Nationwide, gas prices have increased an average of $0.16 a gallon over the last two weeks, to $2.77 for midgrade gas. While this is still considerably lower than the $3.97 average at this time last year, it has spurred a renewed interest in gas savings opportunities, particularly among truck and SUV owners.
One popular option for increased fuel economy has been purchasing a hybrid gas/electric vehicle – and while small hybrid vehicles, and even SUVs, have been around for years now, auto manufacturers are now finally producing full-sized hybrid trucks. Available from GM is the Chevy Silverado Hybrid and the GMC Sierra Hybrid, and in 2010 the Dodge Ram Hybrid will hit the market. The trouble with hybrid vehicles is that they while improving fuel economy up to 25%, the cost of these vehicles can be he neighborhood $10,000 or more greater than the price of a non-hybrid model. This price premium generally more than offsets any savings from decreased fuel costs for many years of owning the vehicle.
2010 Dodge Ram Hybrid
So where do we turn for some fuel savings, if we need a truck and don’t want to shell out $10,000 extra for a hybrid? Well, a simple answer is to get a performance tuner. Your truck’s own engine can see increased performance and gas savings at the same time, just by programming it to perform in whatever way suits your driving needs rather than the default factory programming. Brands like
Hypertech have models, such as the
Max Energy E-Con, that can be had for right around $300. For someone looking to save a little cash, that’s a lot easier to swallow.
Hypertech Performance Programmers
