Mike Ford - AMSOIL Independent Dealer

John Baker | May 12, 2016 1:00 PM The garage. Protector of vehicles, incubator of great ideas. Many innovative companies owe their beginnings to the humble garage. Apple, Harley-Davidson and Google, to name a few. It makes sense. The house is where we make sensible decisions, do our taxes and plan our kids’ lives. The garage, however, promotes experimentation, novelty, freedom. An array of tools spread across the workbench, a sturdy vise and a welder offer the promise of ideas reaching full fruition and things getting done. When it comes to vehicle maintenance, some of us enjoy the challenge of fixing nearly any problem that arises, like replacing an old timing belt or bad starter. Given how tough it is to work on modern vehicles, some only perform oil changes, serpentine belt changes or other relatively simple tasks. Whatever your level of commitment, working in the garage simply feels good. Keeping track of receipts, dates of service or vehicle mil...

John Baker | May 16, 2016 2:04 PM Although gas is hovering around only $2.00 per gallon these days, increasing fuel economy is still a top priority for most automakers, due in large part to more strict corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) requirements on the horizon. One strategy automakers are using is widespread use of synthetic lubricants. How do synthetics increase fuel economy compared to conventional lubricants? Reducing viscosity increases fuel economy At one time, most passenger cars/light trucks used 10W-40 motor oil. Then it was 5W-30. Today, many vehicles call for 5W-20 and 0W-20 oils. And an even lower viscosity, 0W-16, is on the horizon for certain newer vehicles. The lower the oil’s viscosity – defined as its resistance to flow – the more readily it will flow. Imagine a jar of honey and a glass of water. Stirring water with a spoon requires less energy than stirring honey. The same principle applies to your engine and motor oil. ...

John Baker   | Apr 22, 2016 9:06 AM   Three on the tree. Four on the floor. The transmission has contributed much to our rich automotive vernacular. With few exceptions, however, the days of manually shifting are gone. Most cars and trucks come standard with automatic transmissions. Many sports cars, long the safe haven for manual-transmission purists, have even ditched sticks for paddle shifters. A flick of your finger has replaced the satisfying feeling of letting off the gas, depressing the clutch pedal and engaging the shifter in perfect harmony. More gears equals better fuel economy Though they may not deliver the visceral connection to your vehicle like a manual transmission, automatics’ increased gears and computerized controls, which shift more optimally than all but the most skilled drivers, do increase fuel efficiency by allowing the engine to spend more time in the “sweet spot.” The “sweet spot” is simply the engine speed, measured ...