Mar
20
Use less gas - save more money
March 20, 2007 |
Gas prices have risen to over $4.00 a gallon, it wasn’t that long ago a gallon of gas was just under three dollars. I don’t remember thinking that was a bargain.
I’m sure I won’t be making economic news when I say the price of gas is not going to go down anytime soon which makes spending twentyfive thousand plus on a hybrid look like a very good deal. Would you be interested if I told you how you could improve your gas mileage by almost 30% while spending very little cash and in some cases without buying anything? If so - read on.
Driving defensively
A few changes to your driving habits are all you really need. Add some routine maintenance and you can save folding money, not just pennies. Believe it or not, just a few changes to your driving habits and you will use less gas at the pump while putting more money in your pocket.
A lead foot could cost you some gold.
On the Road:
The faster you go the more gas you will use. The optimum speed for saving gas will vary from car to car but usually it is between 50 and 60 mph. Obviously you don’t want to drive 50mph on the interstate and get run over but try to keep your speed around 65, which is the speed limit in most states. Also, unless you are on very hilly terrain turn on the cruise control and it will help with your gas mileage as well.
In Town:
Although it often feels like it the person who gets to the stoplight first is not the winner. Leaving the stop light first doesn’t get you any prizes either. Hard acceleration does more than waste gas, it shortens the lifetime of almost every part on your car. Smooth steady acceleration is the key. If you can feel the acceleration as a pressure on your back it is probably too much. The same with breaking, if you brake too hard you will wear out your car at a much faster than normal rate. Of course if you don’t brake hard enough you could hit the guy in front of you. Which could wind up costing you a lot.
Air Conditioning - On or Off?
Like everything else, it depends. There are two schools of thought and both are correct. The first is by putting the air conditioning on and rolling up the windows the air resistance is lowered so the engine doesn’t work as hard to maintain your speed. Which offsets the demands of the air conditioner. On the other hand there are those who believe the air conditioner itself taxes the engine more than the reduced air drag can compensate for.
As I said, both viewpoints are correct. At slower speeds (under 35mph) wind resistance is just not enough of a factor. If you turn the air conditioner on at those speeds you will use more gas. At highway speeds however the situation changes. Modern cars are designed to run with the windows up. By leaving the windows down at higher speeds (45mph+) you will rob your vehicle of both performance and fuel efficiency.
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Artwork by Nova
