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At the rate that fuel prices are becoming unreasonably priced, we have been offered a lot of alternatives. We can see today that most of them are more compact compared to the previous years where SUVs and large bodied cars are preferred by the traditional car lover. But along with size comes the price to pay for more fuel to burn. Thus, it should not be surprising why cars these days are becoming smaller and crampy.

Take for instance the entry of two small cars, the Toyota Vios and the Honda City. Both were initially considered as cars for women. True to its concept, they were cheaper and suitable for the women drivers who only needed a vehicle to get them places. Apparently today, these compact vehicles have gone as far as serving the men, becoming an alternative since fuel prices are escalating and thus heeding for more conservative cars.

These two car models from Honda and Toyota normally come in 1.3 engines. With lesser power the only important thing here is that they can get you places. Getting anywhere fast is no longer important. It is about convenience and luxury and hence a big reason why most Vios and City models are slowly becoming common in the Philippine roads today.

With the prices of fuel becoming overly impractical at this stage, alternatives to continue enjoying the benefits of having our private vehicles has been a need. Some have cut down on their trips while others have been checking out alternative fuel. There are two fuel alternates being spread in the world today, namely:

1. Biofuel
2. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

In the Philippines, only the second one, LPG has been introduce in the market. While I have my own cars and am aching for avoiding the high priced gasoline today there are some things such as the reliability of LPG on cars. Among them include safety and the impact it will have on the car’s engine.

On safety, it has been passed on that once an LPG tank in your car leaks, it is bound to result in health-related problems. One of the more famous issues is skin diseases stemming from the fumes. This is of course assuming that the LPG tank is installed at the back trunk of your car. So if you are planning to install an LPG tank, make sure that it is outside your car, preferably below the trunk which most taxis have done today.

As for its impact on the car engine, nothing has really been said. We all know for a fact that there are engines that have preference for the fuel density. Unleaded gasoline for example has been known to cause problems to the engine, forcing some car owners to avoid it and the price of having an untimely engine overhaul. Where does the LPG fuel stand here? Is it good for your car?

to be continued…