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How to Save Money on Gas - 15 Tips

by: Amruta | last updated: August 21, 2009
Category: Green Savings | Tags: save money, money saving, How to save money on gas, save money on gas, save money on gas, Gasoline, How to Save Money on Gas - 15 Tips, gas saving tips, tips on saving gas

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How to Save Money on Gas - 15 Tips It's Summer and I love going on Road Trips. It's this time of the year when I drive the most. Due to the recent hike in gas prices, I thought it might be a good idea to share this article with you. Even though gas prices don't hurt my bottom line that much, I can truly feel the pain this must cause a lot of people. As a student I didn't have a lot of money and the cost of gasoline was always a major issue for me. I have learned many ways of saving money for gas by improving my gas mileage. There are many things you can do, aside from going out and buying a more fuel efficient car, that will help you tremendously to cut down your gasoline expenses. Many require only minor adjustments to your driving style. Here are some ways to save money on Gas.

1. Brake the right way

A car consumes most gas as it accelerates. It's a simply law of physics. A moving car doesn't require much gasoline to keep moving. In real life this means, in order to improve your mileage you need to keep the ride smooth. Let me give you some examples. About 30 percent of the drivers I see in somewhat heavy traffic apparently cannot control their speed with the accelerator pad alone. Instead I see those guys speed up and slam on the brakes all the time. Obviously, that makes the guy following too close behind very nervous and he too needs to brake and accelerate constantly. In really heavy (but still moving) traffic about 90 percent of the cars do this. It is relatively easy to hold a speed in a long line of cars without stepping on the brake. Just keep a little bit more distance and try to practice this.

2. Hybrid drivers

If you own a hybrid powered car, the statement above applies even more to you. Try to avoid fast braking. Hybrid cars have the ability to convert braking power into electric energy and store them in their batteries. However this (induction) will only give yo so much braking power. If you need to decelerate faster, your brakes will engage and energy will be lost. So the next time you are approaching a traffic light, start braking a lot sooner and don't slam on the brakes the last minute. This will significantly improve the efficiency of your hybrid car.

3. Turn off your air condition

This tip might be somewhat impractical in some areas. I would never dare to switch off the air condition of my car in Arizona in the Summer. However I also know that the compressor for the air conditioner loads the motor of my car more, which will reduce my fuel economy. I try not to use the air conditioner if I don't have to. Park your car in the shade if you can, so you won't have to keep the AC working as hard when you go somewhere. Turn off the AC 5 minutes before you reach your destination and don't keep it working until the last second.

4. Reduce weight

Coming back to the force equals mass times acceleration. We already established that one shouldn't accelerate as much. You can also try to reduce the mass of your car by emptying out the trunk and removing heavy items that you don't need (keep your spare tire and car lift, but get rid of the gardening equipment).

5. Turn your car off

When you turn on a car, it uses a bit of gas. When the car is idling, it uses a fixed amount of gas over a period of time (especially with the AC on). In most scenarios (depending on the car), the energy balance will be positive if you turn off your car for more then 20 seconds. That means you can save gas if you turn off you car while waiting at long traffic light sequences, railroad crossings or while your better half pulls money from the ATM. Any time you can foresee that you will not be moving for more then 30s or 1minute you should turn off the engine to help your vacation budget.

6. Drive slower

Yeah right. Obviously that’s not something I am all that fond off being the lead foot driver I am. Well, it's a proven fact that driving fast will increase the drag (turbulence) and thus increase your fuel consumption, however I simply cannot bring myself to drive below the legal speed limit. It's your choice. There is not that much difference between 60mph and 65mph in terms of fuel consumption. A car racing along at its maximum speed of 200km/h (depending on the car), would consume about twice as much gas as if it were driven at 160km/h. At the upper end of the power spectrum engines become very inefficient.

7. Close your windows

Believe it or not, but opening your windows will increase the turbulences and eventually cost you fuel. If you can, use only the ventilation system of your car. I cannot really gauge this against using the air conditioner. I believe that opening your windows at low speeds and using the air conditioner at high speeds gives you better fuel economy.

8. Pick a better route

Avoid heavy traffic and lots of traffic lights. The shortest route is not always the most fuel efficient if you have to stop a lot.

9. Pump it up

Inflate your tires to the specified level (I usually go about 0.2 PSI above). This will reduce the contact area of your tire to the road and therefore reduce the friction. It will help you to get a slightly improved gas mileage.

10. Rent a smaller car

Well, a small car always has a better fuel economy due to its smaller mass. Smart budget travelers therefore rent smaller cars and don't care much about the status a shiny big car conveys.

11. Reduce drag

Why are you driving around with that ski-, bicycle- or luggage-rack on your roof if you don't need it. Didn't you know that this increases the wind resistance of your car. Well now you do. Seriously, removing those will save you quite a bit of gasoline.

12. Eco tuning

Chip tuning for your engine used to be pretty big way back when gas cost less then water. These days the buzzword is eco tuning. Many tuners offer replacement chips for your engine computer that increase the power while at the same time saving gas. How is this possible. Well to cut this already long article short, they improve both ends of the curve. At the upper end they give you more power (with reduced efficiency) and at the lower end a better efficiency. You choose with the gas pedal which mode to use. Make sure you use manufacturer approved tuners if you don't want to lose your warranty.

13. Use the correct grade of motor oil

The grade of the oil pretty much tells us about the viscosity. If you use the wrong grade, you may increase the friction in your engine. It gets hotter and uses more gas.

14. Air filters

Replace your air filter when you need to, or your mix won't be right. However don't replace it every time the mechanics tell you to (they make money with it). Try to find out how often you need a new filter.

15. Turn off the lights

Well, this one might be a safety concern. Many Rental Car companies have daylights enabled on their cars which are rather efficient. However every electrical equipment is powered from the alternator which will increase its load on the engine to produce more power. So when you can do it safely, turn off those headlights.

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