Get 50 mpg -- in your own car

Good article.  It is quite evident that making small changes in driving techniques have a large impact on fuel economy.  By the same token, making small modifications to the design of a vehicle also have large ramifications but making large design modifications mean even larger gains.  For instance if large truck manufacturers were to re-design semi-trucks so the air goes AROUND the vehicle instead of over the vehicle, fuel used to transport the goods that stock shelves that we buy from, would be cut in half.  That technology has been around for about 30 years.  For what ever reason, no manufacturers use that design principle so because of no avenue for new technology, we have wasted BILLIONS of gallons of fuel because of the "not invented here" syndrome.  So, the reality is, gas prices go up because we supposedly have a "finite" amount of oil in the ground, at least that is what we were told in 1973.  Today, a day does not go by without a major oil producer announcing that they made a discovery of "BILLIONS OF BARRELS OF OIL", yet the price does not go down, rather it keeps going up.

So what is at play here?  It seems as though there is now an INFINITE amount of oil so why have prices not dropped.  It seems as though there are plenty of ideas on how to improve fuel economy, but NO ONE seems to have any interest in bringing them to market.  What a quandary.

There is often the implication that most people skip regular maintenance.  While that may be the case, I just changed the spark plugs on a 2000 Dodge Caravan.  This procedure took close to 4 hours and removal of hood, cowl, alternator brackets, hoses, linkage, and top half of the manifold/plenum.  Routine?  I can see why people shy away from doing this. 

"Gerdes recommends inflating tires to their maximum allowable pressure, a specification you'll find printed on the outside of the tire. Higher pressure means less rolling resistance, allowing you to coast a greater distance."

While this is good for your gas mileage, I have been told that inflating your tires to the max pressure instead of the pressure recommended by the vehicle mfg means your tires will wear out faster.  Save money on gas only to spend it on tires?  Is this a good trade-off?

I have a dodge caravan. When I bought the van, I did all the maintenance on it. It took me about an hour, including changing the spark plugs and I did not have to take anything off my engine.

I have tried this steps and only gained 2 mpg. I figure all this for only 2 mpg, I will drive the way I want and say forget 2 mpg.