Pontiac's G8 comes with GM's trademarked Active Fuel Management system. If you don't know what that is, you will by the time you've finished reading this. It basically allows you to enjoy the power of your G8, a performance vehicle, while giving you the means to harness that power when it's unnecessary. Plus, it can literally help you save money. Below, I'll explain how the Active Fuel Management System works, the conditions when it should be applied and how it can provide relief for your bank account. Let's jump right in...

How Does Active Fuel Management Work?

As you know, performance cars like the G8 (especially the V8 models) are all about power. The power of the engine and the efficiency of the cylinder block play a key role in your G8's ability to launch from a dead stop and accelerate quickly. Now, when you're opening your G8 up on the road, that's fine. The power comes in handy. It's a lot of fun and the lurch of the launch and fast acceleration reminds you why you bought the G8 in the first place.

But, most of the time, that power is wasted. When you're driving on the city streets or even on the highway, your G8 is only using 25% of its power and capacity. Here's an example: the G8 GT comes with a 362-horsepower V8 under the hood. That's plenty of power when you need it. However, when you're driving on the freeway, your car typically uses less than 40 horsepower. That's all your G8 needs in order to compensate for the air friction, drag and running any number of features (for example, the air conditioning).

In cars which don't use the Active Fuel Management system, all of the cylinders are working to produce the 40 horsepower. Unfortunately, because the load is spread evenly across all of the cylinders, none of the cylinders are receiving a full charge. During combustion, the pressure generated is much less efficient than if the cylinders were working under a full charge. As a result, the engine's thermal efficiency plummets.

Still with me?

This inefficiency in the engine during your normal daily driving routine is the reason why Active Fuel Management is so important in your G8. It deactivates cylinders that aren't needed. Once the redundant cylinders are deactivated, the load placed on the engine is spread over fewer cylinders. The active cylinders receive a fuller charge. The combustion pressure and the engine's thermal efficiency rises. Ultimately, your G8 is doing much less work to produce the same amount of power.

So, how does that put money in your pocket?

Money In Your Pocket

One of the main benefits of your G8's increased efficiency is fuel economy. When the Active Fuel Management system shuts off half of the cylinders in your G8 (since they're largely unnecessary during your daily driving), you're essentially driving a V8 performance car with the fuel efficiency of a small 4-cylinder vehicle. With gas prices flirting with $4.00 a gallon and likely to continue rising, the fuel economy of your G8 can literally save you hundreds of dollars.

Just Another Reason To Love The G8

Now, you may be saying, "I didn't buy my G8 to have to worry about gas." Neither did we. And that's the beauty of the G8's Active Fuel Management system. It does everything automatically. That is, your G8 knows when it can deactivate redundant cylinders. It does it for you. When you need the extra power, your G8 automatically activates the cylinders to produce that power. You don't need to do anything.

This is just another reason why we love our G8. Performance car power. Budget-conscious sticker price. And the smarts to know when to provide the power we want in a way that maximizes the engine's efficiency and fuel economy. Even better, it does it automatically.

While other drivers cringe at the gas pump, we can't wipe the silly grins off our faces.