Tips For Saving Gas

Jul 16

In these current days of high gas prices (currently around $4.50/gallon where I live), it pays to do as much as possible out of what you have. And while I am not ever going to be a hyper-miler, I can at least do as well as I can. (It’s hard to get superb gas mileage when you drive a truck.)

While I do drive a less than ideal automobile, I am still able to get 20 MPG. And that might not sound too impressive to most people, but for trucks that’s not bad. But besides that, the tips are still good. They’re by no means new, though. But I didn’t just read it on some other site and paste them here. And remember, sometimes it’s just fine to be Coming Up With It Yourself. [caption id=”” align=”alignright” width=”240” caption=”Courtesy of Flickr user Cobalt123”][/caption]

1. Minimize Braking - This is of the utmost concern. Some of the other tips could also be generalized to this. Why is braking bad? Well every moment of braking is a moment where energy that was expended by gas is being needlessly lost. That is, you get the most use out of your gas when you’re not braking at all because all of the energy from the gas is being used to power the vehicle. And while this is not feasible with the traffic laws that we have, it’s still a true fact.

2. Coast Into Red Lights - When you see a red light up ahead, don’t continue with your foot on the accelerator! Why are you in a rush to sit at a red light? Instead, take it easy on the accelerator and ride out your momentum.

3. Cruise Control Is Your Friend - For periods of driving that are going to be stop-free, utilize that cruise control. The car will consistently apply gas to continue at the speed that the cruise control is set at. And the car will probably do it better than your attempts at keeping your foot steady.

4. Coast Down Hills - Gravity will accelerate your vehicle down the hill. So put your transmission into neutral (this is more normal with a manual transmission) and let gravity work its magic.

5. Turn Off The Car - Instead of idling, turn the car off when you know that you’re going to be sitting for awhile. While most modern cars are not built to constantly be turned on and off (like at every red light), it’s probably best to turn it off if you’re waiting for someone to run into the store.

6. Proper Maintenance - It’s hard to do your best when your vehicle isn’t up to snuff. So keep up with those oil changes, regularly inflate those tires, and make sure everything is as the manufacturer intended.

7. Slow Down - Probably one of the most important, this has numerous benefits besides gas savings including (but not limited to) overall safety.

These seem simple enough. An added bonus for doing all of this is decreased road rage. You’ll care more about what’s going on with you and your vehicle than you will about how that jerk cut you off. Save a headache, save some money.