What’s next?
1) Check your air filter. A clean air filter is the key to good fuel economy. A dirty air filter restricts the flow of air into the engine, which harms performance and economy. Air filters are easy to check and change; remove the filter and hold it up to the sun. If you can’t see light coming through it, you need a new one. Consider a K&N or similar “permanent” filter which is cleaned rather than changed; they are much less restrictive than throw-away paper filters, plus they’re better for the environment.
2) Check your tire pressure
Next to the air fitler, under-inflated tires are one of the most commonly ignored causes of crummy MPG. Buy a reliable tire gauge, check your tires when they are cold (driving the car warms up the tires and the air inside them, increasing the pressure), and keep them properly inflated. Use the inflation pressures shown in the owner’s manual or on the data plate in the driver’s door jamb.
3) Slow down
As speed increases, fuel economy decreases exponentially. If you one of the “ten-over on the freeway” set, try driving the speed limit for a few days. You’ll save a lot of fuel and your journey won’t take much longer. Just be sure you keep to the right, so you won’t impede the less-enlightened.
4) Hang with the trucks
Ever notice how, in bad traffic jams, cars seem to constantly speed up and slow down, while trucks tend to roll along at the same leisurely pace? A constant speed keeps shifting to a minimum — important to those who have to wrangle with those ten-speed truck transmissions — but it also aids economy, as it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving. Rolling with the big rigs saves fuel (and aggravation).
5) Accelerate with care
Jack-rabbit starts are an obvious fuel-waster – but that doesn’t mean you should crawl away from every light. If you drive an automatic, accelerate moderately so the transmission can shift up into the higher gears. Stick-shifters should shift early to keep the revs down, but don’t lug the engine — downshift if you need to accelerate. Keep an eye well down the road for potential slowdowns. If you accelerate to speed then have to brake right away, that’s wasted fuel.
6) Get back to nature
Consider shutting off the air conditioner, opening the windows and enjoying the breeze. It may be a tad warmer, but at lower speeds you’ll save fuel. That said, at higher speeds the A/C may be more efficient than the wind resistance from open windows and sunroof. If I’m going someplace where arriving sweaty and smelly could be a problem, I bring an extra shirt and leave early so I’ll have time for a quick change.
7) Back off the bling
New wheels and tires may look cool, and they can certainly improve handling. But if they are wider than the stock tires, chances are they’ll create more rolling resistance and decrease fuel economy. If you upgrade your wheels and tires, keep the old ones. I have fancy sport rims and aggressive tires on my own car, but I keep the stock wheels with a good narrower-tread performance tire in the garage. For long road trips, the stock wheels give a smoother ride and better economy.
Clean out your car
The more weight your car has to haul, the more gas it needs to do the work. If you’re the type who takes a leisurely attitude towards car cleanliness — and I definitely fall into that group — periodically go through your car and see what can be tossed out or brought into the house. It doesn’t take much to acquire an extra 40 or 50 lbs. of stuff.
9) Out with the new, in with the old
Many people keep their old cars around even after they buy a new one. A spare car, especially if it’s an econobox, can be good insurance against temporary spikes in gas prices due to world events. The costs of keeping the car may or may not be less then the fuel saved, but it does allow for more predictability in your budget. My old beater doesn’t look like much, but it goes 10 miles further on a gallon of gas than our regular car. For that, I can afford to look bad!
10) Don’t drive
Not a popular thing to say on a car site, I know, but the fact is that if you can avoid driving, you’ll save gas. Take the train, carpool, and consolidate your shopping trips. Walking or biking is good for your wallet and your health. And before you get in your car, always ask yourself: “Is this trip really necessary?”
Some Tips!
- Keep your car tuned up. Cars in poor running condition burn more petrol.
- Plan trips well to avoid unnecessary driving.
- When you run your air conditioner you get much worse gas mileage. Use your air conditioner sparingly. If you have a lower setting, use it. Turn it on until the car gets cool, then turn it off and let the fan circulate the cool air. Never run your air conditioner with your windows open!
- Keep your windows closed when traveling at high speeds. Open windows cause additional drag and lower your gas mileage. At high speeds, an open window can use more gas than many air conditioners (especially if they are on a low setting).
- Check your tire pressure. Over-inflated tires can actually reduce your fuel efficiency, so don’t overfill.
- If at all possible, change your work start time to avoid gridlock. Stop and go traffic hurts your gas mileage.
- Take unneeded items out of the car.
- Try not to idle your engine for long periods of time.
- You no longer need to warm your car up for long periods of time, especially new cars. New cars are made to run when cold.
- Don’t travel at fast speeds in low gears unless you need the compression to slow down.
- Try to drive the speed limit.
- Try to accelerate slowly when leaving the stop light.
- No need to buy the highest priced gasoline. Most cars are built to run on regular unleaded. Check you owners manual or consult a mechanic.
- Revving the engine needlessly wastes gas.
- If at all possible, try to arrange car pools with co-workers to share the cost of commuting to work.
- Walk, bike or run to your intended location whenever possible.
- When the price is sky high, don’t fill up. Filling up your tank when the price is peaking lets gas companies know that you are willing to pay ridiculous prices for gasoline.
- And last, the biggest and most important step towards saving money on gas is always try to purchase vehicles that get good gas mileage. The difference between 20 km/liter and 30 km/liter is huge.