Why You Should Buy Rain Tires To Save Fuel & Be Safe On The Road

Drivers, especially inexperienced ones tend to forget the importance of the tires in a car. The tires are the last point of contact of your car with the road and you should make this place ultra-secure and fail-safe to prevent any kind of accidents that may happen.

In my opinion and through various research it is proven that the tires are the riskiest malfunction your car could have on the road, for that purpose take care of your tires and be careful about them.

Another thing that tends to be overlooked with most users is the environment that they live in, and this translates into the seasons of the place you are living in. For example, if you are living in Texas or Nevada you probably don’t get a lot of rain and the winter season is probably non-existant, for that purpose you probably go with summer tires all year long. On the other hand, if you live somewhere around the Tri-State area, Seattle, Illinois or Indiana you probably deal with rain all year round and winters can be harsh.

While everybody knows that summer tires are not appropriate for winter and nearly everybody drives with winter tires in the winter, rain specific tires are again overlooked and forgotten about.

What are rain tires though? Rain tires are categorized into different categories like all-terrain, all-season, high-performance, snow, off-road, summer tires, etc.

However, there is something that all rain tires have in common it is the great thread depth and amazing traction in dry and wet conditions, but especially in wet roads. These tires will stick to the pavement at all times and as you all know driving in the rain can get unnecessarily complicated at times.

Without forgetting I have to mention that traffic is a dangerous place to be, and driving without tires that are appropriate for your conditions, is risky business.

While putting yourself to risk, you put the lives of others on the line as well, passengers in your car, pedestrians, and other cars, it takes just a single mistake for things to go very bad, and you should always be cautious. We know that we can’t control the weather or other external factors, but what we can do is take precautions to be safe.

On top of the safety aspect that is the most important, choosing tires made for rainy weather will also save your pocket. Rain tires are very affordable in the US, they last a long time, and on top of all this since the performance for rain driving is increased it will result in less fuel consumption which is amazing. Whatever you do practice safe driving and take care of your car properly.

How A Good Set Of All-Terrain Tires Can Help You Save On Fuel

Over the years, the leading manufacturers of tires have been continuously putting efforts not only to craft safe and durable tires, but also tires that can save a lot of fuel, and this is crucial.

Namely, having a good set of tires is always welcome, and honestly, I think that it is more of a necessity than of a need because if you have a vehicle that consumes a lot of fuel, why wouldn’t you like to cut the consumption as much as possible?

Therefore, you should always look for tires that have low-rolling resistance, due to the fact that these tires are specifically designed to decrease the required rolling effort, and this results in improved fuel efficiency.

To be more precise, a typical car that doesn’t have tires with low-rolling-resistance will spend between 5-15% more fuel in comparison to cars that actually do have low-rolling resistant tires. That’s why, i always recommend that people invest their money on the best all terrain tires that you can find.

Moreover, tires do always require proper maintenance, since this is not only about preserving fuel, but also for improving your safety since tires are the only thing that stands between you, and the road. There are a few tips on which you can benefit a lot if you put them into practice.

For example, you should always keep your tires properly inflated to the proper PSI pressure, because by doing so, the tires may not burn fuel as they would before since poorly inflated tires will tend to output more rolling resistance and by default, this means a higher fuel consumption.

If possible, inspect your tires at least once per month, and if you notice any decrease regarding the look, then this is a good time to change them, because of both, fuel-consuming and safety reasons!

I would also like to mention that you should always prioritize those tires that are labeled as “eco-friendly” or “fuel-saving” because they are specifically designed to last longer and to perform better while reducing emissions and saving fuel as you’re driving.

Once you apply this in practice, there’s one more thing that you should pay attention to, and that’s having an identical set of tires. The reason is very simple though, if you mix a different set of tires, you may not get the best possible fuel-efficiency that you should expect. So, having an identical set will solve all the troubles for you, and your wallet will not suffer as well!


Overall, I hope that you’ve found this article informative and entertaining, and I hope that my tips have helped you understand how can tires help you save on fuel!


Benefits Of Using Biodiesel Over Regular Diesel

Biodiesel i.e. chemically processed vegetable oil and animal fat-based fuel, is being widely promoted and adopted for a wide range of applications in recent times. There is a great deal of interest in this alternative fuel technology and for good reasons. After all, it is being looked upon to be a lot safer and better than the regular diesel when it comes to fuel efficacy and performance as well as environmental concerns. Prominent manufacturers have started production of Biodiesel at their large and small-scale productions.

Despite the growing popularity and demand for Biodiesel over regular diesel, most people are still uncertain about the key benefits of using Biodiesel.

Here are some of the critical advantages of using Biodiesel and what makes it better than the regular diesel.

  • Biodiesel can work with almost any diesel engine, especially the ones installed in newer models. The existing or older diesel engines may need slight modifications to make use of biofuels.
  • Using Biodiesel means emitting a lot less of those greenhouse gases and air pollutants. B20 can help reduce CO2 significantly, lower global warming, and thus protect the environment.
  • As Biodiesel is more slippery and carries higher lubricity than petroleum diesel, it means lesser wear and tear of the engine, which in turn means lower issues with your vehicle engine.
  • The same energy efficiency, better safety, and higher lubricity of Biodiesel only add to its list of benefits. It is seen that vehicles that run on Biodiesel are able to achieve a much higher fuel economy while creating less pollution.
  • Biodiesel is indeed a much better economic choice because of the soaring prices of petroleum-based products and the fast depleting oil reserves. Many countries are already lowering their dependence on fossil fuels.
  • As Biodiesel carries higher oxygen content, one can expect lower pollution emissions. Moreover, as there is no sulfur in Biodiesel, it means reduced pollution from the engines.
  • Biodiesel can be more aggressive, as it is chemically more active as a solvent than petroleum diesel and hence much safer with careful use of some materials.
  • As Biodiesel is much less poisonous than petroleum diesel, it is an excellent solution in case of any spill clean-ups. As compared to petroleum, Biodiesel creates less particulate, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.
  • With lower pollutants on the roads and the atmosphere, thousands of people can enjoy better health outcomes because of the switch to Biodiesel.

It is seen that Biodiesel blends of B2 help to lower carbon-based emissions significantly, and the quality of petroleum diesel fuel is seen to be more uniform and reliable. Moreover, higher use of the Biofuels will lower the dependence on fossil fuel reserves that are already limited on earth. Scientific research has confirmed that Biodiesel exhaust carries a much less impact on human health and environment when compared to petroleum diesel fuels.

Now that you are aware of the many benefits of using Biodiesel, contact your vehicle dealer and learn how you can modify your vehicle engine to use biofuel. Perhaps your vehicle engine may need to undergo slight modifications or may need none of those changes to use the biofuel as its source of power.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Biodiesel

Biodiesel is fast coming up as a replacement for regular petrol diesel because of its image as a clean and renewable fuel. Already, many countries have expanded their domestic production of Biodiesel to lower their use and dependability on fossil fuels that are fast depleting from the surface of the earth.

There are many other good reasons to encourage the use of Biodiesel because of its less toxicity and lower emission of greenhouse gases as compared to regular petroleum diesel. Moreover, the Biodiesel can be blended in different concentrations for the fuel system and based on the modification of the engine. The fact that Biodiesel can be reused and recycled makes it an attractive proposition. However, despite those countless benefits, let’s have a look at some advantages & disadvantages of Biodiesel.

Advantages of Biodiesel

  • Made from Renewable sources – As Biodiesel is prepared from crops, it is seen as a renewable energy source and is not limited like fossil fuels.
  • Compatible with the existing diesel engines– The current diesel engines can easily run on Biodiesel with almost no or very little modifications to be made.
  • Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions– A key advantage of using Biodiesel is the much lower amount of CO2 produced when using such fuels. It means lower global warming and higher protection for the environment.
  • Local production and distribution– Unlike petrol or diesel, Biodiesel can be produced from local crops, and there is no need for the expensive import process to get the final product from other countries.
  • Cleaner refineries – The process of making Biodiesel is a lot cleaner and safer when compared to oil extraction from underground. Oil extraction undergoes many stages of refining. However, no such procedures are required for Biofuel refineries.
  • Non-Toxic and biodegradable– Another significant advantage of using Biodiesel is that there are considerable lesser pollutants and carbon output.
  • Safer to handle– As the flashpoint for Biodiesel is higher when compared to petroleum diesel, it is much less combustible and is a lot safer to handle, store and transport .
  • Higher efficacy and better fuel economy – Vehicles powered by Biodiesel are able to achieve a much higher fuel economy that means significant savings for the owner.
  • Better health outcomes– Biodiesel is indeed safer for the environment and life on the planet because of the considerably lower air pollution caused by it. With lesser pollutants and less toxic pollutants in the atmosphere, it means better health outcomes.

Despite those significant benefits, there are some downsides of Biodiesel that you should be aware of.

Disadvantages of Biodiesel

  • Low practicality in very low temperatures– As Biodiesel tends to gel in cold weather, it increases the viscosity of the oil. The best way to avoid this is by blending the fuel with winterized diesel fuel, especially for those living in colder climate regions.
  • Clogged engine – Although Biodiesel tends to keep the engine free of dirt, there are chances that some dirt may get collected in the fuel filter. The solution lies in regular inspection and replacement of the filters.
  • Quality of Biodiesel– There is an expected variation in the quality of Biodiesel because of the variety of biofuel crops and the production procedures. Thus, the resulting Biodiesel often varies in power and efficiency. Thankfully, one can improve the quality of biodiesel fuel with the help of blends.
  • Distribution and production– Not all areas and countries find their land or climate suitable for growing crops to make Biodiesel. The infrastructure is still poor, and the problem can be sorted out with a boost to the organization and set up needed for the production and distribution of the fuel locally.

Thus, as you can see, while there are some disadvantages of Biodiesel, one can certainly look for solutions to overcome the downsides. After all, with the threat of global warming looming large over the planet and the faster-depleting fossil fuels, the world would have to look for a reliable and alternative source of fuel. And there, Biodiesel scores high with its many advantages.

What the world needs is boosting the technologies behind the production of Biodiesel and encouragement of more and more countries to adopt such technologies. Cooperation and knowledge sharing can play an important role here and help the world shift towards using biofuels and lower its dependability on fossil fuels.

Biodiesel Information

Biodiesel is a kind of fuel made from diverse resources such as soybean oil and recycled cooking oil. It is a clean-burning fuel that is seen as a replacement fuel for existing diesel engines. As it is meant for use in standard diesel engines, it is different from the vegetable and waste oils that are used to fuel transformed diesel engines. Moreover, Biodiesel can either be blended in any proportions with petro-diesel or can be used alone.

The biodiesel color can range from golden to dark brown, depending upon its production method. It carries a low vapor pressure and a high boiling point, and it is slightly miscible with water. There is some sulfur content also present in Biodiesel, due to which it can be used as an additive to ultra-low-sulfur diesel too safely. Technically, Biodiesel is defined as a mono-alkyl ester.

Details of Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a vegetable oil or an animal fat-based fuel that is made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol producing fatty acid, esters and comprises of a long-chain of alkyl esters. There are strict industry guidelines and specifications to ensure proper grade and performance of the fuel-grade Biodiesel. There is stringent ASTM definition for Biodiesel itself, and more complex specifications for legal diesel motor fuel. As raw vegetable oil fails to meet these specifications, it cannot be considered Biodiesel.

The technical definition of Biodiesel is ” fuel that meets the requirements of ASTM D 6751 and is made of mono-alkyl esters derived from animal fats and vegetable oils.” The long-chain fatty acids must meet the designated B100 requirements. Biodiesel blends meet ASTM D 6751 and designated BXX, where the XX stands for the percentage of biodiesel fuel in the blend.

Biodiesel shows promising lubricating properties and higher cetane ratings when compared to low sulfur diesel. The higher lubricating fuels increase the usable life of fuel injection equipment under high-pressure. The calorific value of Biodiesel is about 37 MJ/kg, which is slightly lower than regular Petro diesel. The differences in biodiesel energy density relies on the feedstock used rather than how it is produced. Still, the Biodiesel is known to provide better lubricity and fuller combustion, thus increasing the engine energy output.

Biodiesel blends

Soybean field at harvest time

The most commonly used and distributed Biodiesel is a blend. The system of the “B” factor is used to state the percentage of Biodiesel in any blend of Biodiesel. For example, B100 refers to 100% biodiesel, while B2 refers to 2% biodiesel and so on. One should use the type of blend based on the modifications and specifications of the engine. For example, diesel equipment with minor modifications works on blends of 20% biodiesel. ASTM D7467 specifications cover the B6 to B20 blends. B100 is the pure form of Biodiesel, and although it can be used in the purest form, there might be a need to make certain modifications to the engine to avoid any performance related problems and maintenance issues.

Applications of Biodiesel

Biodiesel can be used in pure form or blended with petroleum diesel in any concentration based on the requirement and modifications. There are strict factory restrictions of B20 or B50 for most injection pump diesel engines, based on the manufacturer specifications. A nonreactive material to Biodiesel, FKM, prevents Biodiesel from degrading natural rubber gaskets and hoses in vehicles, and moreover.

Biodiesel is also known to break down residue deposits in the fuel lines, and as a result, the fuel filters may get clogged with particulates. Therefore, it is suggested to change the fuel filters shortly after first shifting to a biodiesel blend. The fuel efficacy of Biodiesel relies on the blend, quality, and load conditions. The thermal efficiency can vary because of divergent energy content of the various blends. Thermal efficiency relies on characteristics of specific density, viscosity and flash point, and thus can change with the quality of Biodiesel and its blends.

One of the main reasons that drive biodiesel production is energy security and fast depletion of natural resources on the planet. Today, biodiesel production has almost touched 4 million tons, and the majority of biodiesel production comes from the European Union. The biodiesel production capacity is on a rapid rise, and the industry is growing at a very fast rate The purpose is to lower the dependence of the world on oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodiesel vs. Normal Diesel

The progressive countries are taking keen interest in alternative fuels, such as biodiesel. Most vehicle owners who are still new to the technologies of biofuel often wonder as to what makes it better than the regular fuels and what are the advantages of using Biodiesel. While the auto industry is ripe with the hot topic of lowering greenhouse emissions and how to meet the more stringent norms set for pollution control that leaves the everyday user still wondering as to how he can make his vehicle less polluting. Will switching to biofuel make sense? Well, before you go ahead and do that, you should understand the differences between Biodiesel and regular diesel in order to make useful comparisons.

While the regular diesel and Biodiesel are very similar fuels, they are not identical when it comes to performance. Biodiesel is derived from renewable farm crops and organic sources, and it is the most widely available biofuel to power a diesel engine. It is expected to pollute a lot less than the regular diesel and keep those greenhouse emissions in check. The most commonly sold Biodiesel blend is B5 or 5 percent biodiesel and 95-percent petroleum diesel. The 5 percent biodiesel blend is known to provide the best performance in terms of fuel economy and emissions. Moreover, B5 can be used to power any diesel engine without the need to make any modifications. However, the automaker’s recommend blends of up to 20 percent for the new diesel cars because of the risk of impurities and inconsistencies and to provide optimum warranty coverage. However, how does the biodiesel fare when compared to normal diesel? Let’s have a look.

  • Emissions – When comparing emissions, it is found that biofuel emissions are better than those of regular diesel. There are significant reductions in the amounts of carbon monoxide too produced by biofuel.
  • Particulates – A significant concern for diesel engines is the particulate content. When measured by the opacity of the exhaust smoke, B100 produces a lot less particulate content when compared to B5 and standard diesel.
  • CO2 – The critical contributor to global warming is Carbon Dioxide; and every gallon of fuel, whether biofuel or normal diesel, results in about 19 pounds of CO2. However, the CO2 from biofuels is offset by the plants grown that absorb the carbon.
  • The catalyst – Biodiesels use hydrogen as a catalyst, and it is a lot cleaner and much better because of the higher cetane rating in comparison to the ordinary diesel.
  • Fuel economy – B100 and B5 offer much better fuel economy than regular diesel within the city. However, the regular diesel scores slightly better than the Biodiesel on the highways.

Biodiesel needs to be blended with petroleum-based diesel to get higher efficiency and performance. There is a lot less engine clatter with the Biodiesel, which results in overall improved performance. The new fuel technology indeed promises a clatter-free drive and a smooth driving experience. Moreover, you know you are doing your bit for the planet and the environment when you know your vehicle is emitting significantly lower harmful gases.

As the biodiesel production has grown manifolds in the past decade, the governments are promoting its growth and incentivizing its usage. The aim is to lower the reliance on oil and keep the planet clean and prevent further global warming. What needs to be done is to work on how to improve engine performance and longevity and use even smaller blends of Biodiesel, such as B-2. To conclude on the above comparison and discussions, there are indeed many benefits of switching from regular diesel to Biodiesel. What matters to the users is its performance and fuel efficiency, and the biodiesel scores high on those key parameters.

How To Make Biodiesel

Biodiesel, as the name suggests, is made from bio-sources or vegetable oils. Many countries across the world are expanding the production of biofuels and looking at it as an alternative energy source. There is a pressing need to look for renewable energies, as the oil reserves on the planet are plummeting at a steady rate. Most countries have formatted specific laws and policies regarding biodiesel production and use.

Biodiesel production

Biodiesel is generally made from vegetable oil and the most common is the soy. However, animal fats can also be used to make Biodiesel through a chemical process. The chemical reactions of the transesterification process split the vegetable oil or the animal fats into glycerine and the alkyl esters. It is the alkyl esters that form the fuel, and the leftover glycerine is used to make beauty products and soap. Biodiesel manufacturers also collect virgin and waste oil from restaurants.

During the transesterification process, the vegetable or animal oils react with short-chain alcohols with low molecular weight. Ethanol is preferred because of its low cost, but methanol is the first choice for higher conversions into Biodiesel. The base-catalyzed reaction carries lower catalyst costs and lesser reaction times than acid catalysis. Alkaline catalysis carries the disadvantage of high sensitivity to water and free fatty acids in the vegetable or animal oils.

There are three basic processes involved in Biodiesel production: the pre-treatment, the reaction, and the purification. Let’s know the processes in detail.

  1. Pre-treatment of feedstock – Common feedstock includes vegetable oil and recycled oil from cooking, storage, and handling. Any impurities and dirt are removed from these oils through the processes of refinement, and removal of water is done during the base-catalyzed transesterification process.
  2. Base-catalyzed reactions – The lipids react with alcohol to produce Biodiesel and some coproducts like glycerol. Other methods like supercritical reactors and fixed-bed reactors can lower the use of chemical catalysts during transesterification.
  3. Purification process – As the end products contain Biodiesel along with some by-products, it is essential to carry out purification to remove those by-products. Residual methanol is removed with the help of distillation and any residual water is also removed.

There is further ongoing research on how to improve the Biodiesel production process and the technologies involved. More and more suitable crops are researched for improving oil yield. According to many advocates, waste vegetable oils are the best source to produce Biodiesel. However, the current supply of waste vegetable oils is a lot than what is required for transportation in the world. There are still many challenges that face the production of Biodiesel, such as scarcity of water and land for growing the needed crops. Despite those challenges, Biodiesel production continues to rise and expand.

The biodiesel production capacity across the world has been growing rapidly. The maximum production comes from Europe and the rest from the USA. The total world production of palm oil and soybean oil is more than thirty million tonnes. Under the EPA guidelines, US biodiesel production is all set to achieve new milestones, and the production number has far exceeded the target set by the EPA.