Automobile Tips for Better Fuel Mileage – Don’t Let Gas Prices Drain Your Wallet
Tips for Better Fuel Mileage:
Change the air filter when needed, and use a quality brand: More efficient
brands of air filters cost a little more but will pay for themselves in most vehicles in
fuel savings.
Get Low Resistance Tires: Some tires, such as Michelin Energy MX 4 Plus are
supposed to increase gas mileage.
Get a membership card: Some gas stations offer membership benefits. There are
also department and grocery stores that give discounts at the fuel pump when you
use their store membership cards. Make sure you understand the benefits; getting a
5-cent discount on gas that consistently costs 10 cents more than the next guy isn’t
much of a deal.
Give your car a tune up: While properly maintaining your car won’t actually save
you money at the pump, it will save you gas. Using less gas saves you money. Have
the oil change every 3k miles, and have a certified mechanic give your engine a look
over.
Check the web for deals: Web sites let you find the best deals in your area. Check
out the external links below to start.
Buy a Diesel: Diesel cars can often get better mileage than comparable hybrids.
Getting a Diesel car also allows for use of Bio diesel or even Waste Vegetable Oil
(WVO/SVO) fuel.
Buy a hybrid car: Not only do hybrid cars give you immediate savings at the pump,
the U.S. government and your local state offer tax breaks for people who use gassaving
cars. Federal deductions for using gas-saving cars can be as high as
,000.00, but check before buying to see if they’re still in effect. If you can’t afford
the growing number of hybrid cars out there, consider getting a regular car with
good MPG (miles per gallon). In general, the smaller the car, the better the mileage.
Use the lowest recommended octane for your car: The lower octane gas is
cheaper. Most modern cars are engineered to run most efficiently on lower octane
fuel, and often recommend not using higher octane fuel. Check your owner’s manual
to be sure, as not all car engines should use lowest octane gas.
Mix octanes: In some areas, the lower octane may be too low for your car and the
mid-grade or higher octane may be more than what you need. To avoid overpaying
and still get the correct octane for your car you can mix the gas. For example, if your
car takes 87 octane and the pumps have 85 octane and 89 octane, then when filling
your car, fill half the tank with 85 octane and the other half with 89 octane and this
will give you an equivalent of 87 octane plus it will save you money because the
lower octane gas costs less.
Avoid idling: While idling, your car gets exactly 0 miles per gallon. Although starting
the car used to use a lot of gas, it’s now the same as idling for about 30 seconds.
Idling to warm up is particularly bad, as the engine needs extra fuel to warm up.
After start up, allow your car to idle 15-30 seconds, then drive conservatively until it
reaches normal operating temperature. Park your car and go into the restaurant
rather than idling in the drive-through. Idling with the air conditioning on also uses
extra fuel. Stopping and starting the engine frequently will cause extra wear. Don’t stop the
engine if you are going to idle for less than a minute.
In very cold environments, it is recommended to allow the vehicle to idle and warm
up, rather than just start it and take off. You might save gas, but your engine oil
won’t do its job until it’s fully liquid, so you’ll spend more money on overhauls. Check
tire pressures regularly. Buy an inexpensive air pump and an accurate tire gauge
(not a pencil gauge as they are not accurate). Keep all tires inflated to the pressure
as recommended for your car. Go by the tire wall; the sticker on the door frame, fuel
filler flap, or manual is for comfort, not fuel efficiency. Generally speaking, a slightly
higher pressure will improve fuel mileage and handling, but too high will degrade
traction and wear the tires rapidly.
Drive at a consistent speed: Avoid high acceleration and hard braking. Use cruise
control when you can.
Maintain a safe following distance: Don’t stick to the bumper of the car directly
in front of you. You will brake more and accelerate more to keep that unnecessary
and dangerous narrow gap. This also gives you a lot more room to play with when
you are timing traffic signals. Likewise, ignore tailgaters. They will tailgate you
whether you go the speed limit, or 100MPH over the speed limit. Allow them pass
when it’s convenient.
Slow down: Air resistance goes up as the square of velocity. The power consumed
to overcome that air resistance goes up as the cube of the velocity. Rolling
resistance is the dominant force below about 40 mph. Above that, every mph costs
you mileage. Go as slow as traffic and your schedule will allow. Drive under 60-65
since air grows exponentially denser, in the aerodynamic sense, the faster we drive.
To be precise, the most efficient speed is your car’s minimum speed in it’s highest
gear, since this provides the best “speed per RPM” ratio.
Clean out any unnecessary items in your car: If you have heavy objects in your
car that you don’t need, remove them. If your car is lighter, it will use less fuel to
get where you’re going.
Remove unneeded racks: If you have a bicycle or ski rack, remove it when you’re
not using it. It causes drag and lowers mileage.
Don’t fill until the last quarter tank: If you do this, it can extend your gas
because you are hauling a lighter load as the tank nears empty. This also allows you
to buy gas on low-cost days. However, in cold weather, you run an increased risk of
condensation in the fuel tank. And you never know when you might be in an
emergency and need some gasoline in your car!
Fill the tank full: If you need to fill up, fill up all the way. The more money you try
to save by adding today and then tomorrow will be wasted since each time
you will have to travel to the station and wait for a pump. Instead, do it all at once
to save time and money.
Determine whether gas with ethanol is right for your vehicle:
If there is a high proportion of ethanol, the lower energy content of the fuel will
almost always lower mileage. However, 10% or less ethanol actually helps gasoline
burn more completely, resulting in better economy.
Fuel with ethanol may be more expensive than standard gas, but the minimal price
difference is often offset by lower fuel taxes or subsidies.
Ethanol is much better for the environment, however, fuels with ethanol additives
can corrode fuel lines in vehicles not designed with ethanol fuels in mind.
Turbocharged cars often get better mileage with ethanol blends. This is because the
higher (over 100!) octane of ethanol permits more boost, which means more efficient
fuel usage.
Avoid having to stop when necessary: If approaching a red light, see if you can slow down enough to avoid having to actually stop (because you reach the light after it is green).
Speeding up from 5 or 10 miles per hour will be easier on the gas than starting from
full stop. Anticipate the lights and stop signs. Look far ahead; get to know your usual
routes. You can let up on the gas earlier. Coasting to a stop will save the gasoline
you would otherwise use maintaining your speed longer. If it just gets you to the end
of a line of cars at a red light or a stop sign a few seconds later, it won’t add any
time to your trip. Ditto for coasting to lose speed before a highway off-ramp: if it
means you catch up with that truck halfway around the curve instead of at the
beginning, you haven’t lost any time. (Do not coast to slow down until you’re in the
exit deceleration lane, unless you have checked your mirror to make sure you won’t
interfere with non-exiting traffic in the right-hand travel lane.)
Take off slowly from a full stop: This is one adjustment that will have dramatic
effects on your gas mileage; don’t tear off from a stoplight or stop sign! If you move
out slowly, it will help save you money at the pump. Also, if you are driving a stick
shift, note that 50% throttle at 1200 rpm’s uses less gas than 10% throttle at 2500
rpm’s. As long as the engine is not lugging or pinging, shift as soon as possible and
use plenty of throttle. The engine is more efficient when it does not have to pump air
past a closed throttle plate. Warning: The last part of this advice is only true for fuelinjected
cars or those with constant velocity carburetors.
Park in the first spot you find: If you wander all over the parking lot looking for
that really close parking space, you’ll use more gas. Don’t be afraid to walk a ways if
it comes to that – the walk will do you good!
Stay well away from store fronts Even if there is a space open there, avoid it. If
possible, avoid parking lot lanes that bring you near the stores. You will spend
significantly less time getting in, and less time blocked in because of pedestrians and
other vehicles. More spaces to choose from, and fewer keys and loose carts further
away from the doors, too.
This article has examined mutiple ways to save money on gas. Look for future articles regarding fuel mileage savings or for more information visit our website at http://www.autorepairinmesa.com.
Automotive Engineering has been serving the Mesa area with excellent service and prices since 1987. We offer complete Arizona auto repair and service.
