Increasing Fuel Economy, How to Save on Gas

One of the most expensive devices to keep and operate is sitting in your driveway.  Yes, it’s your car and it’s costing you a bundle. Soaring gas prices, maintenance and tolls can eat up money like a termite eats wood, but there are a number of things that you can do to keep your car from driving you broke.

First there are a number of apps that will help you find the best price at the pump.  GasBuddy, for example, will show you the prices on all the pumps around your home town as reported by your neighbors. It is also best to fill up in the morning when gas is cold as hasn’t expanded.  Less expanded, more in your trunk. Up to 2% more actually, which on a full tank can equal a couple of bucks each time.

Keeping your car properly maintained can lower your cost at the pump significantly also.  Making sure the tire pressure is correct, for example, is very easy to do and can save you 2 to 3 %. Getting the oil changed regularly is also important not only for gas mileage but to reduce the risk of wear that causes the need for repair. One thing that most people overlook is the trunk, meaning that if it’s full of junk it can weigh the car down and cause higher gas consumption.

Aggressive driving and speeding can really suck up a lot of extra gas.  It’s been found that for every 5 miles an hour over 60 mph you actually end up paying about .29 cents per gallon more, which is very significant.  Using cruise control is a great idea if you’re on the highway and can save quite a bit of gas over speeding and slowing constantly. One of the worst offenders is idling your car to ‘warm it up’ which for most cars is absolutely unnecessary and wastes ¼ gallon of fuel every 15 minutes.

Finally, carpooling is an excellent way to save on gas and maintenance, as well as taking the train and bus when possible. If you do all of these things you could save up to 10% on gasoline which, over a year’s time, could be a very significant savings.