds another 7 percent to the fuel efficiency which is further accentuated by the body structure and the chassis.

Mazda’s plans may also have been motivated by the dwindling stakes of Ford in the company. A long term partner Ford has reduced its stakes in the company to a mere 3% with further disinvestment expected. Mazda of course has no plans to share its newfound approach to fuel efficiency with Ford.

The really exiting part is that Mazda plans to incorporate SkyActiv technologies in all their models by 2015 which means the hybrids will have some tough competition from cheaper conventional technology in the years to come.

You can convert kilometers to miles or find out your true gas mileage with the gas mileage calculator.  Try one of the many automotive converters and calculators we have created at MilesGallon.com

Park in the shadow and your car will be a lot more comfortable when you’re ready to leave. The reason you’ll save gas is that your air condition will not have to work so hard to cool the car down when get on the road again. You’ll also keep the cars paintwork and tires in better shape and prevent the chocolate you left in the glove compartment from melting.

Be careful with the A/C as it is one beast of a gas gulper. Don’t turn the temperature down too much, you’ll just get a cold. Open the doors before you leave and read “Park in the shadow” above. Drive with windows open if you do slow city speeds but remember that the drag from the windows makes them even more wasteful than the A/C at highway speeds.

Enjoy the weather instead of using the car. Walk to the corner grocery instead of driving to the supermarket, take the bike to work if it’s not too far, and let the kids use their bikes instead of driving them everywhere.

Check the tire pressure all times of the year as this is one of the easiest ways of saving gas. A properly inflated tire can save you up to 5% in gas expenses and an under inflated tire is unsafe and may explode from overheating if stressed enough.

Make sure you have a gas cap and it’s not broken as the heat of summer will make the fuel in your tank evaporate a lot faster then in winter. The cap makes sure your hard earned gas dollars are not excaping into the athmosphere.

Happy driving,

Simon

It also lists the most efficient vehicles in different categories making this an excellent companion when shopping for a new car.

Download the fuel economy guide from fueleconomy.gov

Do this:

1. Turn off the A/C
2. If that’s not possible adjust the temperature setting to just a little bit cooler than outside instead of super cool. This will make the A/C use less power.
3. Open all doors for a couple  of minutes before you go, this will let a lot of extra heat out of the car and reduce the need for A/C
4. Open the windows if you are going at low speed. At high speed it’s more economical to use the A/C as the open windows will ruin the aerodynamics of the car and work as an air-break.
5. Park the car in the shade to keep it cool (you’ll keep the paintwork from fading too)
6. If you go on a longer trip consider driving at night if you can stay awake. You not only get away from the heat you also get away from daytime and rush hour traffic.

Do this and save some gas during hot summer days!

Dedicated to improving your fuel economy,

Simon Byholm
MilesGallon.com

You can find the latest fuel economy, hybrid car and gas saving news headlines on the fuel economy news page.

Check it out!

Simon

I must admit that before I started researching fuel economy I had no idea that driving without a gas cap would make any significant difference to my fuel economy,

But it does!

Loosing your gas cap and not replacing it can cost you up to 15 gallons of gas a year, and even more if you live in a hot climate.

With no lid on the gas tank fuel will constantly evaporate from the tank into the air.

Poof, gone…

Not only will you loose fuel but the extra gas added to the atmosphere will contribute to the greenhouse effect.

If you loose our gas cap, immediately go buy a new one from your car dealer or local mechanic. You will pay less for the new cap than for all the fuel you loose without a cap.

This technique may give you savings of 3 mpg or more depending on how hot and dry the climate is around you and if you have an additional lid on top of the missing gas cap that prevents some of the leakage.

Dedicated to improving you fuel economy,

Simon Byholm
MilesGallon.com

P.S. To find out your real MPG just use our free gas calculator, or try the metric mileage calculator if you’re from outside the United States.

If you are going to take the car you can as well think about how to get the best mileage out of your Chrismas trip… there’s enough bills to pay anyway even if you didn’t have to pay for the gas.

To help you I have put together my top 7 Christmas Mileage Tips for saving gas on you Christmas travels.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #1: No speeding, no stress

Going above 60mph (100km/h) will use considerably more fuel while not getting you anywhere as much faster ahed as you might wish.

Plan your trip to begin early enough so you don’t need to panic in case there is problems on the way. You might have to get around a traffic accident or you may get lost in case they have done reconstruction on some major intersection since you last traveled. (See Christmas Mileage Tip Nr 2)

It’s also a good idea to be carefull on the roads around Christmas as an accident will certainly ruin your celebrations.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #2: Plan Your Route

One of the secrets to saving fuel on long trips is of cource to take the shortest route while still avoiding the smallest roads where you can’t keep your schedule.

First of all plan the shortest route you could take using the major highways. It’s usually easy to find your way from A to B on the highway. Then consider you skills with map or GPS and see if you can find a shorter route by using smaller rural roads for shortcuts.

Do not only measure the length of the route. Also favor road with speed limits of 50 to 60mph with no known road contruction work going on and with less traffic. Also avoid entering a major city on a smaller road, you will easily get lost.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #3: Make a Good Schedule

Don’t just go. Plan when well in advance what day to gom what time to go and when you will be at different waypoints on your route. This way you can avoid rush hour traffic on certain parts of your trip, possibly saving your hours of stress and gallons of fuel.

Avoid getting near any major city during rush hour, if you notice you will you can allways taka break and a meal at that point to adjust your schedule. 

If you’re alone or if your family can stand it you can drive during the night hours to avoid other traffic that could force your to drive less economically.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #4: Update your Maps And GPS

Make sure you have a recent map in case they have changed roads or intersections and get the latest map updates for your GPS unit. Especially if you follow the directions from your GPS it could take you inte trouble and a longer trip in case the roads has changed.

If your GPS jave real time traffic information it can also inform you of road work and accidents so your can take the quickest route around bottlenecks.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #5: Check Tire Pressure and Fluids

Having too low tire pressure will decrease your gas mileage with up to 5mpg depending on your vehicle. Make sure to check and fill your tires before going on a longer Christmas trip and you could save some gas for Santa.

Also check the other fluids, like the oil level, coolant level and cleaning fluid for the windows. You won’t save much gas by doing this but you might save your engine and make sure you have a peacefull Christmas.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #6: No Roof Racks, Ski Boxes or Trailers

Anything you attach to the outside of your car will increase aerodynamic drag and also fuel consumption. If you don’t need them for your trip, make sure to remove any roof rack or ski boxes before you go, it can make a difference of several mpg.

Towing a trailer will also make your car use a lot more fuel per mile so avoid it at all cost, and if you have to choose a ski box is better than a big trailer.

Chrismas Mileage Tip #7: Fill up Where It’s Cheap

If you’re going to drive some considerable distance you can plan in advance where to fill up by using an online service like gasbuddy. They have gas prices for every state in the USA and Canada and if you travel through several states the price difference can be huge between different locations.

Just don’t deviate from your planned route to save a few cents, find a gas station along your route and fill up well before the tank is empty to make sure you’re not forced to take anything they have.

Tools for Planning Your Trip

To get an estimate of how much fuel is going to be needed you can use this trip gas mileage calculator, to find the best gas prices in the US and Canada go to gasbuddy and finally you can use this tool to find the best tire pressure for your vehicle.

If you have additional tips on how to save gas during Christmas please add it in a comment to this blog post so everyone can benefit from your knowledge. 

Hava a Merry Christmas and save a lot of gas on your trip,

Simon Byholm
MilesGallon.com

I suspect it’s the winter temperatures that’s now below zero that’s affecting the mileage. On my 15km commute the engine just about reaches working temperature at the end of the ride even when using the block heater for two hours before takeing off.

I will just have to wait for the next fillup to see if the trend is permanent.

Dedicated to improving your fuel economy,

Simon Byholm
MilesGallon.com

P.S. I use the automotive conversion calculator to convert mileage and fuel amounts between American and European units.

The first part is the timer that lets me connect the heating when I get home from work and have it turn on two to four hours before I go to work the next day. I use two hours during the mild part of winter and four hours when it’s really cold.

Then theres the cable connecting the mains from the timer to the car. Theres a small handy socket in the front left of the car where I plug in the power, we also have a couple of heating sockets at work so if I’m in time I can have heater on also before leaving for home.

Inside the car the cabling goes to the block heater and to the inside heating fan.

The cable outside the car should be made of oil and cold resistant material as otherwise it will get stiff as a stick and oil on the ground can eat through normal cabling.

I included a pic of the engine even though you can’t see the heater, it’s a block heater and if you could see it it would just be a cable going into the engine block as the heater is inside the engine heating the coolant.

As you can see it’s pretty crowded in the engine compartment so I didn’t find where the heater is located but it does work so I believe it’s where it’s supposed to be.

The other part of the heating system is a heating fan heating the inside of the car making it more comfortable and melting ice of the windows saving me five minutes of idling and manual ice-removal.

The block heater helps with mileage as the engine uses less fuel when warm and the inside heater lets me take off immediatly instead of idling for five minutes while taking the ice off the windows. It also make the driving a lot more comfortable as the engine does not heat up enought to provide much heat during my 15 mintue commute.

Dedicated to improving your mileage,

Simon Byholm
MilesGallon.com