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Fuel efficiency, its importance, and steps that can be taken to improve it

It doesn't matter if you are driving a Chevy, Ford, or Sprinter Cargo Van; in today's economy driving can be a costly experience. More than ever we are concerned about the price of gas and the fuel efficiency of our vehicles. Although there are many regular drivers that attempt to fight high prices by limiting how far and often they travel, for those who work in transportation this is just not a realistic approach.

There are many ways that a driver can help their vehicle to get the most out of their fuel, such as making sure that your tires are inflated properly. Having under-inflated tires can reduce the amount of miles you can get per gallon by adding drag as you drive. You can also be conscious of how you drive: carefully utilizing braking, watching your speed, and using careful driving techniques.

However one of the most effective ways in recent years has been capitalizing on technology to increase overall ability through things like Ford performance chips. These tuning chips are designed to go into your vehicle's electronic control unit, or ECU, and will enhance what your cargo van is capable of doing. This is achieved by giving it cleaner and better emissions, and ultimately more power.

By inserting Chevy, Sprinter, or Ford performance chips into your vehicle's computer you can alter the ECU on board and gain as much as seven miles per gallon. Not only this, but you can also increase your horsepower by as much as 60HP.

Performance chips first entered the market towards the end of the 1970s, and gradually became more widely used during the next two decades. As technology now advances forward, the ability we have to control the performance levels of our vehicles continues to grow as well. In addition to the amazing engine technology we have today, the modern ECU can enable us to control the functionality of various parts of the engine such as spark timing, electronic throttle, fuel injection, valve timing, ABS, electronic stability control, automatic transmission, boost control, and if your cargo van has one installed, it can even control the actions of a speed governor.

The importance to controlling your vehicle's fuel efficiency comes from being able to use the tuning chips to adjust things like how high the ignition timing advance is. Although this is one effective strategy, it is also important to understand that when you adjust your timing to a higher rate, you will also need to use a higher octane fuel in order to avoid pre-ignition detonation. Altering this aspect without compensating can unfortunately have the undesirable effect of decreasing your performance, because each vehicle manufacturer will design their car to run with a particular timing.

Utilizing tuning chips can not just help to boost your cargo van's fuel efficiency, it can give you a harder working and all around better vehicle. When you can get more out of your vehicle it seems crazy to settle for mediocre, particularly when there is technology available now that will allow us to take control.

Learn more about Performance Chips