Adam McLean says that if gas prices top $6 or $7 a gallon, he'll start cutting back on his drives from Rapid City to Spearfish to visit a buddy. Until then, he's trying to be creative.

At a stop at a Spearfish Loaf 'N Jug Sunday, McLean pumped his car full of unleaded gas at $3.95 a gallon and then added a little something else he heard about on a talk radio show - CA 40.

"It helps you get 10 to 20 percent better gas mileage," he said. With his car, he added, it's 20.

That, combined with paying more attention to how speed affects gas mileage, and he's saving a few bucks, he said.

"Sometimes when I'm going up and down the hills in the prairie I flip my car into neutral and I get way better gas mileage by doing that," he said.

Ed Coto, McLean's friend from Spearfish, said he uses CA 40 too.

"I see a 25 percent increase in my gas mileage by using the CA 40," he said.

CA 40 is a fuel enhancer created by CMH Industries, Inc., and one of the ways people are trying to combat increasing gas prices.

According to CMH, calcium is the second best metallic lubricant and is often used in greases. CA-40 keeps calcium in suspension through a patented blending process. When CA-40 is added to gasoline or diesel, the calcium bonds to hydrocarbons within the fuel, causing it to burn more efficiently.

Which is why customers such as McLean and Coto see increased fuel efficiency when using the recommended one ounce to 15 gallons of fuel. According to CMH, one quart of CA 40 is $35.00 and one gallon is $115.00, which treats 2,000 to 2,500 gallons of fuel.

They might be using it for a while, according to the latest rising gas trends.

According to AAA, the average price of regular gas in Rapid City Sunday was averaging $3.98 per gallon, up 50 cents from one month ago and 75 cents from a year ago.

Pumps across Rapid City varied from $3.82 to $4.05 for regular unleaded.

The high gas prices have taken a toll on his job and his personal life said Rick Berrey, who works for Western Mine Service, in Gillette, Wyo.

"The company I work for has to cut our profits and up our prices because we do a lot of driving around and it's just killing us," he said. "I was going to drive to Wisconsin this summer but now I'm flying."

Fred Schumaker of Pierre, who was passing through Rapid City on his way to the hills to go camping with his family Sunday said he chooses to conserve gas by carefully choosing his vehicle and by changing his day-to-day activities.

"You try to combine more things on a trip," he said. "There's really only so much you can do."

Helen Wrede, of Rapid City, doesn't know how a person could get away from gas.

"You can't depend on bicycles, especially in a place like Rapid City. So you just do it, even though you don't like it."

Sharon Hill, who works at Big D Sinclair station on Mt. Rushmore Road, said she'll probably start cutting back or stop buying gas when it gets to $4.50.

But Iwin said no matter what it gets to, people will be stuck paying it.

"You say what you want to say, you have to pay it."

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com

Journal correspondents Jill Broecher and Logan Carroll contributed to this report.