Tips for Driving That Will Save You Money on Gas

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.