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Take a look at how gas prices have varied around the world over the last two years.
The following tips should help you achieve fuel economy as well as help protect the environment.
- To begin with, choose the right car for your needs, if just driving around the town is what your needs entail, procure a lighter vehicle (hybrid or gas driven) instead of a big gas-guzzler.
Considered as one of the most important factors affecting fuel economy, the need to ensure the right tire pressure for your automobile can’t be overemphasized. Check the pressure of the tires at least once a week, remember that even over-inflated tires lead to higher gas consumption.
Timely maintenance of your car that covers ensuring the right levels of all essential engine fluids and keeping all the systems in shape can make all the difference.
If you keep your car cleaned up, it not only enhances its sheen but also prevents any dirt or snow to create unnecessary drag and frees the engine from working harder.
Until it’s absolutely necessary don’t carry extra baggage in the car’s trunk, as it would only increase the weight and force the engine to consume more gas.
Drive well within the fuel economy range of your vehicle, if you aren’t already used to driving slow enough then you’d need to make some adjustments here, but be assured that the benefits are real. The difference of gas consumption between speeds of 55 and 65mph can be as big as 2MPG.
Accelerating your car like a dragster burns up fuel real quickly, whenever you have to step on the gas do it gradually.
If possible rest your left foot on the floor than on the brake pedal, as even a slight press on the brakes could significantly increase the drag.
Operate the air conditioner wisely and only when you need it. If you can make do just by opening the windows partially for cool air it’s good. But remember that on highways opening up windows can backfire by creating more drag, so you’re better off with the windows up and the air conditioner on. Further, once the inside weather is cool enough turn down the power of the air conditioner, lest it puts undue pressure on your car’s engine.
Pick and choose the gas stations with the best prices in your area, there are lots of websites that keep a track of existing prices in different localities/regions.
Making good use of the discount gas schemes or gas rebate schemes of credit and club cards makes a lot of sense even if you save just a couple of cents on each visit to the station. Remember the good old quote “a penny saved is a penny earned.”
After referring to your owner’s manual, choose the lowest grade of engine oil available. No need to buy the premium grade unnecessarily.
Always shut the gas cap tight enough, or else the fuel could leak or evaporate.
If you need to travel just a small distance, prefer to walk. Not only would this help save gas but would also get the necessary physical exercise, so often recommended to live healthy.
Try to complete all your shopping on a single trip instead of visiting the market multiple times. Further, choose a shopping center that stocks a myriad of supplies so that you don’t have to move from one area to another to shop for different items on your list.
Always drive moderately, as driving like you were in a great hurry would only make you brake and accelerate erratically, thus burning up more gas.
Cruise control, speed control or Autocruise, no matter which name you call it by, do make use of it when you’re on a long trip on a highway.
Often not given enough weight though, idling can lead to significant fuel consumption. Avoid your car from idling and you would save quite a lot.
Try driving in the highest gear, the lowest gears are meant to get the car moving from the stationary position and cause the engine to consume more power than the higher gears.
Imitate truckers while approaching traffic lights. Truckers act wisely by looking ahead to see if the lights are about to turn red and accordingly begin to slow down as stopping is imminent. Further, if the lights are already red and you slowly cruise towards them they might turn green while you’re still rolling. Thus you won’t have to stop at all.
Plan your trip so that you can decide upon the shortest route along several stops to complete the trip.
Buy a bicycle to use when the trips are too short to be covered by a car and too long to be completed by walking. Determine the yardsticks for too long and too short based on your own preferences.
Use public transportation whenever possible, not only can it save gas, but would also free you of the effort and care it takes to drive yourself.
Make use of a fuel catalyst, they can either be poured into the fuel tank at other times they need to be installed. The catalysts increase fuel economy by efficiently burning up the gas.
Cleaning, properly maintaining and replacing the air filters when needed also helps to augment the car’s efficiency.
When you rev up the engine while starting up, and warm up in excess of about 30 - 40 seconds, it leads to undesirable gas consumption. Hence, a warm up of 30 - 40 seconds is just all right for the purpose.
Refer to the owner's manual and follow the manufacturer's advice for the maintenance schedule.
Use the manufacturer recommended motor oil as much and as often as it has been advised.
Get your vehicle refueled in the mornings or late evenings when it’s cold. In low temperatures the oil is denser and hence you may get more gas for the same amount of money.
Avoid placing luggage on the rooftop unnecessarily as it creates a lot of drag by contorting the car’s aerodynamics. In fact the best thing to do is to remove the roof rack completely, as even an empty rack causes sufficient drag.
Avoid using tires that are too broad, they might be fancy but certainly are deterrents to good fuel economy, as they create more drag.
Carpooling allows for savings not just for you but also for others around you.
Use manual transmission, as an automatic transmission still can’t match your assessment.
Choose a route that’s the shortest, has minimum traffic lights and low traffic.
Get your car refueled only when the gas is about to run out, this is so as even the weight of the gas can be considered as load that the engine needs to pull, thus leading to a greater gas consumption.
Preferably, park you car in the shade to reduce gas evaporation due to heat. This also decreases the need to use the air conditioner, as the car should remain cooler in the shade.
During summers don’t fill up the tank till the brim as it might overflow when the gas’s temperature increases. This happens because gas stored at the station is at a lower temperature than it is outside i.e. in your car.
Try to drive at constant speeds.
Get your car’s wheels aligned properly by a professional.
Disable the “all wheel drive” feature when you don’t need it.
If you use a toll road get a pass made to avoid waiting at the plaza for a long time.
Always park your car in the garage instead of the driveway or in the open, as it would prevent the engine from becoming too cold. A cold engine takes up more time and energy to warm up than a warmer one.
If you own an SUV or a vehicle with a third row seating, consider removing it to lighten the load on your car.
Work from home on a few days of the week if you can afford to, and your employer agrees to it. This way you’ll be able to cut your gas costs by a good margin.
Many communities make use of zip cars, a zip car belongs to a group of people who procure it and each one may use it as and when needed before passing it on to the person who needs it next. Find out if the people in your community would be interested.
When approaching hills accelerate before you begin the climb and not while actually climbing.
If two of your stops are nearby then park somewhere in between and walk to your destinations.
When looking for a parking spot in the lot, park at the first free space that you find. You’ll save by not wandering around for the perfect spot.
When holidays are approaching fill up all your gas three days in advance to shield yourself against the price bump.
Keep a record of how many miles you drive and how much you spend, keeping other factors constant a spike in your spend might be a sign that your car needs service or a check-up.
Don’t rev the engine just before you shut it down.
Choose the roads that are straighter and shorter, changing too many lanes and taking too many turns uses up extra fuel.
Whenever you park, try to park in a manner that you wouldn’t need to reverse it when you start off again from that spot.
When buying gas find out if the retailers can deliver it right to your home. This way you can avoid using up your gas to reach a gas station.
Always check that you’ve removed the emergency brake before starting off.
Remain tuned in to radio stations to know of any traffic jams in advance.
Whenever possible stay away from rush hour.
Choose Wednesday mornings to buy gas as the prices are expected to move up towards the weekend after that.
Avoid purchasing gas when the prices are running high, wait if you can till they drop down.
Make use of overdrive gears as they reduce the speed of the engine leading to lesser consumption of gas.
Always disengage the automatic choke once the engine has warmed up.
If you’re standing say at a railroad crossing, allow the automatic transmission to cool down by shifting to the neutral gear.
Keep a safe distance from the car ahead of you so that you don’t have to break hard frequently to avoid colliding.
On the whole, it takes only simple steps to save gas, however the toughest part is to retrain ourselves to use and treat our automobiles differently. Once, we do that, saving gas is as easy as it can be.
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