Daily Fuel Economy Tip

Top 10 Most Creative Ways to Save Gas

Considering the success of my Top 10 Easiest Ways to Save Gas post and the fact that the nation’s average gas price has already started making the march to $3 a gallon, I’ve decided to post additional top 10 lists dedicated to helping people save gas and increase fuel economy.

Today I’m going to focus on creative ways for you to save gas.  In looking at this list, I don’t think any of these tips will cause a dramatic jump in your car’s fuel economy when taken individually, however if you were to combine all ten of these tips, I don’t think it would be unreasonable for you to achieve a noticeable increase in gas mileage.

And on that note, here are the Top 10 Most Creative Ways to Save Gas:

1. Turn down the music.  I think this might be one of my all-time favorite gas saving tips.  Think about it; how many times have you been listening to a song on the radio with the volume turned all the way up and then you look down at the speedometer and you’re going 15 mph over the speed limit?  Turn down the tunes, pay attention to your speed and save some gas.
2. Wash and wax your car.  This is another interesting one; essentially the idea behind this is if you keep your car clean and waxed, theoretically it should be slightly more aerodynamic than a dirty, bug splattered car. The jury’s still out on this one.
3. Take out unused seats. Many newer vehicles - specifically mini vans, SUVs and regular vans - allow you the option of removing unused seats. If you can get this extra weight out of your car I would recommend it; for every extra 100 pounds you carry around in your car, you decrease its fuel economy by up to 2%.
4. Fill your tires with nitrogen as opposed to regular air. If you have recently had your car’s tires changed, you may have noticed that you paid a little extra to have your car’s tires filled with pure nitrogen as opposed to regular air. Many tire places are filling tires with Nitrogen because it helps tires maintain the correct pressure longer due to the fact Nitrogen molecules are larger than Oxygen molecules.
5. Shop online. Obviously, you’re not going to waste gas if you don’t have to use your car. Try and do more shopping online in order to cut down on all of those small trips back and forth from the mall to your house.
6. Bring your lunch to work. Again, this is another one of those little things that will help you cut down on all of those small trips you take each day.
7. Adjust your commute time and/or look into telecommuting. The longer you sit in idle, the more gas you’re going to waste. Just think of your morning and afternoon commutes; how much time do you spend sitting in park on the freeway? Try to set up a work schedule that will allow you to be on the road during off peak times. Or, if you’re lucky, see if you can telecommute and cut out the road rage inducing commute all together.
8. If you drive a truck, leave the tailgate up. This was one of the more interesting tips that I’ve come across while doing my research. Like many people, I was of the belief that trucks got better gas mileage with their tailgates down. Turns out that’s wrong.
9. Switch to synthetic oil. Because synthetic oil tends to lubricate engines better, it also allows engines to operate more efficiently. Efficiency = better gas mileage.
10. Take care of all the little things before you start your car. Instead of starting the car and then looking through your CD case, putting on your seatbelt, sorting through the mail, getting the kids to stop screaming, etc., go ahead and take care of all that little stuff before hand. Like I’ve said before, sitting in idle is the quickest way for you to decrease your fuel economy and needlessly waste gas.

Like I said, I don’t think that any one of these tips will dramatically increase your gas mileage, however if you combine all of these tips, especially if it’s in combination with the Top 10 Easiest Ways to Save Gas, I really do think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your car’s improved gas mileage.

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