Useful gas saving tips

Useful gas saving tips

Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount of gas you use. If you are already following these tips, you are probably getting the best gas mileage your car can deliver


Drive Sensibly
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Observe the Speed Limit
While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Observing the speed limit is also safer.


Remove Excess Weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Avoid Excessive Idling
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines

Use Cruise Control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears
When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly
Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect
your engine.

Keep Tires Properly Inflated
You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.
Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent.

Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money.
Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that traveling is done when the engine is warmed-up and efficient. With a little planning, you can avoid retracing your route and reduce the distance you travel as well. You'll not only save fuel, but also reduce wear and tear on your car.

Commuting
If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you'll spend less time sitting in traffic and consume less fuel If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible. Consider telecommuting (working from home) if your employer permits it.If possible, take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs. You can cut your weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car if you take turns driving with other commuters. Consider using public transit if it is available and convenient for you.

Traveling
A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to meet your needs with a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5 percent. educe aerodynamic drag and improve your fuel economy by placing items inside the trunk whenever possible. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by 1-2 percent.

Thinking about buying a new vehicle?
You've come to the right place. www.fueleconomy.gov has gas mileage estimates and more information for 1985-2008 model year cars. Selecting which vehicle to purchase is the most important fuel economy decision you'll make.
Use www.fueleconomy.gov's Find and Compare Cars section to find the most fuel efficient vehicle that will meet your needs.

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The sites below provide information on maximizing the fuel efficiency of your car.

Federal Trade Commission
How to be Penny Wise, Not Pump Fuelish http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/fuelalrt.pdf

Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources, Canada
The Autosmart Guide http://autosmart.nrcan.gc.ca/pubs/autoeng.htm

Some of the above materials are provided in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Any PDF file can be downloaded, viewed on screen, and printed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. This free software can be downloaded from the Adobe Web site. Installation
and setup instructions are provided on this site.

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Other web sites which provide free useful gas reducing tips are:

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/consumer_tips/index.html

http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/energy/conservation_gas.htm
You can save money while reducing both fuel consumption and air pollution by following some of the tips listed here. Which steps you choose to take will depend on your own particular circumstances, but any of them will reduce the amount of money you spend for gasoline.

Driving
Fuel and Maintenance
Links
Purchasing a Vehicle
Trips, Errands, Commuting, Vacations


Driving

Avoid rapid acceleration; most horsepower (consumes a lot of gas) is built into cars for acceleration; relatively little
power (and thus fuel) is required to maintain speed. Avoid hard braking and sudden stops. Stay alert and anticipate traffic lights, stop signs and merges. Use turn signals. Traffic will move more smoothly, which saves fuel for everyone. When starting out, shift up to the next gear (manual transmission) as soon as possible without straining the engine. Drive more slowly. One study reported that for all vehicles tested there was at least 20% loss in fuel economy as cruising speed was increased from 55 to 75 mph. So, 20 mpg at 55 mph becomes 16 mpg or less at 75 mph.
If your car has an instantaneous mpg indicator, use it to improve your driving efficiency. Remove extra weight from the car; 100 extra pounds may cost 1 mpg. Pack lightly for trips. Try to avoid using roof racks and remove when they are not in use. Use cruise control on highway trips. For any stop you expect to last more than a minute, shut off your vehicle's engine rather than letting it idle. Do not warm engine up before driving; it is not necessary, even in cold weather. Do not rev engine before shutting it off; this wastes fuel and can dilute motor oil, eading to excessive wear on engine parts. Reduce the use of your air conditioner at low driving speeds. When driving over 40 ph using the air conditioner costs less fuel than having windows open. Park in the shade and/or leave windows slightly open to reduce the need for air conditioning.


Fuel and Maintenance
Replace air and fuel filters regularly as instructed by your vehicle’s maintenance manual; change air filter more often if driving in dusty conditions. Keep engine properly tuned. Use the service classification and oil viscosity specified for your vehicle. Example: SJ and 5W-30. Follow use/change interval in vehicle owner’s manual. Do not buy "aggressive" tread tires if you do not need them. Keep tires properly inflated and wheels aligned. Do not use mid-grade or premium grade gasoline unless specified for your vehicle. Older vehicles may require these grades
to avoid "knock" which reduces power and may damage the engine. Do not overfill the tank. Determine gasoline mileage periodically. Declining mileage can be an early indicator of mechanical problems or a need for servicing. Store emergency fuel supply or fuel for gasoline-fueled power equipment in sealed, airtight containers, and it will stil be usable in another season.



Purchasing a Vehicle
When purchasing, consider buying: the most fuel-efficient vehicle that will meet most of your needs, and rent a larger vehicle or a different kind for infrequent needs; a "hybrid" vehicle that combines a high-efficiency gasoline engine with an electric motor for greater fuel efficiency; fewer power options such as automatic transmission and especially air conditioner; 2-wheel drive if you really don’t need 4-wheel or all-wheel drive.


Trips, Errands, Commuting, Vacations
Carpool if possible for traveling to work or for errands. Combine errands to reduce the number of trips. Utilize mass transit. Support efforts to make mass transit more available. For shorter errands, consider walking or bicycling. Try to take one less car trip per week. Try to work or study at home at least part of the time. Consider living closer to where you work, or working closer to home. Consider shorter vacation and recreation trips; learn what’s special in nearby nature, culture and history.

http://www.progress.org/2005/energy44.htm

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/aa051201a.htm

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/aa051201a.htm

http://retireplan.about.com/od/budgetin1/a/gasoline2.htm

http://www.caa.ca/mini%20sites/gasprice/tips.html

http://www.howtoadvice.com/savinggas

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html

http://econogasser.com

www.internetshoppingtoday.co.uk/

http://www.nevadadailymail.com/story/1317662.html

energy/savinggreen.htm..

http://www.kwiktrip.com/m_whoweare/f_gasoline/moneysavingtips.asp

http://www.neo.ne.gov/summer2000/sum0002a.html

http://www.energy.ky.gov/dre3/efficiency/transportation.htm

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/planning.shtml

Properly Inflate Tires
You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.
Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml


http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

Additional fuel saving tips, gasoline pricing data and ride-sharing information can be found on the DRE3 Transportaion web site at:
http://www.energy.ky.gov/dre3/efficiency/transportation.htm


http://www.newcarbuyingguide.com/index.php/news/main/1880/event=view

http://www.epa.gov/smartway/consumer/tips.htm

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/fuel-efficient/5.asp