Rambling News: Insights/Opinions/Tips/Tricks in Today's World

Monday, November 06, 2006

How To (Cars): Tips to Save Gas

So the rising gas prices are making you skip lunch because you need your car to run all your errands and get you to and from work. Here are some personal tips and tricks that I employ to save gas out of my car (some I read on the internet, others from just trying out things with my car).

1. If your car doesn't require premium fuel (there's a difference between recommended and required fuel...recommended usually means it will use your car's full power potential if you put in that certain grade of gasoline, but if you don't, it won't hurt your car...required means if you don't put that grade of gasoline, your engine may get damaged), don't put it in. Corvette's use 87 grade gasoline, so why do you need to put premium into your Toyota Corolla? Grades don't keep your engine and its parts cleaner, so don't buy into that. What cleans your engines are additives that each gasoline company puts into their gasoline to call it their own, which usually includes cleaning additives. Examples you might have seen are V-Power by Shell and Techron by Chevron. Shell claims 5 times the cleaning agents over the required amount regulated. The only thing I recommend is to purchase your gas from top tier gas stations. You can get the list and information at the Top Tier Gasoline website.

2. Don't accelerate and/or brake harshly. Accelerating hard causes your engine to spin faster drawing in more gasoline to supply the power for your car. This sudden spurt of power uses more gas than if you steadily increased your acceleration. Accelerating quickly then having to brake quickly is inefficient for you car.

3. Coast. Pay attention to the street lights. If you are driving and you see that the traffic light ahead is red, don't speed up and brake when you get close to the light. Instead, let go of the gas pedal and allow your car to coast and naturally slow down due to friction. This allows the engine to spin at a lower RPM, which in turn uses less gas. Press the brake pedal when you get closer to the light, which by that time, stopping should take very little effort. There is no use to race up to a red light. In case the traffic light changes to green, if you are still coasting, when you press your gas pedal you don't have to start from a complete stop. This means less work for your engine since your car is already travelling at a certain speed, and again, saves more gas.

4. Have your windows down if you are driving below 40 mph, and use your A/C with the windows up if you are driving over 40 mph. Having your windows down causes drag to your car, making the engine work harder to maintain the speed you desire. The faster you travel with your windows down, the harder the engine has to work, since the wind is causing more drag to your vehicle. Using your A/C does consume some gas, but the combination of your windows up and the A/C on saves more gas than if you had your windows down if you are driving over 40 mph.

5. Keep your tires inflated to its proper pressure. Having underinflated tires, even by a few psi, can definitely affect your gas mileage. It's also a good way to check on your tires as well, looking for flats, tread wear, when to rotate your tires, etc. It's a good idea to check the pressure on your tires once a month. I also find that putting in 1-2 psi more than the recommended tire pressure increases my gas mileage. Don't put too much pressure over what's recommended into your tires though, because it may cause more damage than anything else.

6. Combine all your trips so you don't make frequent stops. Turning your engine on requires a certain amount of fuel to start the car. The gas you burn to turn on your engine equals to the same amount of gas you burn if you idle for 1 minute. The longer you travel, with less stop and go, the better your mileage will be. So instead of driving down 2 miles and driving back to your house, then back the other way for another 5 miles, drive the 2 miles then the next 3 miles to run all your errands before returning home.

7. Remove all unwanted things in your trunk and back seat. Extra weight will bog down your car, since your engine has to work harder to move a heavier vehicle. Remove all the unnecessary things in your trunk and leave only what you need. Your trunk should be nearly empty.

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3 Comments:

  • Tip #7 is soooooo true. I carry everything in my car, and just getting rid of a lot of things not only gave me better mileage, but it also made my car feel less sluggish.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At December 06, 2006 9:35 AM  

  • Good ways to save gas. I had no idea rolling up windows actually made a difference even if you use a/c. I'll see how much of a difference it will make. Plus, I can use my a/c more often now, especially since I drive mostly highway. :)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At December 06, 2006 11:00 AM  

  • I find that using premium grade gas gives me better fuel economy than the regular or plus grades. It improves it maybe about 2mpg. And I always stick to Chevron gasoline.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At December 07, 2006 11:34 AM  

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