Mr. Cheap Stuff» save gas

Two Dozen Easy Ways To Save Money On Gas

Jennifer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:41:57 +0000

1. The obvious one: drive less by walking, carpooling, bicycling or taking public transit. Google Maps has an excellent map that makes using mass transit simple and easy.

2. If you have to drive, see if you can combine trips, e.g. run your errands on the way home from work. You can also time your trips during off-peak times to avoid traffic to help you save time and money.

3. Get the junk from the trunk – your vehicle uses more gas with the extra weight. Clean out the car and take out all the stuff you don’t need.

4. Check and maintain proper tire inflation according to manufacturer specifications. A tire pressure gauge only costs a few bucks but will save you a lot of money if you maintain the right tire pressure.

5. Plan your trip for best combination of: shortest distance and minimum traffic congestion. It could be worth a slightly longer route, though, if the shortest route is heavily jammed. Go to Google Maps, input your location and click the box for "Traffic" to see current traffic conditions.

6. Go with the flow – although you want to avoid traffic jams, a freely moving flow of traffic on a highway is better for you gas-wise than an empty road. That’s because the traffic flow creates an aerodynamic wind current.

7. Choose the smoothest roads for the least rolling resistance and less gas usage.

8. Go with good weather, when you can. Driving in rain and snow increases your vehicle’s aerodynamic resistance and lowers your mileage.

9. Close your sunroof at higher speeds. Certain styles of sunroofs, when open, greatly increase drag.

10. Also, at higher speeds, keep your windows closed to reduce drag. Even running your air conditioner (windows closed) may be more fuel-efficient than open windows at 55 mph.

11. Know fuel efficient braking techniques – coast in neutral when you can, to slow down before you brake. But only do this when it’s safe, depending on traffic conditions.

12. When you can, avoid braking at all, by adjusting your speed to follow the traffic flow and take advantage of green lights. Again, you’ll have to adapt to traffic conditions and safety.

13. Barefootin’ – believe it or not, you can save gas by removing your shoes and driving in socks or bare feet. This increases your sensitivity to use the accelerator and brakes at maximum efficiency.

14. Avoid parallel parking in tight spots – all the back-and-forth and maneuvering will use up extra gas. Park a little farther away in an easier spot.

15. In a multi-vehicle household, choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle as often as you can.

16. With an automatic transmission, use "overdrive" or "economy" mode to save fuel; these settings shift the transmission into high gear sooner.

17. In winter, clean snow and ice off your car to reduce wind resistance (as well as improving safety and visibility).

18. In summer, keep air-conditioning use to a minimum. Parking in the shade will help reduce the need for a/c. It also helps to tint your windows to keep your car interior cooler.

19. Maintain appropriate following distance; if you follow too closely, you’ll have to hit the brakes hard to stop. That’s less fuel-efficient and potentially unsafe.

20. Don’t speed. Going fast uses more gas.

21. Avoid roof racks, since they increase drag. For bicycles, get a rear-mounted carrier.

22. Save gas by minimizing use of accessories such as dvd players, interior lights, etc.

23. If you use toll roads and bridge, get EZ Pass, so you won’t burn up gas sitting in tollbooth traffic.

24. Finally, if you own an old gas guzzler, see if you should trade it in for a more fuel efficient model. Check if you qualify for the government’s new "Cash for Clunkers" program. http://www.cars.gov/ This program has been extremely popular and may run out of funding, so act soon.

The amount of the credit is $3,500 or $4,500, and generally depends on the type of vehicle you purchase and the difference in fuel economy between the purchased vehicle and the trade-in vehicle.

Your trade-in vehicle must:

have been manufactured less than 25 years before the date you trade it in
have a "new" combined city/highway fuel economy of 18 miles per gallon or less
be in drivable condition
be continuously insured and registered to the same owner for the full year preceding the trade-in

Photo credit via Flickr

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Two Dozen Easy Ways To Save Money On Gas

Will Driving 55 mph Save Money on Gas?

Dean — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:35:20 +0000

I have a friend who likes to drive around really fast. His theory is that it saves him gas to go faster because he burns less fuel than with starting and stopping and just sitting still. But this is a total myth. As much as many of us would like to believe that driving fast saves us money on gas, it is simply not true.

Myth: You can burn less fuel by driving fast because it cuts your driving time in half.

Fact: You burn more fuel with rapid acceleration than driving at a moderate speed.

It is also true that cars get better mileage on highways, due the lack of streetlights. This will cut down the amount of times you need to break and accelerate. This is a good time to crank up to higher speeds so as to reach your car’s optimum gas mileage. But do not go too fast.

Each car is built different and each one reaches its fuel economy – or maximum potential at a certain speed limit. Typically, a car going over sixty miles an hour is likely to decrease its fuel economy. It is also recommended to use cruise control on highways; it cuts down the engine speed and allows it to maintain a steady momentum without exerting too much effort. Another thing to remember is keeping your car in good condition. When was the last time you had an oil change.

Think of an engine like an immune system. If it is oversaturated and congested, it will not be able to perform as well, and, therefore, deplete from you gas mileage. An engine that has all sort of build-up in it is going to tear through gas more because the gasoline will not flow as well through the car. You can keep your car healthy by keeping it clean, and keeping it clean will allow it to perform better and in effect save you money.

Another thing to consider is weight. No I’m not telling you to go on a diet but a car that is excessively heavy is going to burn more fuel starting and stopping and even staying still – or idling – which is going to decrease your fuel economy. If you are driving in a heavy vehicle, try to drive temperately, without idling too much – or you can clean out your car and only put items that you really need to cut down on excess weight. For more information there are numerous websites one can visit to read up on car maintenance and good driving tips.

Here are some other quick tips to help squeeze extra miles till your next fill up. BTW as I write this Gas is prices here in Hawaii are about $3.40.

1. Remove Excess Weight – Throw all that junk out of the trunk. Every 100 lbs decreases your efficiency by about 2%.

2. Use Overdrive Gears – It is just that simple. It is a nobrainer you should be using overdrive almost all the time if you have an automatic car.

3. Don’t drive aggressively – This is probably on of the most over looked things but go easy on the accelerator. If your in traffic tailgating the car in front of you will NOT make you get to your destination any faster, plus you are increasing your chances of an accident (Remember it is an abundant world). Check out Hypermiling.com, these guys try to get 100 mpg from regular gas cars.

4. Pump Up Those Tires – Make sure you keep those tires properly inflated.

5. Drive Like a Contrarian – Try not to drive during peak times. Just put a little more thought on when you drive and you could save a lot of time as well as gas.

Telsa Roaster – "The first really cool electric car"

So will electric cars ever be cool? Check out the Tesla Roadster, it looks amazing and make me wonder why the big automakers haven’t made something like this. It goes from 0-60 in less than 4 seconds, for those of you that don’t know that is faster than a Lamborghini. It also only costs 2 cents per mile. Want one? Their sold out, but you can put your name on the waiting list. Link that may be worth your time: GasBuddy.com CNN – Take your foot off the gas