How To (Cars): More Ways to Save Gas (Part II)

Since my last post on Tips to Save Gas, I came across Shell's website on how to save gas as well. Of my seven tips, 4 of them were the same tips as Shell. Below are the other 6 tips that Shell has provided with my opinions on them.

1. Use higher gears. This only works if you have a manual transmission or one of those "manual-matic" gear shifters (automatic transmission that can be changed to allow the driver to change gears to a certain extent). It is true that the higher gear your car is in, the lower your engine speed will be (you can observe this when you upshift...your rpms will drop down), which means your engine spins less ultimately using less gas. My experience is that my gas mileage doesn't change that much when I upshift using my maunal-matic in my vehicle. I tried doing this for about a month, upshifting when I can and almost never revving over 2000rpms, but my fuel economy may have increased about 1 mpg, and sometimes no increase at all. To me, 1 mpg is not worth shifting so often. Also, when you force the car to upshift, you can feel the gears change with a little bump compared to the automatic shifter that smooths out the bump a little better. For this tip, use it if you have a manual transmission vehicle. If you have an automatic transmission vehicle, just drive smoothly, without over-revving your vehicle, and if you can, maintain the rpms under 2000.

2. Tune and service your engine. I know this is true, but I forgot to put this in my last post. A tuned engine can definitely keep your car running well, but the most important part is to continue to upkeep your car, not just sparingly. Shell has noted that repairing a problem can increase your fuel economy by 4%. I know we don't want to pay the costs of getting your engine tuned and checked out, but I'm sure those costs won't add up to what it would cost when the engine actually gives out.

3. Take the roof rack off. This just deals with aerodynamics. The less aerodynamic your car, the more drag your car has to face, the harder the engine has to work, the more gas you have to use. Shell reports a roof rack can reduce your fuel economy up to 5%.

4. Use the correct oil. This is important not only to save gas, but also to keep your engine running at it's highest efficiency. If you don't take care of your car at all, the one thing you should always do is change your oil, but make sure you do it at the recommended miles and/or time. The oil change schedule should be in your vehicle's manual.

5. Use cruise control. This is just so you can cruise at a constant speed without constantly revving your engine to pick up the speed whenver you slow down. In Hawaii, you can almost never use cruise control because of the short rides, but my tip is just to keep your foot on the pedal to maintain a constant speed, and ease off to slow down. Never step on the gas pedal hard to increase the speed, then let go and let it coast until you need to speed up again. This causes the engine to work harder.

6. Avoid idling. Idling definitely wastes gas, because you are using gas and not moving anywhere...for a grand total of 0 mpg. It's hard to avoid idling especially if you are in traffic, and if you are in that position, there is nothing you can do. But like I posted on my previous tips to save gas, on step 6, turning on your engine uses as much gas as idling for 1 minute. Just idle wisely when you are waiting for someone.

I also want to add one more tip of my own:

Change your air filter. Usually, you should change your air filters every 15,000 miles, but if you live in a very dusty environment, consider changing it after 10,000 miles. A dirty air filter and affect your fuel economy, and it only takes literally 1 minute to change. They usually cost about $7-10, so make sure you do it yourself.