Daily Fuel Economy Tip

With gas prices all over the United States hovering at about four dollars a gallon many people are desperately searching for any tips, advice or information that will allow them to save a little bit of money when filling up. Of course there are the old standbys, such as making sure the tires are inflated and maintaining the car as well as  possible, but frankly there  is only so much savings that you can get out of this. So, dear readers, what we did was search for a number of other ways to save money on gasoline and what we came up with is written for you below. Enjoy.

1.         Most people don’t usually associate using their car’s brakes with using more gas but a few recent studies show that the more a person brakes the more fuel they use. Of course it’s necessary to use them when driving but, whenever possible, the best thing to do is coast when you know that you’re going to have to stop rather than waiting until the last moment and braking hard. What you’ll be doing is taking advantage of the kinetic energy that your car has built up, which means that your engine will use less fuel and you’ll save money. Indeed, you can save a surprising 12% to 15% on fuel just by using this one driving tactic.
2.         You might also have heard that jackrabbit starts are not only bad for your car but use more fuel. While this is certainly true, getting up to speed too slowly can also use more fuel rather than less. The reason is that most cars get lower fuel economy when they are in lower gears. Recent testing showed that accelerating a car to 50 mph in a 15 second period used less fuel than doing the same thing but over 30 seconds, a savings attributed to the test cars entering their top, fuel saving gears faster.
3.         Many people have gotten the advice to open the windows rather than using the A/C.  In all honesty, there are plenty of people on both sides of this fence. Some will tell you that using the air-conditioning (and being more comfortable) uses less fuel and thus cost less money than opening the windows and letting the air flowing through them keep you cool. Recent studies have found that, below 55 mph, fuel consumption was better when the windows were open and the AC was off. Conversely, at 60 mph or higher closing the windows and turning on the AC made more sense, fuel efficiency wise, due to the drag of friction on the car.
4.         One mistake that many people make is to use the psi maximum that is written on the sidewall of their tires. In reality, this is the maximum and thus not the most efficient psi. Checking the sticker on the inside of the driver’s side door or referring to the automobile owner’s manual will give you the exact psi for the tires that came with your car. Of course if you’ve purchased new tires since then you may need to refer to the manufacturer’s website or ask the technician that installed them for you if you want to find this precise and important fuel saving number.
5.         Running a bunch of errands during one trip is an excellent way to save fuel but also something that most people already know. What most people might not know is that they should go to the store or other destination that is furthest from their home first so that their car’s engine is completely warmed up.  A warm engine performs better than a cold one and uses less fuel. Once warmed, even if you park for 30 minutes you will still benefit from increased performance and fuel savings.
6.         This one might sound foolish but not only does FedEx use it, one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, but the television show MythBusters proved that it works. What is it? Making mostly right turns when you’re driving. Because it is easier and faster to make right turns in most states you will spend less time sitting at a traffic light or stop sign, car idling. Making all right turns will thus use less fuel but it does offer some challenges depending on where you’re going and what you are doing.
7.         Ethanol, which is being used all over the country in most major gasoline blends, is not only harsh on your car’s engine but also worse for your MPG. The reason; ethanol stores less energy than gasoline and thus you need more of it to go the same distance. Whenever possible avoid gas that has ethanol in it or at least try to get the brand with the least.

While some of the ideas above might be a little bit worn we believe that some of the new information and advice that we coupled with them is definitely worth your attention, especially if you do a lot of driving. These days, even if you don’t do a lot of driving it still pays to use as many tips and tricks as possible to lower your fuel consumption and save money. We hope you like this blog and we invite you to come back and visit us again soon for more money-saving tips on all sorts of different things. See you then!

Avoid Ethanol When Possible
Gasoline that has been cut with 10 or 15 percent ethanol, called E10 or E15, is an mpg killer. Why? Gasoline stores more energy than ethanol (119,000 Btu per gallon vs 80,000). So it takes more ethanol than gasoline to go the same distance.

With prices hovering close to $4.00 a gallon all over the United States most people are looking for as many ways as possible to save money on gasoline. That’s understandable of course but, unfortunately, most people miss the three most important  automobile maintenance tasks that could easily save them up to $.30 a gallon every time they fill up.  With that in mind we put together a little blog about those three tasks, what they are and how they can increase your fuel economy and decrease the sting that you get at the pumps. Enjoy.

Task #1 – Make sure that you keep your car’s engine properly tuned at all times. If your car for example is noticeably out of tune or has recently failed and emissions test getting a tuned up can improve your gas mileage by almost 5%. This of course varies depending on the type of car that you have, it’s age and how well maintained it was before the tune-up. If your car is suffering from a serious problem such as an oxygen sensor that is working incorrectly, fixing this problem can improve your mileage by as much as 40%, which is a serious improvement. Even at only 4% this is an equivalent of approximately $.14 a gallon savings.

Task #2 – Make sure that your car’s tires are always kept at their proper pressure. For every 1 psi pressure drop your car’s mileage can actually be lowered by .3%. Also, keeping your tires properly inflated will allow them to last longer, thus lowering the cost to replace them.

Many people make the mistake of looking on the side of the tire and using the maximum pressure number that is printed there on the tire sidewall. Better to locate the driver side door-jam sticker or look in the owner’s manual to find the actual recommended psi and use that number instead.  Keeping your tires properly  inflated can thus give you a fuel economy benefit of approximately 3% or $.11 per gallon savings.

Task #3 – Find out what the recommended weight of motor oil is for your vehicle and use it every time you have the oil changed. This can actually improve your gas mileage by up to 2% and is also better for the car’s engine which will lower your maintenance costs overall.

If you use 10 W30 motor oil and the engine in your car was designed to run on 5 W30, using the wrong oil can lower your gas mileage by 2% and cost you more at the pump, obviously. When your car’s oil is being changed ask if they have energy conserving motor oil as it contains friction reducing additives that will also increase your gas mileage. The 2% bonus that using the correct motor oil can give you equals approximately $.07 per gallon savings.

Bonus Info – There is new information that has recently been released that shows that, while replacing a clogged air filter can improve a car’s performance and acceleration, it has little impact on a car’s MPG. This is mostly for cars that were made after the early 1980s. Thus, if you’re looking to improve gas mileage, replacing your car’s air filter is probably not going to give you much of a MPG boost.

Like practically everyone in America we hate filling up these days because the price of gasoline is doing so much damage to our wallets and purses. If you  can accomplish the three tasks above however you could save, as we said, up to about $.30 per gallon every time you fill up.

Over the cost of 1 tank of gas the savings might not be huge but, over a year’s worth of gas consumption, you could literally save hundreds of dollars. So make sure to keep your own mobile properly tuned, its tires properly inflated and use the manufacturer’s recommended weight of oil. Of course be sure to come back and join us very soon for more great money-saving information. See you then!

If there’s anything that all of us can’t get enough of it’s tips on where to find cheap gas. With gas prices hovering around four dollars a gallon anything that can be done to lower the price or lower your consumption is a great idea. With that in mind we’ve put together a blog about where to find and how to find cheap gas. We hope it takes the sting out of your next trip to the pump. Enjoy.

No matter where you live in the United States the cheapest gas always seems to be in the same general area. For example, the outlying suburbs seems to be the place to find it if you live in a major metro area. Also, as you might well imagine, unless you live in an area that is very wealthy because you are wealthy it’s best to avoid affluent areas if you’re keen on filling up the tank. The reason is simple; people who live in affluent areas can afford affluent gas prices. Also, the price reflects the fact that the gas station is located in an affluent area as well and has to make up the cost of being there in I it’s prices.

Another gas station to stay away from no matter where you are is the one that sits right near a major highway or freeway. In many cases it can be well worth the extra time and effort to drive a few blocks or a couple of miles away.

Finding a gas station that always has lower prices is a good idea, obviously. These types of stations normally are associated with wholesale clubs, department stores or grocery stores. These retail outlets sell gas as a loss leader because it brings in customers for their main products. Many of these retail stores have membership programs and so you need to factor in the cost of that when determining if it’s a good enough deal per gallon for you to make the extra effort. In many cases it is and so if you have the opportunity you might want to check into it at your local wholesale club or grocery store. As a side note, when you have a gas station that is also an auto repair shop oftentimes the gas per gallon there is much more expensive.

A number of gas station chains have started giving coupons for discounts on your gas. You can find these on the back of grocery store receipts, on the Internet, in the mail and other locations. There are number of stations that will give you a lower price on gas when you purchase a car wash at the same time. Also a number of the major credit cards have cards that are connected with major gas station chains and will get you one to 2% back for every gallon that you buy.

Lastly of course if you want to use less gas then you should look into buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle and try to drive your car as little as possible. This isn’t always possible of course, but in many cases it is. With gas prices as high as they are, if you’re eager to save as much money as possible you have to be willing to do as much as possible to accomplish that task.