The author had an opportunity to ask from the people who make a business survey the in Italy and found that the market of gas for vehicles was a quite interesting because many people do not know that in some countries, the engines of the cars they drive in everyday life have been modified in order to be able to burn other kinds of gas that cost more lower than diesel or benzene.

Italy is a country that uses gas as their fuel, which are Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The number from LPG Euro cars users association and the number from the manufacturer that produces modification kits for cars for other kinds of fuel indicated that there are 1.3-1.4 million cars that use LPG (or GPL in Italian), while 0.3-0.4 million cars use CGN (or Metano in Italian). Italy is a country that uses these two kinds of fuel the most in Europe, as well as the production of modification kits for cars.

On April 28th, 2006, the price of LPG in Italy was Euro 0.63/liter (USD 0.75), while Benzene was Euro 1.50/liter (USD 1.76), which was 2.35 times difference. It is the normal system that the price of LPG is lower than 2.3-2.5 times of Benzene’s, while CNG’s is around Euro 0.50/Kilogram (USD 0.60). This means that CNG’s price depends on weight, not on volume.

Although LPG’s and CNG’s prices are much lower than diesel and benzene, the growth rate of them in Europe is slightly slow and starts to reach their peak point. We can see from many countries in Europe such as England, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and France, or some countries in Asia such as Japan and South Korea, small-sized cars with low-rate fuel burning engines are more likely to be the majority rather than large-sized cars with high-rate fuel burning engines. Modification of cars for CNG or LPG is more suitable for large-sized cars rather than small ones because it needs some space in the cars to install it, and the installation fees and price for the equipment are high around Euro 1500.00 so that the break-event point will be around 2-3 years or more.

The general property of gas is no color and smell, but what we can smell from it is from the chemical mixed in so that we could notice the gas leak. Gas for cars is the fully burning fuel, and this helps reduce the green house effect which causes the global warming. However, there is also a disadvantage from it. It is a fuel that can harm engines in the long-term because it is gas itself. There is no lubricity property, and it also creates high temperature in burning process.

Even though the gas for cars has nothing to do with our everyday lives, in many countries, it is widely used because of the different price of fuel in each country. If the price is too high, the alternative choice is always considered in users’ calculation, especially with the public cars which run for very long distance each day. The cheaper one means the cheaper cost. Therefore, gas for cars would be a topic that must be talked about whenever the price of gas so high that many people cannot afford to use.

With the augmenting prices of gasoline these days, managing fuel costs has become quite difficult for an ordinary man. However, one cannot keep the costs under control; he may go along with a few gas saving tips and tricks to improve the fuel consumption.

The first gas saving tip is associated with the car engine. Revving engine before turning it off should be avoided as it results in the expenditure of fuel. Moreover, idling the engine for prolonged durations has a negative affect on the fuel consumption. Warming up the engine for 35-40 seconds is advisable for saving gas.

Buying the gas skillfully may also contribute towards the recovery of the fuel cost problem. Gasoline should be purchased during early morning or evening because of being highly dense at the respective times. Furthermore, it should not be filled to the top of tank as it results in spilling over, thus draining a considerable amount of gasoline.

Changing one’s ways of operating a vehicle and altering motoring habits may also lead to effective gas saving. Driving the car at 55 mph results in a better gas mileage while use of 5th gear is recommended. Traveling at a high velocity with low gears should be avoided. Moreover, keeping air conditioner turned off while driving also improves the gas mileage.

Besides these, driving on straight roads and avoiding twists and turns conserves the gas. Brakes should not be pumped too often while the gas pedal should be pressed lightly. Carrying heavy loads in the car’s dickey should be obviated. Regular servicing of the car is necessary and the tires should be frequently checked for air pressure. Frequent examination of the chassis parts and the air filters is also commended. Above all, use of the lowest octane gas and a suitable fuel saver such as Tornado fuel saver plays a significant role in gas conservation. Tornado fuel saver functions as a gas-saving tool and can be used in a car, SUV or a truck.

The above-mentioned gas saving tips and tricks will surely benefit the driving enthusiasts. However, if any sort of assistance is needed, CarSnaps customer support is there to lend you a hand. Alternatively, you can start a thread in the Automotive Forum for seeking any kind of advice concerning gas saving techniques.

With congestion continuing to rise on Britain’s roads a number of solutions have been proposed, raising tax being the main one. However, every day in the UK there are over 10 million empty seats on the roads. Worse still, the vast majority of these empty seats are during the rush hour, with average occupancy for commuting only 1.2. The solution appears to be simple – car sharing. This is further supported by recent research which found that over 50% of commuters would car share on their way to work if they could find someone suitable to share with.

Car sharing has often been talked about but only ever considered to be a small scale solution, unlikely to have a significant effect on congestion levels. Again, the evidence suggests otherwise. A 25% increase in car occupancy levels would result in the number of commuting cars on the road falling by 21%. Put another way, if everyone shared a journey to work just once a week then the effect would be similar. With over 50% of people happy to try car sharing out this could be an attainable target.

So why has car sharing failed to take off in a big way? Put simply, a lack of funding. Without the money to raise awareness of car sharing and the ways to go about finding someone to share with, the concept of car sharing is always going to be doomed to being an insignificant solution.

Why hasn’t the funding been provided by the government, particularly in light of the many reports that have come out over recent years highlighting the potential of car sharing? One can only speculate but to governments the idea of car sharing isn’t so attractive. It generates no additional government revenue and is in fact likely to reduce it, particularly with the decline in fuel consumption. Compared with the prospect of continuing to dramatically increase taxes on motorists, many of whom have no choice but to use their cars, car sharing doesn’t stand a chance.

The benefits of car sharing are also often vastly underestimated. Car sharing does hugely reduce petrol consumption for the individuals involved and if promoted in a large way then congestion and pollution could be reduced significantly. Other benefits include reduced parking problems and the lower mileage done by each car means that they depreciate less rapidly.

However, one statistics that is overlooked is the impact of car sharing on road safety. The number of speeding fines handed out in the UK in 2005 reached the 2 million mark. With road safety being of such apparent importance the statistic that the likelihood of having an accident is reduced by 50% if there are two or more people in the car should make the relevant authorities sit up and take note. The way to increase road safety is to promote car sharing. The added fact that it is also makes driving cheaper for the individual, and reduces congestion and pollution, should encourage people to take car sharing seriously.

Becoming involved in car sharing is very straightforward. Liftshare.org was established in 1997 and now has over 130,000 members one million journeys registered. It’s also free to join, with a simple registration form to complete before you can register a journey and begin searching for travel companions. Whether you’re traveling to work, a festival or a sporting event car sharing is possible.

The classic Acura was one of Honda’s biggest gambles. Japanese vehicles had a reputation for being economical above all else, putting functionality over form. Thus, when Honda unleashed the Acura on the Western market, the sense of shock at seeing a Japanese luxury vehicle took a while to die down. Some might argue that the classic Acura design generated a shock that never really died down. After all, the arrival of the Acura heralded the release of more Japanese luxury vehicles into Western markets, something that had been previously unheard of. Debuting in 1986 after nearly ten years of development and design, Honda released the Acura, which became a success. In 1990, Honda announced plans to expand their manufacturing and research operations in the US, the company’s primary market for the classic Acura. At the same time, plans are set into motion dealing with how to release the Acura into other markets, such as Canada and Europe. In 1991, Honda successfully released the Acura into the Hong Kong market, as well as integrated new technology into the design to improve performance. Unfortunately, design problems led to slower sales in the mid-1990s, which prompted Honda to both reduce production and attempt to do a major re-tooling of the overall design of the vehicle. However, at the same time, the niche market of import tuners were drawn to the Acura because it was easy to modify.

The classic Acura designs were eventually revamped in 2000, which did away with what many described as bland design elements. The new designs, combined with technologies to upgrade the performance and fuel efficiency, and decreased costs, allowed Honda to once again make the Acura one of the main import luxury vehicles in the market. Combined with the retained ease of modification that attracted car tuners to them in the previous decade, the effect was a startling resurgence to the initial strong showing that the Acura made when it was first introduced to the market. Later models followed the concept of a luxury vehicle at an affordable price, with good features and some customization options. So far, the strategy has been successful.

In 2004, the classic Acura designs were revamped into the Acura TSX for the European market. Apart from the upgraded design and internal systems, it was also given four-wheel drive and a 4-cylinder engine. Minor modifications were made to make the Acura TSX more suitable for the European market. The new design was received well by the market and quickly became one of the premier import luxury cars in the European market at the time.

However, certain features like rear wheel drive and V8 engines, have become prominent among the competitors of the classic Acura. Honda currently is sticking to its guns in maintaining the simple but elegant design, combined with functional technologies and systems. While opinions vary, there is some worry over the fact that the latest models have not been as tuner-friendly as previous ones. Some speculate that Honda will have to once again rethink the design of the classic Acura in order to keep up.

The cold air intake system was launched in the late 1980s. This system includes intake tubes which are made up of molded plastic, and a cotton-gauze air filter. A cold air intake system is used to increase the power of your car, truck or SUV’s engine, by reducing the temperature of the air going into it. These aftermarket parts are available in different colors and sizes, as another objective of this system is to enhance the look of your vehicle’s engine bay and also to create an attractive intake noise. Installing a cold air intake is an inexpensive way to increase the performance of your vehicle.

A cold air intake system is responsible for increasing the amount of oxygen, which is necessary for combustion along with fuel. It provides cold air to the hot engine and protects your vehicle from mechanical imbalance.

While purchasing a cold air intake, you have to take notice of the following points:

• The diameter of the air intake should be big for free flow of air. • Interiors of tubes should be smooth to reduce the blockage of air. • Air filters should be efficient.

Different materials like plastic, metal, silicone, fiberglass or carbon fibers are used to make cold air intakes.

A short ram air intake is the alternative to a cold air intake. It comes with a short metal or plastic tube with a conical air filter, and is fitted inside the engine bay. Because it increases the airflow to the engine, a short ram air intake is more effective than the stock air intake. In some cases however, the hot air from around the engine can reduce performance, but the use of a heat shield will solve this problem.

Carbon fibers can replace metal for piping, as this reduces weight and insolates air at a higher speed.

Most cold air intakes come ready to install, and you can quite easily fit one yourself. It’s simply a matter of removing the stock air intake system from your vehicle and installing the new cold air intake. The air will enter from an external source - from the front bumper, fenders or a hood scoop. By providing increased airflow at a suitable temperature, the cold air intake can prove its credibility.

These cold air intakes are not as effective in rain as in other seasons. This is because during the rainy season, the flow of air is not proper. There is also the problem of your air intake being exposed to water. Too much water ingested into the engine will cause serious damage. To bypass this problem, you can install a water shield or relocate the air intake so that it is inside the engine bay.

In upshot, it is a good idea to use a cold air intake in your car or truck, as it will result in improved performance and better gas mileage also.