Can a Chip Help My Gas Mileage?
Gas mileage is at the top of the concerns list these days. Here’s a recent letter that asked a question I’ve hear a lot.
Hi there, I need to know how I can improve fuel economy on a 1997 Chevrolet Astro van AWD. I already have an K&N filter, but it doesn’t help much. Is there any chip that can do magic? What could I do?
Thank you, Sabin Mihu
Sabin, there are scores of gadgets out there that claim to improve your gas mileage, some of them by huge amounts. For the most part they’re all junk and a waste of money. There are some things that help in small ways. I like the K&N filter system, it flows very freely and since it’s reusable allows you to keep a super clean filter for less cash. It’s not going to give you any significant gains in mileage over any other clean filter. Computer chips are another biggie. Since most people see their car’s computers as somewhere between voodoo and sanskrit in terms of their understanding it’s easy to imagine that reprogramming the computer can get you more miles on a tank of gas. They almost never work. You car was programmed to operate efficiently from the factory. Install the chip wrong and you might fry your computer — expensive. To get the best mileage, keep up with your maintenance, be sure your tires are properly inflated and slow down!
