Bell Performance Consumer Blog

Generator Fuel Guide: Store It Right, Start Every Time

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:14:24 GMT

The power goes out at 3 a.m. The air conditioner shuts off, the house starts warming up, and you’re counting on the generator you bought for exactly this situation.

What Safety Equipment Does the U.S. Coast Guard Require on Your Boat?

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Mon, 18 May 2026 13:14:59 GMT

You push off from the dock on a clear Saturday morning, the cooler is loaded, the kids have their snacks, and the engine fires on the first try. Then a Coast Guard auxiliary boat pulls alongside for a safety inspection. The first question — every time — is whether you have the required safety equipment on board.

How to Get Rid of Engine Sludge: Symptoms, Causes, and Safe Fixes

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Mon, 11 May 2026 13:47:02 GMT

A car that lives on short commutes and stop-and-go traffic, with oil changes pushed past the recommended interval, will eventually start developing engine sludge. The first signs are usually subtle — a film under the oil cap, oil on the dipstick that looks darker or thicker than expected, or an oil warning light that wasn’t there before. Most owners hear “engine sludge” and assume the engine is finished. That’s rarely true, but it does mean the problem needs attention sooner rather than later.

5 Things We Do to Destroy Our Engines and How to Remedy Our Errors

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 07 May 2026 17:00:01 GMT

An overheated engine fails fast. Coolant boils, gaskets blow, blocks crack — the damage is loud, immediate, and obvious. But the slower kinds of engine damage are harder to spot, and they’re often more expensive by the time they finally surface. Corroded fuel injectors. Sludge-blocked oil passages. A starter worn down by hundreds of cold mornings. None of these announce themselves clearly at first, and by the time symptoms become obvious, the repair bill is often already substantial.

Is Your Car Actually Ready for Summer? A Car Care Checklist That Goes Beyond the Basics

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Mon, 04 May 2026 12:30:00 GMT

National Car Care Month is a great reminder that a few smart maintenance habits, including protecting your fuel system, can help your vehicle run better and last longer.

Knowing When you Need a Fuel System Cleaner - Signs to Watch For

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Most drivers don’t think much about their fuel system—at least not until something starts to feel off.

What's Really Happening With the Electric Vehicle Trend?

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:01 GMT

If you’ve been paying attention to the auto industry over the past few years, it can feel like the conversation around electric vehicles has been all over the place.

Why New Cars get better gas Mileage than Ever (And What's Changed since the 90s)

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:02 GMT

If you've driven cars from different eras, you've probably noticed something that doesn't get talked about all that often. Newer vehicles tend to get better gas mileage than older ones, even when they're larger, more powerful, and loaded with more features.

Saving Money on Gas This Summer (No Matter What's Happening)

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:02 GMT

It’s been at least a couple of years since we last took a close look at gas mileage and what actually affects it for the average driver. Under normal circumstances, that might not matter much. But these days aren’t normal circumstances.

What Are Cafe Standards (and Why Do They Affect What You Drive?)

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:59:59 GMT

If you’ve ever wondered why modern vehicles are so much more fuel efficient than they used to be, the answer isn’t just better engineering. We say 'just' because we just published a post talking about that very issue - how better materials and advances in technology play a key role in today's cars getting much better gas mileage than cars of before.

Fuel Additives: What Works, What Doesn't, and How to Know the Difference

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:02:14 GMT

You've been putting the same grade of gas in your car for years, doing everything the manual says, and something still feels off. The engine doesn't pull the way it used to. The fuel gauge drops faster than it should. Maybe you've noticed rough idling at a stoplight, or a slight hesitation on acceleration that wasn't there before.

The Proper Procedure for Breaking-in Your Motorcycle

admin@bellperformance.com (Bell Performance) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:01 GMT

A new motorcycle’s break-in period typically covers the first 500 to 1,000 miles. During this time, the engine and drivetrain components are going through their initial wear-in process—often called “bedding in”—where surfaces that were machined to tight tolerances begin to mate properly under real operating conditions.

Oil Prices, Iran, and Your gas tank - What's Actually Going On?

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:56:52 GMT

If you’ve noticed gas prices climbing again, you’re not alone. Over the past couple of weeks, prices at the pump have moved up quickly—and at just about the same time as we're seeing news coverage of what they're calling a new "War with Iran". Surely the two are connected?

Why Belief Matters - Lessons From Sam Langley & the Wright Brothers

admin@bellperformance.com (Bell Performance) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:02 GMT

The Wright Brothers weren’t supposed to win the race to build the first airplane.

Diagnosing Common Engine Noises - James on Engines #3

jdunst@bellperformance.net (James Dunst) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Through the Contact Us forms on the Bell website, we get all kinds of inquiries about fuel problems and engines from the general public. Some of them describe mechanical problems that people are having – problems that, while common across the industry, require some further investigation before the right advice can be given.

Putting Kerosene In Your Diesel Engine or Tank

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:27:56 GMT

If you snoop around on the internet, sometimes you’ll see a question of a forum like this:

Using a Fuel Additive to revive Old Gas

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:15:00 GMT

All petroleum fuels have a limited storage life. Over time, their quality will degrade and change ("break down") primarily because of chemical reactions that happen in the fuel. These reactions are inevitable and can happen faster if the fuel is exposed, over time, to things like air, water, and catalytic metals. All the stuff that happens in the real world.

Accidentally mixing gasoline and diesel fuel - What happens then?

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:15:00 GMT

Here are a couple of scenarios we've come across. Someone calls us at the Bell office and starts to describe a situation where they had a diesel tank, and they accidentally put some gasoline into it. What should they do?

Summer's here - is your boat's fuel ready?

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:18:56 GMT

We’re past Memorial Day, the weather's warming up, and the open water is calling. But before you fire up your boat for its first summer cruise, there’s one critical question to ask:

Hurricane Season Fuel Readiness: Preparing Commercial Fuel Storage Systems for Severe Weather

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 20:00:00 GMT

As we approach the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1st, now is the critical time for businesses and organizations to ensure their stored fuel systems are prepared for potential emergency situations. Proper preparation of your stored fuel can be the difference between maintaining operations during a crisis and facing costly—even dangerous—downtime.

Getting Your Yard Equipment Ready for Summer

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Unless you live somewhere like Florida (not that there’s anything wrong with that), you’ve probably had your small engines - lawnmowers, gas-powered trimmers, chainsaws - winterized and put away through the cold weather. Yes, we know there are snow blowers that are used in the winter but let’s put them aside. It’s time to bust those other small engines out, which means it’s time to look at the best recommendations for reviving them from their cold weather sleep so they’ll be ready for peak performance right out of the gate. We know these small machines are different. However the maintenance involved in getting them ready for use in the summer after their long winter nap involves multiple steps that are the same for virtually all of them.

The Outlook for the 2024 Summer Driving Season

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Thu, 09 May 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Memorial Day is at the end of the month and, with it comes the start of the unofficial Summer Driving Season. Of this, two things are true every year: it’s the busiest travel time of the year and gas gets more expensive. We want to ask, what does the outlook for 2024 look like?

More E15 Coming In Summer 2024

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Wed, 01 May 2024 14:54:03 GMT

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this, but in April, news broke that the EPA is planning to temporarily expand the sales of greater-than-10% ethanol blends over the summer, meaning E15 (15% ethanol + 85% gasoline) will be available in most areas from the start of June through mid-September.

What to do When Your Diesel Fuel Starts to Gel

admin@bellperformance.com (Bell Performance) — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 13:43:21 GMT

Are you gellin'? No, this isn't a Dr. Scholl's ad, but rather a question all diesel fuel users should be asking themselves during the cold winter months.

It's Here: More E15 In Our Gasoline

ebjornstad@bellperformance.net (Erik Bjornstad) — Tue, 09 May 2023 23:00:00 GMT

This past year (past two years, really) has been kind of rough on the gasoline budgets of American families, as supply fluctuations and certain world events have triggered a rise in gas prices to historical levels in some areas. The middle of last year (2022) saw the national average for gasoline hit $5.00 a gallon for the first time in history. And while those prices have dropped dramatically (which, to be fair, is exactly what was expected), we also know that this is the time of year when gas prices rise, as we enter into the summer driving season.